Love My Fashion
Website Blog Facebook Twitter
Shelley D. A true artisan, Shelley has the precision and meticulous eye for detail needed to execute her designs, from pattern to finished product.
In February 2011 I was on the hunt for a job in Auckland. I’d just returned to New Zealand after a year abroad, travelling through Europe and temping in the UK. My partner and I decided to try our luck in a different city, we chose Auckland because there were supposedly more jobs here. The recession still lurked in the shadows and employers were picky, with agencies being flooded with CVs. A dehydrated fashion industry didn’t have much to offer at all. I was lucky to spot a job as a temporary sample machinist on Gumtree, and went along for a trial. While I was there, I told the lady my heart was actually in pattern making and I would rather be holding a set square and calculating pattern measurements any day. The next day I started in the pattern room! I worked for one season helping out with patterns, from adjusting patterns to drafting new ones from design sketches. I was in my element. If you’re in the industry, you’ll know how the work fluctuates dramatically through the year. Sampling had to come to an end at some point, and it did. When I’d finished the contracting work I thought to myself how much fun it would be to be doing my own patterns and sampling for my very own label. So it began; I trademarked my brand and ordered some neck labels and swing tickets, and asked my dad to build me a patternmaking table. From that day, my journey was underway!