Like most high school students, Luan Rose was unsure what she would do after graduation (although she dreamt of being a rockstar). She took her father's advice, completed a secretarial course and saved enough money to travel around.
Having done that for a decade, she decided to move from the UK to New Zealand and pursued a bachelor's degree in computer science in Cornwall. But life happened, and it was not until five years later that Rose and her partner moved with their baby girl to Aotearoa.
Seventeen years have passed, and Rose is still here surfing, running, playing guitar in a band and drinking wine.
"I've always been into fashion, more like buying, especially vintage. I'm no good with a needle and thread," said Rose, who had been collecting vintage silk saris for a while, wanting to make beautiful garments out of them, and it was the death of her sister that led to the creation of Amber Dawn, in her honour.
"My earliest memory of fashion is my grandmother, the most stylish, beautiful woman who, unlike me, was amazing at making clothes. She was a talented artist with a needle, thread, and paintbrush. Her wardrobe was amazing."
Rose tried to learn things on the job with no professional training whatsoever, preferring designing over making. Each piece of clothing at Amber Dawn is unique and not mass-produced.
"I work with small boutique manufacturers in India. Initially, I was set on having New Zealand-made, but after two years of working on samples in New Zealand, I realised that it wasn't financially viable - silk sari is tricky to work with, vintage sari even more so. In India, they are used to working with this fabric. They know it so well."
Rose can see that shoppers are becoming more aware of how they shop and where and how their clothes are made, recognising the importance of social media and influencers. Her mind is full of ideas waiting to be brought to life, and she is looking forward to expanding Amber Dawn.
