FASHION FILES: CATHLEEN JIA DESIGNS

Aloha to you all!

What a week its been! In the department of music, its been truly productive and all guns blazing!

What's more important is that i've been so blessed to have such wonderful people who have supported me along this process! This includes the makeup teams, the film crews, the drivers, the teachers who have taught me and still are teaching me, my parents who deal with my craziness and my siblings (Thuy and Viet) who love me for the ridiculousness that is me, and of course my friends all around the world who make that loving bed of support and keeping me VERY close to reality. I have indeed left an incredibly important part out of this as last which are of course the DESIGNERS. 

I think if i say i love fashion, that would be an understatement. I have an obsession with clothes. An obsession with the brilliance of designers and how they are able to create such garments, such pieces of art that just falls onto your body so PERFECTLY, such colors that are picked, such fabrics and prints that are so finely combined to create heavenly pieces <3 I love being able to spend time with them, play dress-ups with their collections and pick at their brain :)

So, in today's FASHION FILES (which will be a frequent featured segment on this blog), i've had the honour of picking at Cathleen's brain, the founder and designer of Cathleen Jia Designs. I was in Melbourne for a performance in February this year and was lucky enough to be around for the Cathleen Jia collection launch. The A/W '12 collection was based on lime green, black and coffee hues which was reflected most suitably in the fine selection of venues- Domain Flowers.

love love love, my personal favourite!!!

Cathleen (designer) on the right; me on the left :)

with one of the guests and dear friend, Suzie :)

Guests and friends mingled in this gorgeous florist sipping champagne and nibbling on divine cupcakes (from Cupcake Central) whilst gazing on the pieces modeled one by one and of course, all handmade by Cathleen. What other way to spend a Sunday afternoon than to be amongst the fresh smells of flowers, fashion, food and drinks!

mingling with guests

a gorgeous back, gorgeous color, gorgeous silks.

delightful delectables from Cupcake Central

The dresses were also available for a try on afterwards and so I got my hands dirty and played dress-ups for a while. All dresses are made out of fine fine silk with ridiculously meticulous hand beading detail.

The dress designs come in all 3 colors with a very 1920's flavour to them. The range includes short and long gowns as well as cute cuffs and headpieces to go with it. They are pretty versatile in terms of sizing and come in XS, S, M and L.

I'd definitely recommend this for anyone looking for dresses for an event, a night out, to the races or even as bridesmaids dresses. You'd definitely be seeing me in one of Miss Cathleen's dresses for a concert soon :) 

Here is what Cathleen had to say when i picked at her brain:

Where did you study fashion?

I studies fashion at RMIT in Brunswick. It was a more hands on course, learning all aspects from design concepts to pattern making and garment construction. So I really got taught the real skills to make my own ranges.

What inspired this collection?

I want my dresses to be  timeless. I'm not really driven by trends or ït colors" of the season. I tend to get inspire from fabrics, laces, and embellishments, which I source locally and at many great fabric stores hidden in Brunswick. 

Before I do a range, I like to do mini road trips to the ranges or deserted beaches to get inspire by nature. The textures, noises, colours and everything about it triggers my creativity flow. To me, nature never goes out of fashion!

How long did it take for you to make the entire collection?

From initial design concept, to pattern making, sampling and production, its about a 5 months process.

What's next for you?

I'm hoping to get more exposure for my label first. I am still very new to the market, I want my customers to know what is Cathleen Jia all about by working on constant media exposure, collaborations. As for my goals for the label, in a short term, I want to be stocked nationally with my ranges and be know for my signature drapery styles and vintage details. In a long term, I want to eventually break into the Bridal market, doing custom made gowns for those unique brides who likes the 1920'2 to 1940's style dresses with a modern take on silhouettes. 

Are you planning to open your own boutique or stocking in certain stores? Where can people buy your designs?

I am going to be stocking at SWOON in Hawthorn Melbourne, they are opening in the next month! I do hope to get into more boutiques not only in Victoria but nationally, boutiques like Lady Petrova, Alice Euphemia, Scene and Babushka Ballerina which I adore. If you do want to purchase my designs right now, you can always make an appointment for a private showing at my studio, it is quite intimate and I promise I won't bite. 

As for a boutique in the future, I would love to do that when I do have my own bridal collection. Of course, if I have the demand for it I will definitely do it!

When you're not sewing, what do you Iike doing?

During my free days I like to relax with my partner, he is a MASSIVE coffee fan and it kind of has rubbed on me, so when we do get a chance we like to check out new or amazing cafes. 

I am also addicted to Vintage shopping. Especially lately, I find myself buying mostly from op shops and either wear it as it is or alter them to my liking. I just love the fact that no one has the same and I can transform it to something uniquely mine. Alse the fact that most vintage items made in Australia back in the 60's to 90's, the fabrics and laces they use were exquisite and inspiring.

Which designers influence you? (who do you admire)?

I am a huge fan of Gwendolynne! I actually met her recently at a good friend's launch and she was so nice and friendly. She has great talent and her styles are so timeless and intricate. I not only love all her designs but also the way she runs her business and the way she has branded herself as the custom bridal specialist. It is hard for someone with such great talent to not want to take over the fashion world, but she has done so well keeping it so intimate and accessible and being really famous for that! And the fact that she is so humble made me love her even more! 

Best place in Melbourne for a bite to eat?

Melbourne has AMAZING food! I like to think I'm a bit of a foodie. It depends what food you are feeling on the day. For a budget eatery I love Tom Phat in Brunswick. Its a quirky little place serving modern thai food, they also do great cocktails. Also Chiba in Moonee ponds is a great little hidden Japanese restaurant, serving only the freshest sashimi. If you want to do fine dinning, the option is endless too! My fav so far is Cumulus Inc and Cutler and Co, great atmosphere, fab service and all round great food.

What's your ultimate goal?

As I said, I would love to break into the bridal market one day. But you never really know, it really depends where my demands are. I am a fairly new label so I need to find my feet in the market place first and go from there. I'm not afraid of taking risks, so I could be in Paris doing runway in 5 years time, who knows!

So, ladies and gents, that's all from me for now.
Til next time, love and grace,
Van-Anh xoxox


And for THE NOW:
Fav food: gluten free Muffin Break Double Choc-Chip muffin

Reading: my journal and reflecting on the last epic 4 months of 2012.

Wishlist: STILL.... the Butterfly Dress from House Of Ezis, this is a sign!

Current city: Sydney

Listening to: Nicki Minaj

Fav clothing item: still... 'A Coat' by House Of Ezis <3

Next destination: Shanghai

Missing: some sleep!