When designing, how you do accommodate the Trenery consumer across different markets? There is a bit of a global umbrella to the modern man and modern woman. We all face the same obstacles and all value the same things. If you are modern working women whether based in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Auckland or Melbourne, you want to dress up in something that will fit multiple occasions. You want your pieces to work out, you want versatility, good quality and for things to last. These are the principles we look at when designing. Some of the questions we ask ourselves are: Can you dress it up or down with a pair of heels or sneakers? Can you take a jacket and wear it with your jeans or wear it with a matching skirt to make a suit? Can you take the same jacket and wear it in New Zealand with a roll-neck under and then also with a T-shirt under the same jacket in SA.
We try and work with beautiful natural fibres that have longevity. We want the items to be worn different ways with different people and take on different identities. Those are things that transcend culture, country and age.
Tell us more about the intimate process of making this collection. We start off with the fabric. We have a really passionate team of people who travel around the world to art fairs to get the best fabrics. Our team goes to yarn suppliers and look at new ways in which different types of yarns form colour. We look at vintage prints and visit new print studios. We pull all references together and put all the textures and ideas together.
What are some of your favourite pieces from the AW17 collection? I love the flannel trousers. I love their versatility. I can wear them with a shirt tucked in or a t-shirt and a leather jacket. I can take them from the day to night. I love the slushiness. Trenery pieces are great because you can wear them in different ways and you can play with proportions.
What inspired the accessories this season? This time around we were inspired by the idea of blocks of colours; the beautiful thing is that we continued the thread of contrasting colours and textures as seen in the collection.
Accessories can make or break an outfit and that is important. We had some fun with new proportions like the chunky heel and the wedge, while maintaining comfort. They were designed to compliment and highlight the apparel.
Can you tell us about your team? We have a lead designer for women’s wear menswear and the accessories lines. We also have an amazing apparel technician. We give him all the designs and he makes sure that all the factories put things together; that we get the perfect cuts and sizes. Then we have a sourcing team who go to seek out fabrication, we also have a textile designer who turns all our print ideas into something beautiful and modern. Then we have a whole team of planners and merchandisers. What is special with Trenery is that everyone loves to collaborate together.
An Aussie original
Head Designer for Trenery, Jane Gimme, visited South Africa for the launch of AW17 and we had a chance to quiz her about this timeless brand
Can you tell us a bit about your home city of Melbourne? Melbourne has a nice creative scene. From the food, coffee and fashion to the art scene, both established and underground – there is inspiration everywhere.
How did you become a fashion designer? Essentially my mother taught me how to sew and I knew from an early age that I wanted to design. I studied fashion at the Royal institute of Design in Australia. After that I worked in London in the retail space before moving to New York. I spent 11 years working there with the five last years spent at Ralph Lauren. Then I moved back to Australia where Trenery was just starting out. I have been with the brand from its inception to today.
Linen: a quality master class with Trenery
When designing, how you do accommodate the Trenery consumer across different markets? There is a bit of a global umbrella to the modern man and modern woman. We all face the same obstacles and all value the same things. If you are modern working women whether based in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Auckland or Melbourne, you want to dress up in something that will fit multiple occasions. You want your pieces to work out, you want versatility, good quality and for things to last. These are the principles we look at when designing. Some of the questions we ask ourselves are: Can you dress it up or down with a pair of heels or sneakers? Can you take a jacket and wear it with your jeans or wear it with a matching skirt to make a suit? Can you take the same jacket and wear it in New Zealand with a roll-neck under and then also with a T-shirt under the same jacket in SA.
We try and work with beautiful natural fibres that have longevity. We want the items to be worn different ways with different people and take on different identities. Those are things that transcend culture, country and age.
Tell us more about the intimate process of making this collection. We start off with the fabric. We have a really passionate team of people who travel around the world to art fairs to get the best fabrics. Our team goes to yarn suppliers and look at new ways in which different types of yarns form colour. We look at vintage prints and visit new print studios. We pull all references together and put all the textures and ideas together.
What are some of your favourite pieces from the AW17 collection? I love the flannel trousers. I love their versatility. I can wear them with a shirt tucked in or a t-shirt and a leather jacket. I can take them from the day to night. I love the slushiness. Trenery pieces are great because you can wear them in different ways and you can play with proportions.
What inspired the accessories this season? This time around we were inspired by the idea of blocks of colours; the beautiful thing is that we continued the thread of contrasting colours and textures as seen in the collection.
Accessories can make or break an outfit and that is important. We had some fun with new proportions like the chunky heel and the wedge, while maintaining comfort. They were designed to compliment and highlight the apparel.
Can you tell us about your team? We have a lead designer for women’s wear menswear and the accessories lines. We also have an amazing apparel technician. We give him all the designs and he makes sure that all the factories put things together; that we get the perfect cuts and sizes. Then we have a sourcing team who go to seek out fabrication, we also have a textile designer who turns all our print ideas into something beautiful and modern. Then we have a whole team of planners and merchandisers. What is special with Trenery is that everyone loves to collaborate together.