INTERVIEW with Ravishing Fashionistas Designer 2023 - Caren Lee Millinery
Photo by Joe Nucifora
SD: Hi Caren, for my readers who don’t know you yet, can you please introduce yourself?
CL: Hi, my name is Caren and I'm from Christchurch, New Zealand. I grew up across the ditch and arrived in WA in 1997. I fell in love with Australia in grade 7 when we had to do a project on Australia in Grade 7. I learned to sew on my grandmother's knee press Singer sewing machine when I was 8 years old. Then mum bought me a metal toy sewing machine and I was hooked!
SD: What was the biggest inspiration behind your latest collection?
CL: My biggest inspiration always comes from nature and the colours around me. I love and adore bright colours and I'm always thinking of new ways to incorporate lots of colour into my millinery and fashion design work. Sometimes I make the hat first and then visualise what would look best to style with each hat and off I go to hunt for fabric. Other times I already have the dress designed and made, then I decide which hat will be a winner with the look.
Photo by Joe Nucifora
SD: What helps you get in the zone when you’re designing?
CL: I spent years singing on stage in New Zealand and music, movies and art play a big part in my inspiration when I'm about to go into designing new looks. Sometimes it's the look of a person in a music video or film, other times it can be a poster or piece of art that inspires me, especially if I see something very beautiful or out of the ordinary.
SD: When did you first realise you wanted to pursue a career as a designer?
CL: Diana Princess of Wales, was the person who influenced me the most and my love of hats and style grew from watching her. I am the same age as the late princess and she had a huge influence on how I dressed in my late teen years and beyond. When I was a child I saw the films Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Wizard of Oz. I was completely enthralled by movies and the costumes in them. As a teen, I was a fan of Abba, Fleetwood Mac, Olivia Newton John, Madonna and Kim Wilde. I saw how important it was for the clothing performers wore to stamp their image on the general public and how people then perceived them in our culture. I guess as a teen flicking through magazines like 17, Dolly and Vogue, I saw how iconic anyone could be with the absolute right styling and how that styling shaped how an artist or model was seen.
SD: What was your biggest fear when going out and starting your own line?
CL: I don't really have any fear when it comes to creating my fashion. I guess that comes with age and the knowledge that someone, somewhere will always love what I'm doing. I remember that not everyone is capable of doing what I do, and that millinery, pattern drafting and hand sewing couture for slow fashion is a precise art that is extremely valuable and important in the fashion world. When it comes to anyone maybe not liking anything I do, I tend to design for myself and what I would wear if I could!
SD: How do you want women to feel when wearing your headpieces?
CL: I want women to feel glamorous, to feel very stylish, to feel noticed, to feel beautiful, relevant and unforgettable. I want them to shine.
SD: There’s so much pressure for designers to come out with their greatest collection season after season. What advice would you give to young designer just starting out and hoping to make it in the industry?
CL: My advice is to ALWAYS be yourself. Let your love of creating guide your work. Look around and decide which direction you want to go in and find your own signature style. Be individual and be different. While it's ok to follow what others are doing, it's always a good idea to have your own signature look and not follow what the crowd is doing. For instance, lately fashion has had the big sleeves, big skirts etc and volumes of fabric in looks for the past couple of years. I prefer a more streamlined and elegant silhouette and simple design because I feel that classic looks will never date. You do you and don't listen to any negative feedback. Keep going. Enter competitions and surround yourself with like-minded people.
Tickets are selling fast. If you want to see Caren Lee Millinery on the runway, get your Ravishing Fashionistas 2023 tickets here
Ravishing Fashionistas Website: http://ravishingfashionistas.com/
Ravishing Fashionistas Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ravishingfashionistas
Ravishing Fashionistas Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ravishing_fashionistas/
Caren Lee’s social media presence:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CarenLeeMillinery
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/carenleemillinery/
Photo by Joe Nucifora