Josephine the Label

Though her label Josephine may still be fresh, designer Lucy Maxwell is anything but a novice. Having spent the better part of 14 years working for various womenswear brands across Aotearoa and Australia, Maxwell finally took the plunge last year to found her own label. As founder and creative director, she’s been able to bring her wealth of industry experience and knowledge to the table, creating sophisticated, contemporary garments with a quirky touch. “It was time to pursue my lifelong dream and break away from the conventional,” says Maxwell.

Having officially launched in August of 2023, Josephine’s aesthetic can be defined by a sense of effortless refinement, with each of the brand’s designs exuding a sense of easy elegance and wearability. “The aesthetics of Josephine draw inspiration from XL styling and proportion play,” Maxwell explains. “My intention as a designer has always been to break conventional norms, experiment with proportions, and embrace oversized silhouettes.”

For her latest collection ‘Home’ 03’24, Maxwell sought inspiration from two images she discovered in her family archives: one featuring an old family farm, and the other showcasing her grandmother Josephine, her great-aunt, and her great-grandmother Lucy. “Reconnecting with the Hokianga-nui-a-Kupe, my family’s place of origin, after spending many years in Australia has deeply influenced this collection,” she says. “It holds special significance as a place where my family’s stories and memories were nurtured and passed down through many generations.” The collection features core Josephine styles, including oversized shirts and bombers, alongside new additions such as the Cropped Viv Shirt and Pip Shacket.

For her next collection, set to launch at the end of August, Maxwell will stay true to the brand’s design codes while embracing a slightly new colour palette and styling method. “It will be intentionally smaller, considering the transitional period between seasons to avoid overproduction.” With a growing list of Kiwi stockists and presence on online marketplaces such as Rita Edited, it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing a lot more from Maxwell and her brand. “I want to continue embracing this incredible journey that I am on — celebrating all the highs and learning from the lows. I am immensely proud of Josephine” she says.

Rhoda Nunn

Designing clothes to be worn, loved, and eventually passed down, Rhoda Nunn is an Ōtepoti / Dunedin-based label making slow fashion garments to order. Taking its name from the protagonist in George Robert Gissing’s The Odd Women — a novel that delves into the roles of women in society during the Victorian era — founder Emma Muir weaves a sense of whimsy and nostalgia into each garment she makes, with styles such as bloomers and bubble skirts making regular appearances throughout her collections.

Though Muir learned to sew as a child and dabbled a bit throughout her adolescence, a career in fashion never felt like an obvious career path for the designer. “During my third year of study at Otago University, I picked [sewing] back up as a relief from studying and decided it was something I wanted to explore further,” she explains. Upon graduating with a bachelors in biochemistry at the end of 2018, she began studying a Bachelor of Design in fashion at Otago Polytechnic, though later switched to a Graduate Diploma in Fashion Design due to the onset of the Covid pandemic.

Originally without an intention to start her own label, the iconic bloomers she debuted in her graduate collection ended up giving her the motivation to do exactly that. “The lovely Jess Scott from Bizarre Bazaar contacted me looking to stock some bloomers,” says Muir. “The positive feedback from my first release gave me the confidence to give a brand of my own a go, and two-ish years on, I’m so glad I did!”

As one of her recent projects, Muir presented a small made-for-runway collection for the ‘As We Watch The World Go By’ show, part of the 2024 ID Dunedin Fashion Festival. “As designers, we were given the theme of existentialism to work on. My collection ‘Show Pony’ was a slightly tongue-in-cheek exploration into existentialist ideas of freedom and authenticity, and how the ways in which we present ourselves to the world through dress may conflict with these ideas,” she says.

With plans to release a small number of ready-to-wear pieces from the runway collection at the end of August, Muir is also devoting much of her time to her upcoming summer range, which draws its inspiration from holiday parks. “Think Top 10 and their big jumping pillows,” she says. “[It] will feature a lot of stripes and bold colour.” Further down the line, Muir hopes to make Rhoda Nunn more than a passion project, eventually going full-time with her brand. “Currently I’m working on developing the wholesale side of the business and increasing my number of stockists.” 

Winnie Catherine

Crisp shirting and tailoring is now synonymous with Winifred Solomon’s namesake label, Winnie Catherine. Born into a sport-loving family, Solomon realised at a young age that she was more creatively inclined, leading her to pursue a career in fashion. Designing clothes with the modern working woman in mind, Solomon is one of the newest designers to join Aotearoa’s fashion scene, launching her debut collection in only February of this year. This collection, which was a spin-off of the graduate range she presented at the end of 2023, was directly inspired by her mother’s work ethic and by female empowerment in the modern world. “I set out to dress the twenty-first century ‘New Woman’ through the blending of historical influences and contemporary tailoring,” says Solomon.

One look at the brand’s website and this vision immediately becomes obvious. Solomon’s most sought-after style, the Ophelia shirt, is a cotton button-down with a distinctly Victorian edge, courtesy of the high neckline and puffed sleeves. Similarly, the lightweight wool ‘Ada’ vest contrasts a high period-style neckline with a curved front yoke line to give the piece a more contemporary touch. Focused on growing her brand in a sustainable and purposeful manner, Solomon crafts everything to order and measure herself, from her home studio in Pōneke / Wellington. “The collection is concise, with individual pieces being added in a slow, considered way,” she explains. “I’d like to think that because I’m not sticking to the generic release of a collection every few months, my customers (existing and new) are valuing the true meaning of quality over quantity.”

Despite still being in its infancy, Solomon has already carved out a space for her brand, sitting at the intersection of corporate and casual, historical and contemporary. Determined to maintain the momentum she’s gained in just a few short months, you’ll continue to find the creative with her head down, working on new pieces. “I’m keeping my arms open right now, and taking it all as it comes — bring it on!”