Kate Sylvester is a New Zealand fashion designer. She is best known for her namesake label. She combines sportswear, lingerie, and traditional tailoring. It is one of the most iconic brands in the country and has contributed to establishing the local industry.
Her label was launched as Sister in 1993 but changed to Kate Sylvester in 1997. Many ideas and concepts influence her designs, including books or art and the fashion of the 30s and 50s.
| Kate Sylvester | |
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| Name: | Kate Sylvester |
| Age: | 57 years old |
| Raised in: | Greenhithe, North Shore, Auckland |
| Nationality: | New Zealander |
| Education: | Textile and clothing design |
| Alma mater: | Wellington Polytechnic |
| Spouse: | Wayne Conway |
| Children: | Ike, Tom, Cosmo |
| Parents: | Ron (father), Toni (mother) |
| Siblings: | Todd, Holly, Joanna |
Kate Sylvester Growing Up in Auckland.
Kate, her brother, Todd, and two sisters, Holly and Joanna, grew up in Greenhithe, North Shore, Auckland. They lived in a rundown house on acres their parents bought in the 70s.
Her father, Ron, was a lecturer at Teacher’s College, where he trained teachers while her mother, Toni, taught her to sew. As a teenager, Kate realized she wanted to focus on cloth design.
At school, she would chop up sneakers and put beads on them. Her mother was very supportive of her interest in fashion. She would drive Kate up to Orewa, north of Auckland, to sell them on the roadside over the summer.
Her mother embraced her ambition to leave school and sell her clothes. Sylvester moved from Auckland to Wellington to study fashion. Her mother, Toni, has dementia now and requires care.
Educational Background of Kate Sylvester
Kate completed studies in textile and clothing design at Wellington Polytechnic in 1986. She also holds an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Massey University, New Zealand, in 2011
Growing Her Label: From Sister to Kate Sylvester
The 57-year-old launched hand-sewing screen-printed t-shirts. She flew to London, United Kingdom, and worked in the Liberty department store. She also worked as a machinist for Arabella Pollen and Corinne Robson in Paris.
Upon her return to New Zealand, she and her partner, Wayne, co-founded the label Sister. They launched the first store for Sister in Kitchener Street, Auckland, in 1993.
After running their fashion business for four years, Sylvester and Wayne changed the name of their label from Sister to Kate Sylvester in 1997. They had to change the label name due to the resistance by the Australian label Sista as they entered the Australian market.
In 1999, her first fashion show, with the new brand name, took place in Sydney, featuring the collection Arts and Crafts.
Collections
Many literary works and characters often inspire the names and titles of her collections. Some include Catcher in the Rye, Brighton Rock, and This Charming Man. She named her eyewear collections named Sylvia, Harper, Janet, and Eleanor.
Kate has also shown collections at fashion events, including the iD Dunedin Fashion Week. Her collection, Portrait, based on the work of 90s photographer Peter Lindbergh, went into retail stores.
Sylvester has dressed many notable personalities. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wore a red and blue floral dress by Kate Sylvester in 2017.
Other Ventures Brands Kate Co-founded
Kate co-founded Mindful Fashion, a not-for-profit organization, alongside Emily Miller-Sharma in 2019. It aims to improve sustainable business practices. Its goal is also to strengthen the fashion and textile industry of New Zealand.
Announcing the folding up of the Brand, Kate Sylvester.
Her brand is a success and has six stores across the country. It has a store in Wellington, two in Christchurch, and three in Auckland.
However, Kate announced her plans to close the business after a final Summer 24 collection on 9 April 2024. She is ready to close in mid-2025 but would keep the brand and stores open in the interim.
On Instagram, Kate and Wayne expressed to followers how proud they were of their achievements. They decided to lay down the mantle to the next generation of New Zealand fashion designers. The brand celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023.
Has Kate Sylvester any Awards?
After spending many decades in the fashion business, the iconic New Zealand designer has received many awards.
Her induction into the Massey University College of Creative Arts Hall of Fame was in 2008. She won the Emerging Small-to-Medium Business Award at the NZI National Sustainable Business Awards in the same year.
Kate Sylvester Family: Her husband and Children.
Kate Sylvester met her husband, Wayne Conway, at a party in Wellington in the ’80s and fell in love immediately. She spotted him across the room, and they spent the night dancing to an album by Trini Lopez, which she had brought to the party.
Sylvester spoke to The Sunday Morning Herald about their view on marriage. “Marriage seemed conservative, and Wayne and I were adamant we wouldn’t do it. We’re still of the view that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
According to Famed, Sylvester is a proud mother of three adult sons: Ike and Tom, who are twins, and Cosmo.
Quotes
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- “Always likes to think that my customers are pretty intelligent individuals.”
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- “Well, being a fashion victim is, you know, the whole obsession with what is in season and wearing whatever’s out and about at the moment and not thinking about what suits you as a person.”