Adjustable pants and functional basics: Meet Sydney-based label Neil Vernon
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Isabella Francis
WORDS BY DAISY HENRY
“Running a business and constantly putting yourself out there to propel the brand forward builds resilience like I never thought possible.”
Though Shanelle George grew up wearing handmade clothing, it wasn’t until Covid that she found her way back to sewing as a creative outlet. What began as a way to escape a law degree that Shanelle had “absolutely no passion for” soon became a fashion label named after her partner’s late father, Neil Vernon.
Shanelle says one of the hardest challenges in getting started was figuring out who she was as a designer, among a sea of other small businesses post-Covid. After a year of researching, and learning how to develop patterns and source fabric, Neil Vernon officially launched in 2023.
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Now, Neil Vernon is known for its signature multi-wear approach to clothing. Fusing hyper-functionality with feminine silhouettes, the label finds timeless silhouettes and “pushes them further”. Take its pants, for example, which feature an adjustable hem with three different height options so they can be easily shortened or lengthened. Or it’s Daily Shirt, which can quickly be converted from a boxy fit to a cinched silhouette.
From textile design to slower, more considered fashion drops, Neil Vernon’s mission is to move away from what everyone else is doing.
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Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
Hi! I’m Shanelle, the co-owner of Neil Vernon. I’ve always had a knack for making clothes and as a child, I was sporting handmade clothes from my grandma. This naturally led to me learning basic skills so I could sew my own clothes. Once Covid hit, this was sent into overdrive and I found my way back to sewing to pass the time.
I never had any formal education in fashion. It was a patchwork approach of mostly self-teaching but this process of hand-making clothes completely sparked my interest in the industry and the world of business. What began as a creative outlet to escape from a law degree that I had absolutely no passion for, ended up developing into a fully-fledged business with my partner!
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How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
Neil Vernon officially launched in March 2023, but it’s been in ideation since 2021. The brand is named after my partner, Josh’s late father, Neil Vernon Allan. To be perfectly honest, Neil Vernon had a rocky start as Josh and I both knew we wanted to create a brand in his father’s name, but we didn’t know exactly what that would look like. One of the hardest challenges for us was figuring out who we were amongst a sea of other small businesses post-Covid.
We spent the better part of one year researching the industry, from how to develop patterns and source fabric, to simply learning how to market a product. Fast forward to 2023 and we released our first capsule, NV Resort, a collection of beach-inspired shirts and totes. Looking back, you’d think it was a different brand that released that capsule – we’ve come a long way since that first release. In saying this, it was important for us to make that mistake because it helped us realise that the success of Neil Vernon lies in staying true to ourselves and our values – functionality, wearability and effortless style.
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How would you describe your label to someone who’s never seen it before?
Neil Vernon fuses hyper-functionality with feminine silhouettes to create an essential wear brand that uses an innovation-first approach. Almost every single one of our garments features multi-wear designs and added functionality that take timeless silhouettes and pushes them further. We exist to add value to our community and serve their clothing needs and pain points. We release our pieces in ‘volumes’ rather than seasons to stray away from this concept of a seasonal calendar and drive more conscious consumption of pieces that serve you.
What are you most proud of in your work on your label?
Running a business and constantly putting yourself out there to propel the brand forward builds resilience like I never thought possible and has completely transformed Josh and I as people. There’s a lot of uncertainty as to whether you are doing ‘the right thing’ especially when it comes to design choices and marketing in general.
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But over time I’ve learnt to trust myself and my partner Josh, which has resulted in some truly incredible designs that I’m so proud of, like our recent Futureproof capsule. This included a pair of pants with an adjustable height and waist and a button-down with an adjustable back. This was the pinnacle for us of innovative design and was completely representative of us moving away from what everyone else was doing and trusting in our own approach. I’m so proud of how far we’ve come in this and the resilience we’ve found in following our own path.
We also place a big focus on taking our community behind the scenes and explaining the thought process behind each design, down to why a seam was placed in a certain position. It has been so heartwarming to see the value that people see in it and to see people understand the mechanics of clothing and pattern-making through education. Being able to teach people how to be more conscious shoppers is a win for us.
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Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?
To name a few, my current favourite Aussie labels are Après Studio, Studio Amelia, Beare Park, and Georgia Jay!
What about the Australian fashion industry needs to change?
Coming from a law background, I was always very interested in the concept of compliance and the lack of regulation around textile wastage from large-scale fast fashion companies based in Australia and overseas. When the concept of sustainability and fast fashion is brought up, people quickly put the blame on consumers who keep these companies in business. While this is very much true, it takes two to tango and we can’t take the blame away from the companies themselves who are producing more textile offcuts than the actual fabric used by little guys like us in our entire production process.
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There’s no ‘fashion law’ that penalises their waste but if we were able to regulate this, I truly think it would cause a shift in the industry to destabilise the rate at which companies can produce fast fashion and allow for the rise of a considered approach to production.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
You can purchase our pieces directly from our website. We’re also about to launch into The Iconic so keep an eye out for that!
To see more of Neil Vernon’s collection, head here.
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