NZ Fashion Week 09: Oyl

Oyl co-designers Vicki Reid and Nicola Screen talk about starting out in fashion, showing in the exhibition at Air New Zealand Fashion Week and their plans for the future.

Oyl was launched in 2006 by the two friends from Wairarapa, keen to make women’s clothing with a ‘wow’ factor. Oyl garments have a fusion of original New Zealand artwork and screen printed designs, beaded and embroidered onto hand treated fabrics.

During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?

Vicki: Four o’clock. In my perfect world, without the family around, that is when it kicks in.
Nicola:  At night.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?

Our friend said: ‘Edgy, cool and eminently wearable.’

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?

V:  I love dispatching… its designed, its made, its perfect and its going out!
N:  The artistic side of it, I do a drawing and it evolves into a garment.

How does your environment affect your work?

V: Its got to be organized and tidy.
N:  I look out onto a lagoon, paddocks and ducks!

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?

V: Both.
N: I focus on the detail of it.

What's your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in the creative industries?

V: Debt Collecting.
N: Staying true to your style and what we love.

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?

V: Summer 2009 we had 80% growth, which was very satisfying!
N: The latest lookbook I enjoyed, the model was fantastic.

Who or what has inspired you recently?

V: When things are going well it inspires you to continue!
N: I’ve been a lot more focused on the creative side, that inspires me.

How did you get started in fashion?

V: I went to Wellington Polytech and did the fashion design course.
N: I went along to Unity with a few dresses and they took them straight away and sold them. Then I entered the Benson and Hedges awards.

How much work goes into showing at fashion week?

V: Everything else goes on hold until after Fashion Week! Socialising, friends, exercise…
N: Speak for yourself, I just continue on, I go fishing!

What tips do you have for designers aspiring to show at fashion week?

V: They need to get as much advice from people in the know as they can – whether that be people in the know or have experienced it all before.

What is one thing you wish someone had told you when you started out as a fashion designer?

V&N: People probably told us loads of things but we didn’t listen because they were all depressing!

What are your plans for the future? What do you see yourself and your label doing five years from now?

N: We would like to be global.
V: It would just be cool to be a respected label with a bit of a following.

What are your hopes for the future of the New Zealand fashion industry?

N: I think that New Zealand has its own signature, so we should develop that.

What challenges does the industry face?

V: Production and getting things made.

Why is fashion week an important event for the New Zealand fashion industry?

V: It is a good chance for everybody to network and utilize the opportunity to show their clothes in front of a national audience.

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?

N: Make a fishing line.
V: I would make a sail for a boat.

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?

N: I use rescue remedy all the time.
V: Go for a run and rescue remedy.

What’s your big idea for 2010?

N: I would love to do a show.
V: To learn to sail! I’ve done diving, now I think I have to learn that!