When you think of the fashion industry it’s hard not to envision glamorous clothing and shoes, celebrities, launch parties and big cities. However, the industry isn’t always as glamorous as it seems.
The fashion world is cut-throat which can often deter individuals from pursuing a career in the industry. While working in fashion can be enjoyable, it’s not as easy as it seems.
Emerging Australian fashion designer, Grace Gill, knows all too well the hard work that’s involved in running a label. Gill, 27, is the Creative Director of Amber by Grace.
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Growing up in Melbourne’s eastern suburb of Mitcham, Gill’s nine years of experience in retail sales inspired her to create her own distinct label.
“Pursuing a career in fashion design was always something I wanted to do,” she said.
Having studied patternmaking, sewing, design and technology, Gill is constantly busy as she manages all aspects of business development, sales, design, production management, quality control and importation. But she doesn’t do it all on her own.
“What a lot of people don’t understand is that if you are the brains behind the operation, you don’t have to be competent in all aspects of sewing, design, patternmaking and garment construction.
“You have to choose your weaknesses and outsource people who are experts in their field to do it for you.”
The ambitious designer said that she started Amber by Grace for women who appreciate style. Her aim is to create quality pieces of beautifully tailored corporate wear that can easily transform in to stand-out weekend wear.
“I stay away from prints, logos, floral, frills, lace, sequins and other statement materials. I use a lot of silk fabrics, wool, cotton and other natural fibres in neutral and bold colours. I also use cuts which are flattering on the female figure.”
One of the first articles of clothing Gill designed was a leather and silk scuba top. She said it was something she always wanted but couldn’t find anywhere, so she became inspired to create her own label.
“Finding the right fabric is always a hurdle, then pattern-making and sampling. It can sometimes take up to four samples being sent back and forth before the piece is ready to be produced,” she said.
Gill’s journey as a designer has seen her travel to China, where she sourced different fabric swatch boards. She now sends her patterns to a dedicated team at the factory which manufactures Amber by Grace.
“I have met them, seen their work and I know they’re capable of producing my styles to the highest standard,” she said.
One of Gill’s biggest achievements was securing two stockists.
“Initially I planned the business to be an online store, however, I was thrilled to be contacted by store owners from independent Melbourne boutiques, Gusto and Elan and Urbanjin Boutique who recognise the quality of my pieces,” she said.
Describing her own style as classic, structured, timeless and comfortable, Gill said aspiring fashion designers need to focus, research and invest a lot of time in their label and their first collection, so it really captures people’s attention.
Although mentioning Skin & Threads, SABA and Viktoria & Woods as some of her favourite labels, Gill said great second hand buys can be found at the Camberwell market on a Sunday morning.
A motivated and talented Gill said she’d like to secure more stockists in Melbourne so she can increase online volume with the launch of her next collection, due to be released late September.
Check out Amber by Grace’s full collection here, Facebook & Instagram.
Mandi Santic is a third year Bachelor of Journalism student at La Trobe University, and a staff writer for upstart. You can follow her on Twitter: @candidmandi
All images (c) Amber by Grace
