Nola
This designer first learnt to sew in intermediate, and her natural talent for the subject turned her passion into a career. Now looking down the barrel of launching her label, Nola, as well as expanding on her graduate collection for UCOL. “My collection was inspired by an image of Catholicism, a painting of the Virgin Mary in the assumption,” explained MacDonald. For her, having a strong concept was the key to her collection’s success. “The concept itself was something so important to me. It was chic, multi-purposeful and conservative but still looked good.” The muted palette of the collection, as well as the simply styled presentation, created a performance that was both conceptually intriguing and visually stimulating.
MacDonald used the presentation of her graduate collection to propel her brand into the next stages. However, a career in the fashion industry is one that is sorely fought for, Macdonald is using all the tools at her disposal to ensure she stands out from the crowd. “I’m still very young so it’s quite intimidating trying to promote myself next to businesses and designers with years of experience on me,” expressed MacDonald. “At the moment I’m getting a lot of local clients as well as some offers and business co-op situations by word of mouth,” she added. Most of this promotion is done by sharing her final pieces as well as her creative processes on social media and thus building a consumer base that is invested in both the collection as well as the designer herself.
MacDonald is eager to use both her graduate collection, as well as her exposure at New Zealand Fashion Week in 2018 as stepping stones to creating a brand which is recognised across the country. “This is such a big start at my age makes, and it makes me more confident in what I produce, myself as a designer and what I could accomplish in the future.”
