Kate Sylvester
About
Kate Sylvester is one of New Zealand's premier fashion designers. Her beautiful signature clothes hang in exclusive boutiques and department stores around the world.
Kate Sylvester was born in 1967 in Ardmore. She studied at the Wellington Polytechnic as a Clothing and Textile major, graduating in 1986.
In 1990, she moved to Europe, working at Arabella Pollen in London and then at Corinne Cobson in Paris.
The designer moved back to her native New Zealand in 1993 to launch her first label, "Sister."
But "Sister" was short-lived. In 1998, Kate Sylvester launched her eponymous line, and Sister was merged into it. A year after its launch, the Kate Sylvester label became available nationwide in Australia.
Four years later, in 2002, "Sylvester," a diffusion line was launched in both Australia and New Zealand, cementing her reputation as one of Australiasia's premier fashion designers.
The Look
Kate Sylvester collections have a quirky sense of humour that belies the garments' simplicity of form. With Kate's clean, minimalist approach to tailoring, and careful fabric considerations these are clothes that surpass seasons, age and fleeting notions of fashion. The Kate Sylvester customer is independent, intelligent, likes to mix up her wardrobe and wants more than just the latest disposable trends. She likes the fact Kate Sylvester clothes can be interpreted to suit her age, shape and lifestyle. She appreciates quality and attention to detail, is looking for clothes for living in, not just being seen in and although understated she is never afraid to mix up colours, textures and patterns. She's smart enough to know that it is far more provocative and stylish to be subtly sexy. She's cool but doesn't take fashion too seriously, she laughs at its pretensions'. Sylvester is Kate Sylvester's naughty diffucion label. The Sylvester customer is always eclectic, ironic and never takes anything seriously. Like a magpie she collects ideas and sparkly treasures wherever she goes and from whom ever she meet's along the way. The Sylvester girl mixes and matches items from the collection with a quirky sense of humour or she just throws on a top with jeans and is gone before you can blink.