Gavin Rajah's third couture showcase in Paris was not only a technical masterpiece, but also an inspiration to rise above the ties that bind. We spoke to Rajah about running a successful fashion business and how Paris creates jobs...
iafrica.com: How do you feel about your latest couture showcase in Paris? Did everything work out the way you hoped?
Gavin: Yes I am pretty happy about the way things turned out. The collection was well received and I am happy with the way we had styled it and the direction we chose as buyers, our agent and clients loved the look and feel. Everything came together and all the elements from the make-up, hair, shoes and accessories were perfect!
iafrica.com: What kind of comments did you get after the show?
Gavin: Most of the comments said that it was one of the strongest collections I showed so far in Paris. This was nice to hear as when one works so intensely and for such a long time in the collection you tend to lose perspective of your work. Everyone was impressed by our interpretation of trend which was echoed by other houses e.g. the feather detail by Chanel, the metallics of Elie Saab.
iafrica.com: Did you get any orders and from who?
Gavin: We have orders from our agent who represents us in 7 countries and is based in Dusseldorf. This season we have couture orders from clients who attended the show from London, Dallas, Los Angeles, Rome, South Africa and Dubai. The couture is really about private clients who order pieces. We have taken some of the pieces into the ready to wear collection and this I believe, from the interest so far, will receive the greatest orders.
iafrica.com: Which design in your collection is your personal favourite?
Gavin: I loved the garments made in silk ties. They were really beautiful and we worked so hard on them in terms of construction that I have become attached to them. My other favourites are the metallic foiled silks which looked so futuristic!
iafrica.com: The four South African young designers who accompanied you on your trip to Paris showed their debut collections a day after your show. How was their collections received? Do you think their show was a success?
Gavin: I was really thrilled for them and I think that their collections looked superb and were exceptionally well made! I am happy that the comments and feedback were so positive. They had considerable interest from people attending the shows and some of their collections have also remained in Paris due to editors requesting it for shoots. For a designer?s first time in Paris and from doing a press presentation I think that they have exceeded expectation. I think the question about whether it was successful or not remains one for the designers themselves to answer as they personally interacted with people attending their presentation.
iafrica.com: Do you think that South Africans showing in Paris will benefit the fashion industry in South Africa?
Gavin: I hope that it does! I hope that it goes towards removing the stereotypic vision that the Western world has about South African fashion. We need to encourage designers to show outside SA as we need to tap into other markets and have our work exposed to a larger audience. Paris is not the only platform and I think that designers should choose platforms in other cities which are appropriate to their collections and the product they offer.
iafrica.com: Will showing in Paris help to create jobs in South Africa?
Gavin: I can speak for myself here and in the last year of showing four collections I have literally doubled my staff. This has had a huge impact in terms of how we conduct our business, the way we design our garments and even the way we manufacture.
The actual intense work really begins after the shows as you have to follow up with all the enquiries and take in all the comments you receive and implement them positively. If you are serious about the business and about trying to expand your business in international markets then it does require a strong labour force behind you.
So it does go towards creating job opportunities.
iafrica.com: So many young designers are famous in South Africa but still don?t really make money. How does one build a sustainable business in the fashion industry?
Gavin: I think that many young designers don?t understand that this business is about having staying power.
To do this one must be able to consistently deliver strong collections and develop a strong client base. Besides having the creative skill one must also have strong business acumen. It?s paramount that they get solid financial advice and work towards developing a strong business model.
Positioning their brands and marketing their clothing is also important. I do not advise young designers to rush in to show collections on fashion weeks unless they have the infrastructure behind them and the cash flow. It is more important to work towards a smaller, well made, stronger collection which can be stocked at outlets or via their studios.
Build a reputation on quality and innovation with a distinctive signature... it?s easy to get sucked into the whole ?catwalk fame? and ?social page? scene!
iafrica.com: What have you personally gained by showing in Paris this time?
Gavin: Each season brings with it something different and this season I am particularly happy at the attendance of more international private couture clients at my show.
It was interesting to see how many seats were taken by them and considering that Zuhair Murad and Elie Saab were before me and they still made it to my show which ran 1hour and 40 minutes late is a miracle but a great endorsement in terms of them wanting to see the collection.
iafrica.com: What?s next?
Gavin: More hard work. People often think that after a show that you just sit back and relax but for us it is about following up on all the enquiries from clients, press and the never ending requests from our agent who starts literally selling the pret a porter version of the collection as it hits the catwalk!
For us we now focus on the ready to wear collection and start diffusing the couture into commercial pieces. We also start on the new couture collection for Spring Summer 2008 towards the end of this month as we show in January 2008 again.
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