Auckland designer Caitlin Snell is creating flexible feminine accessories
PHOTOGRAPHER Nadezhda Macey
WORDS BY CAIT EMMA BURKE
“Fashion is a form of self-expression, and I want wearers to feel chic and confident when wearing their Caitlin Snell pieces.”
The COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing when recent fashion design graduate, Caitlin Snell, began experimenting with one-off leatherwork pieces and fabric face masks. Like many creatives, the Auckland designer made the most of her time at home and began to explore innovative methods of garment construction.
She was “incorporating scraps, secondhand, damaged and repurposed materials” into her work, and started selling a small number of one-off pieces. Her handmade fashion face masks particularly took off and in no time at all, she was approached by stockists and customers and found herself running a fully-fledged business.
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Since that time, her dramatic bows, chokers and bags have been featured in magazines and are regularly seen decorating the hands and heads of New Zealand’s fashion set. Below, we speak to her about the journey so far.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
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Being the middle child and growing up in the countryside of Hawkes Bay, I took it upon myself to be the fashionista of my family. While my sisters were out riding horses and helping out on the farm, I was making costumes for our array of pets on my grandma’s hand-sewing machine.
I am thankful for my upbringing, as it taught me a lot about renewable ways of living and the importance of sustainability in my future endeavours. It was when I moved to Wellington that I really started to explore my own identity through creative expression and broaden my understanding of design through my degree. In 2020, I found myself graduating from Massey University in Wellington with a Bachelor of Design with First Class Honours, majoring in fashion.
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
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The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an inability to relentlessly consume… [it] forced upon us the need to live within our bubbles and only acquire essentials. It was during this time that I began to explore innovative methods of garment construction within the scope of this new world we were living in; incorporating scraps, secondhand, damaged and repurposed materials into my work.
I played around with leatherwork, something I had specialised in at university… [I] made a small number of one-off pieces, which I sold. I also started making fashion face masks during the lockdown last year for my friends and family, which rapidly progressed into a small business as I was approached by stockists and customers.
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These masks featured heavy black satin bows, and I had a lot of fun designing adaptations of the original to make them functional for wearers with hearing aids and glasses. Sharing my work with others was something I realised I really enjoyed, so I started playing around with new concepts and began releasing more accessories.
I design, cut, construct and package all the pieces myself from my home studio, something I wanted to share through my slogan ‘handmade from home in New Zealand’. Dedication to considered sustainable practices, ethical design and a passion for the craft has helped me build the label over the past year, something I am really grateful for.
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How would you describe Caitlin Snell to someone who’s never seen it before?
My label’s most recent designs incorporate playful and feminine themes, allowing the wearer flexibility in how they are worn and styled. I currently have a wide variety of hair bows, headbands, silk collars, necklaces, belts and bow bags available in an array of different materials.
… Fashion is a form of self-expression, and I want wearers to feel chic and confident when wearing their Caitlin Snell pieces. Next year I am releasing garments that have been size graded to fit a size six to 22, this is something I am really looking forward to sharing with everyone.
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What are you most proud of in your work on your brand?
One moment I am really proud of, was when NZ Viva Magazine featured my Vinyl Bow Belt and Mini Lop Headband in their Volume 09 editorial shoot with Yvonne Todd. The images were so beautiful and it was really exciting to see my pieces featured in such an epic magazine. It has also been an incredible experience to work with stylists for music videos, editorials and events where my pieces have been worn by established individuals in their own fields.
I’m also really proud that I have been able to find so much happiness in my passion for creating… my work on the label has become a positive outlet. It has shown me that if you continue to dream big and put time into what you love, you can begin to build a career out of it.
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What do you wish you knew when you started?
When I first started studying fashion, I imagined the industry to be a lot like the movies I had watched growing up. I expected to waltz into Auckland and experience a Devil Wears Prada moment, but the reality of the New Zealand fashion industry is very different.
With so many graduates heading out into the world and a depleting number of jobs in the industry, the competition is huge and the average hourly pay is similar to what I was earning prior to my degree. I wish I had trusted my own creative intuition earlier and perhaps explored more marketing and business knowledge to give me a broader understanding of what I can do with my work.
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Who do you think is most exciting in the Australian/NZ fashion scene right now?
I am really enjoying seeing a rise in young designers… like myself being supported and uplifted by the New Zealand market, as people put more importance on sustainable and ethical practices. Some of my stockists that really embrace young New Zealand creatives are Monty’s, Bizarre Bazaar and Crushes, who have built their retail stores around supporting locally-made small businesses.
My favourite upcoming New Zealand fashion designers at the moment are Kate Butterworth, Elsie Gore, Jacob Kalin, Jing He, Tansey, Jess Grindell and Emma Jing who all take a slower and more sustainable approach to fashion design. It is really important that the industry shifts and consumers become more conscious of what they are supporting through their purchases.
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How can we buy one of your pieces?
I have some of my pieces stocked across New Zealand, but the best place to find your next Caitlin Snell piece would be on my website.
Browse the Caitlin Snell collection here.
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