New York Fashion Week Interview: Kym Ellery

Ellery's presentation with Christopher Esber for New York Fashion Week was an intimate affair — at least it felt that way, even though The Box at Lincoln Centre was packed like a rush-hour subway car. The champagne was flowing, the lighting was moody, the soundtrack was positively ethereal. A career milestone for both Christopher and Kym, the occasion saw the designers each present ten different looks. Following the presentation, we caught up with Kym to talk shop.

Rosie Dalton: Hi Kym! How does it feel to be presenting at New York Fashion Week?

Kym Ellery: Amazing. I'm so happy, because there are so many people here and I was a bit worried about that side of it.

Can you tell me a bit about the inspiration behind the AW13 collection, Swish?

Well it's kind of a Venice Beach basketball moment. My friend and I were in LA and went to Venice, where we watched the guys playing and thought, 'That would be cool; to do a collection that's basketball-inspired, but not too literal'.

And what about putting the collection together with Christopher? How was that?

Well Chris and I came here for Woolmark in January and had a showroom of five designers. Chris and I fell in love in a way — in a non-sexual way! [Laughs] But we thought this would be a good chance to dip our toes into the American market, in terms of presenting — because we both have stockists here, but have never actually committed to doing something. I wanted to give back to those people who have supported me in the American market. We just kind of want to grow that love.

So what's the background behind the music you used for the show?

Oh, the boys are very talented! They basically created this piece to perform live and have included sound loops that come out of all different speakers in the room.

Including the recorded voices?

[Laughs] Yeah, well there's a bit of a story behind that… which I'm a bit nervous to share. I have been recording conversations with dear friends for about three years now. So when I was talking about this concept with the boys, I was like "Well I have this really great archive of conversations", and they just came and took pieces from it here and there.

And why a presentation, rather than a runway show?
Well we were originally going to do a soiree, but IMG were kind enough to put us on the schedule. So we were like "OK, we better take this opportunity".  It was a very organic process. I think that's the best thing, because the brand has always had such an organic growth. It was something I started just because I wanted to make clothes and now it's becoming this entity.

Can you see an Ellery store in New York in the future?
Oh definitely! I've already started looking. I've been sent some great packages already and I'd like to come back in October to explore that further. So, yeah, we're thinking about it, but there's no hurry. That's what I always say.

Photography: Dean Podmore

Rosie Dalton