Amy Tran, founder and designer at Ames
At the heart of Amy Tran’s label Ames is an understanding that no two bodies are the same. With this firmly in mind, Ames designs are custom-made for each body, a philosophy that neatly aligns with Amy’s desire to be part of mindful and slow fashion.
The busy creative is a self-taught designer and sewer, who spent years honing her craft while working in the fields of graphic design, photography, banking, and finance. While her early career path was a world away from fashion, Amy has always enjoyed unleashing her creative side and studied media arts at Wintec, majoring in graphic design.
An appreciation of the time, effort, and skill required to make clothing inspired her to continue developing her skills, and what began as a hobby, slowly evolved into meeting the demand of repeated requests from other people for her designs.
This natural evolution sparked the idea around a potential future business, and with the help of a business mentor, Ames has recently relaunched and is available now online.
As the owner, designer, sewer, packager, et al, working solo on Ames comes with its own set of challenges, particularly as Amy is also mum to two boys, both of whom are now at school.
“It was actually when I had my babies that I started learning how to sew properly and completely fell in love with it. I guess it has all the elements I love: design, photography, and physically making the product.
“I also love vintage fashion and op shop frequently and have since I was about 14.
“My style is definitely influenced by vintage finds. I love big sleeves, colour, statement dresses, and tops. As a mum running around after kids, I also appreciate easy, comfortable clothing – this doesn’t mean it can’t be stylish!”
Amy enjoys the creative process of designing and making clothes, hunting for the perfect fabric and making her ideas come to life.
“It’s such a good feeling when you achieve that and the end result is a customer feeling good about themselves and knowing that what they’re wearing gives them an extra confidence boost,” she says.
Amy admits she used to be a consumer of fast fashion and thought nothing of it until she learned how to sew.
“Once I realised the time and skill it took to make even a simple dress, it really changed my outlook around slow, ethical, and sustainable fashion.
“I knew this was the direction I wanted to take Ames – a mindful brand that catered to every person and every size using natural fibres and deadstock fabrics.”
Ames clothing is made to order, allowing the option for customers to adjust various elements, such as sleeve and neck styles.
“People should feel inspired by their wardrobe – season after season, year after year.
“I believe in mindful shopping and Ames designs reflect this – aimed for year-round wear and layering. As I’m also a big fan of colour, while there is of course standard blank and white available, I’m heavily influenced by vintage patterns and the mixture of modern style and vintage vibes.”
Ames uses natural fibres, including cotton, linen, and silks and sources mostly deadstock fabric that would otherwise go to landfill.
“We are absolutely not fast fashion. Ames pieces are made to last, to enjoy, and to dress up or down depending on your mood.
“Everything is also 100% made right here in Aotearoa. We feel strongly around continuing to support our local industry – this is one of our goals.
“Catering for all sizes, we are proud to be an inclusive brand. If you don’t find your size on the website, we can take your measurements and make the garment for you, no problem.”
The new Ames website also showcases Amy’s graphic design skillset and encourages customers to be mindful of the clothing they are purchasing, allowing them to be involved in the process if they wish to be, with an option for virtual consultations and sample fabric packs so fabric can be seen and touched before items are purchased.
“Basically, it’s our privilege to make clothing in a considered and sustainable way for every person in our community,” says Amy.
“Each piece is constructed with care and attention to last a lifetime. We believe slow fashion is the future because slow beats fast and quality trumps quantity.”
Images supplied