We're proud to work with a network of skilled makers and businesses who quietly keep New Zealand's fashion industry moving - from fabric suppliers and manufacturers to our own in-house production team.

 

 

In the latest issue of Fashion Quarterly, writer Natalia Didovich shines a light on some of those "often unseen hands quietly shaping the clothes you wear every day", including our own Sample Room Manager Morgan Hollis-Ward.

Morgan has been part of the JH team for 10 years and is a vital part of our small but mighty production team who bring each collection to life.

 

 

"I'm really grateful to always be learning new things from colleagues with more experience than me," Morgan told FQ. "I have learned so much from Juliette, Lily and Shirley, our two amazing in-house sample machinists, our production manager Rebecca, our pattern maker Sue, and the cutters, makers and fabric suppliers we work with."

As part of the piece, FQ also asked Juliette to reflect on the importance of these behind the scenes roles and of protecting these invaluable skills for future generations.

Read her answers in full below, and pick up a copy of FQ to read the broader feature which includes perspectives from across the industry.

 

 

FQ: From your perspective, how vital are machinists, pattern makers, and other technical makers to the New Zealand fashion and textile industry?

Juliette: They are absolutely fundamental. For me, they are the bridge between an idea and a garment becoming something real, wearable and lasting. The technical knowledge that machinists, pattern makers and sampling teams hold is incredibly specialised - and often built over decades of hands-on experience.

These are the people who truly bring an idea to life. In the early days of the business, I used to pattern draft and sample make myself, but as the company grew it became very clear that there were limits to both my time and my technical knowledge. The people around me - our machinists, pattern makers and technical makers - have specialist skills they have spent years refining and perfecting, and that expertise adds enormous depth to the process. They are often able to solve problems or realise ideas in ways I couldn’t have achieved alone.

In New Zealand particularly, where many brands operate on a smaller and more hands-on scale, those relationships and skills become even more important. The quality and integrity of a garment is so often determined by the people making it - how something is cut, balanced, constructed and finished.

I think people always see the finished garment, but they may not be aware of all the technical expertise and problem solving behind it - all the different hands that have touched a garment along the way, and the many decisions that have been made to get it there. Our makers are a huge part of what gives New Zealand fashion its reputation for quality and care.

 

 

When you begin designing a collection, how collaborative is the process between yourself and your sampling/production team? Are there conversations or problem-solving moments that become integral to the final outcome?

It's incredibly collaborative. While a collection may begin with an idea, a silhouette or a feeling I want to explore, the process becomes very shared once it moves into sampling and development.

There are constant conversations throughout - around proportion, fabrication, construction, movement and wearability. Often a piece evolves significantly through that process. A pattern maker may identify a way to improve the balance of a garment, or a machinist may suggest a construction technique that gives something a cleaner or more refined finish.

Those moments are incredibly valuable because they come from deep practical knowledge and experience. I've always believed the best outcomes come when there is openness within the process - where ideas can be challenged, refined and strengthened collectively.

 

 

You’ve worked with members of your team for a long time now. What do you think is at the heart of building strong creative and working relationships within a fashion business?

Respect is probably the biggest thing. Respect for people's knowledge, time, craft and contribution.

Fashion can be fast-paced and demanding, so I think long-standing relationships are built through consistency, trust and genuinely valuing the people around you. Many of the people I work with have been part of the business for years, and there is an enormous amount of shared understanding that comes from growing together over time.

I also think it's important that people feel connected to the purpose of what they are creating. When teams feel ownership and pride in the work, it changes the energy of the whole process.

For me personally, there's something very grounding about working closely with the same makers many years. They understand the nuances of the brand, but they also continue to challenge and strengthen the work in really important ways.

 

 

We’ve heard increasing conversation around many machinists and skilled makers nearing retirement age. Have you noticed this shift, and how significant do you think this issue is for the local industry right now?

Yes, definitely. It's something I think many brands are becoming increasingly aware of.

There is an incredible depth of knowledge within many of the people who have worked in the industry for decades, and I do think there is a real risk of that knowledge gradually disappearing if we don't actively invest in the next generation.

It's significant because these skills sit at the core of local manufacturing and quality garment production. Without that technical capability, it becomes much harder to sustain a truly local industry.

At the same time, I think there is an opportunity to reframe these careers for younger people - to show that fashion isn't only design or marketing, but also highly skilled technical and creative work. Those pathways deserve far more visibility and support than they currently receive.

I feel optimistic about the future of our industry though. We have incredibly talented makers in New Zealand, and it's encouraging to see organisations like Fashion & Textiles New Zealand continuing to focus on protecting and strengthening the future of our industry through training, apprenticeships and skills development.

Creating opportunities for knowledge and craft to be passed on to the next generation is going to be incredibly important in the years ahead.

 

 

More broadly, what would you like to see happen within the New Zealand fashion industry to better support machinists, pattern makers, and technical talent in the years ahead?

I’d love to see stronger pathways into the industry - whether that's through education, apprenticeships, mentoring or more direct connections between industry and training institutions.

I also think we need to continue elevating the visibility and value of technical roles within fashion. These careers require an enormous amount of skill, precision and creative thinking, and I don't know that they have always been recognised in the way they should be.

More broadly, I think governmental support of our local manufacturing has to remain part of the conversation. The more work that stays within New Zealand, the more opportunity there is to nurture and retain technical talent here.

There's such richness in the knowledge held within our local industry, and I think it's incredibly important that we protect, invest in and pass that knowledge on.