Blue sky thinking

If starting a new brand from the ground up wasn’t enough, FrancesLowe of Loclaire is also determined to leave a legacy of looking after the planet. “Everyone has their own understanding of the phrase, butI treat being a ‘sustainable brand’ as having no impact on the planet and the people who are involved,” she says. “Clothing is the way I've chosen to express this and to try to do better.”

Metaphorically making her mark on the world, while in fact leaving no trace. How hard can it be?

Frances designs and samples her garments in her Auckland home studio, where she spends as much time creating as she does innovating – finding fabrics made from, say, roses and oranges, and completing online sustainability courses to upskill. She has educational podcasts on repeat while on route to her pattern-makers, cutters and machinists, who she visits around Auckland several times a week.

“I'm learning so many things everyday,” says the creative. “And every time I learn something I feel like it's up to me to put it out there.” The first collection launched at the end of July at Auckland boutique Lineage.

Showcasing strong modern tailoring with feminine details and a streetwear edge, silk georgette gowns hang in surprising harmony alongside organic cotton bike shorts and soft satin mini bags. Frances designs for open-minded women, and her considered yet playful approach broadens horizons – as with her otherwise plain T-shirts, which reveal the brand’s name in UV printed paint to encourage the wearer to walk into the light.

“My signature pieces might look classic at first, but once you get to know them more… they will start to reveal little quirks or details that you might have missed.”

“My signature pieces might look classic at first, but once you get to know them more, or once you start wearing them and experiencing them, they will start to reveal little quirks or details that you might have missed,” she says.

The trench coat, a hero piece, is perfectly sophisticated and sleek, but if the mood takes you, you can button on a black hood, tack on two arm cuffs (which can also act as scrunchies) and add a waist-tie for extra shape.

Loclaire, a combination of Frances’ middlename and last name, is a personal endeavour. The founder worked in design and production over a six-year stint at Ruby, before moving to Shanghai and working as a product developer at mega-brand H&M.

The city of 26 million opened her eyes to in-your-face pollution. “Before I went to China, I admit that I was quite uneducated in the sustainability space, but living in that extreme I couldn’t not think about our environmental impact,” she explains. “Everyone would have these air-quality index apps on their phone – we’d celebrate a day when we got to see blue sky.”

What began as a considered approach to consumption naturally influenced Frances’ fashion choices, and so followed the desire to start her own label when she moved back home last year. For now, she’s starting on her sophomore collection, while getting down to the nitty-gritty of calculating the brand’s carbon footprint.

“The vision is to be a sustainable brand. I still feel like we're quite far from that but I think as long as we're asking questions, challenging and educating ourselves, then we're heading in the right direction,” she says. “The most rewarding part about being my own boss is choosing what I want to care about and value, which is different to a lot of what I've experienced before. It makes it all worth it at the end of the day.” ■