N. What inspired you to start Stolen Girlfriends Club?

Basically it was a need for a certain type of clothing we couldn’t find in the market.

N. Where does the name come from?

It came from an art exhibition of the same name.

N. You’ve just celebrated 10 years of Stolen, with an incredible show and great party at NZ Fashion Week. What do you believe has been key to your success?

Working hard, staying humble and always trying to improve on what we’re doing.

STOLEN GIRLFRIENDS CLUB AW-2016

N. Do you have a favourite item in your Summer collection and if yes, why?

All of the pieces in the woven panther tapestry - they are literally works of art!

N.It’s 10am on a Sunday morning. Where would we find you and what are you doing?

Chances are I’ll be surfing at Piha if the wind and swell conditions are right. Otherwise I’ll be sleeping in!

STOLEN GIRLFRIENDS CLUB AW-2016

N.Describe the Stolen Girlfriends Club customer.

Confident, passionate, a leader (not a follower), down to earth, creative, driven.

N. If you could give one piece of advice to your younger selves, what would it be?

Invest in Apple.

N. What would we find in your bag/satchel?

Stolen Girlfriends Club eyewear (sunbeams), phone charger, laptop, 25 hair ties, visual diary, one black pen, one pencil, one usb stick, one airline adapter for my headphones.

N. What is Newmarket’s best kept secret?

Stolen Girlfriends Club store – no seriously! The amount of people that come in each day and didn’t know we had a store. We live in a bubble where we think everyone just knows. So tell your friends, tell your parents, tell your kids, tell everybody.

N. How has blogging and social media changed the way you work?

It’s sped everything up basically, we now live in like a nano-second culture. Everything is practically instantaneous. It’s influenced our decision to start showing in-season collections on the runway as opposed to doing collection previews (where product didn’t come out for another 4-6 months later).

N. What is like it working with 2 friends? How do you sort out different points of view?

It’s great. It can go horribly wrong for a lot of people so perhaps we got lucky? There’s an amount of compromise involved. Kind of like being in a band I guess, where the music is a result of all of your tastes combined.

N. Our brand is at it’s best when it exists somewhere between all of us – a little bit of myself, a bit of Luke and a bit of Dan haha.

The other great thing about working with your friends is when you travel, and when you get to celebrate the successes. Makes it way

more fun.

N. How would your best friend describe your personal style?

Pretty eclectic. I roam around somewhere between rock & roll and jock.

N. What advice would you give someone

who was interested in becoming a fashion designer in New Zealand?

Make sure you have a good work ethic because you’re going to have to work damn hard. If you’re just in love with the idea of fashion then don’t do it. It’s a fiercely competitive arena so make sure you know who you’re making for, and why you’re doing it. Without a sense of purpose you will be destined for failure.

N. Name 5 things that you can’t live without.

My girlfriend. My dogs.

My surfboard. My phone. My coffee.

N. What has been your best fashion investment?

My Rolex.

It’s timeless – doesn’t age like me! doesn’t lose it’s value – unlike most ‘investments’ I have made. And it goes with everything.

N. And your worst?

My rolex. Because it cost lots of money.

N. What’s next for Stolen Girlfriends Club?

Growing our denim category – Stolen Denim. It’s been going from strength to strength as more and more people discover it. It’s really exciting for us and a category we care about alot.