I got to to talk to Jarrad Godman before his fantastic W2017 show at New Zealand Fashion Week which he did in collaboration with Servilles…

What season are you showing?

AW2017

What is your collection called?

Sidewalk BsAs

What would you say are your influences for this collection?

The collection was inspired by a hungover walk around Buenos Aires back in June. I was obviously a little worse for wear and feeling sorry for myself, but at the same time I was in awe of the beautiful but dishevelled buildings all around me. The entire city had this feeling of faded wealth and dilapidated beauty which really struck a cord. I’ve combined this inspiration with frayed silks, deconstructed garments and panels sewn into the wrong places in an attempt to recreate my headspace at the time.

Its a small but supportive community here in New Zealand who has helped you along your way?

I have been fortunate enough to have countless people help me achieve my dream. A good friend of mine, Julian, who helped me get my first job within the industry. Chris Lorimer who gave me that job and showed me the ins and outs of all things fashion and PR over the period of 4 years. Designers such as Jimmy D, the girls from Maaike, Vaughan Geeson, Vicki Taylor, Jason Lingard and many more who have shared their production contacts and/or business advice with me. Media such as the teams at Viva, Simply you and FQ. I am also lucky to have some great customers that support the label each season. Also to mention Paul Serville, over the past 12 months he has given me multiple amazing opportunities which have helped further my career.

What has it been like collaborating with Servilles? Who has been working with you to pull the whole show together?

Although this is my first time collaborating creatively with Servilles, I’ve been lucky enough to have had previous experiences working with Paul and his team of creatives, so I really feel at home working alongside these talented people.
Over the past month, I have worked with Paul and a fellow collaborator who we affectionately know as “Fox” from the initial rough concept sketches through to the final looks you will see on the runway.
The timeframe leading up to the show has been quite short (roughly just over a month) which means that we have been working around the clock to ensure that we are proud of what we are presenting at this years New Zealand Fashion Week. I feel like the Servilles team and I have been very much in synch during this whole collaboration, it is something I am very thankful for.

And advice for someone starting out?

Never be afraid to ask for help, and always remember to acknowledge those who help you. Also, push through and work that extra hour or two each day, you will thank yourself when you see progress. Don’t be afraid to put your career first when you need to, because you will definitely need to from time to time.

Editor’s Notes

Those fabulous pants!  I was almost expecting half the Fashion Editors in the front row to lean forward and rip them off a model they were so coveted. And also by me.

All the red – all the red! Red is now my second favourite colour.

The sequin sleeved jacket has to be mine. Next winter is far too long to wait

And I loved anything with the fringing detail, and also the monochrome print…

It was such a huge collection for a first a NZFW – and the concept and the styling were incredibly confident.  It is the best thing about NZFW, watching new talent emerge!

Jarrad Godman is stocked at The Shelter in Auckland.

Photography by Michelle Weir of Studio Weir