You would have to be living under a rock to have escaped all the talk about the changes on High Street in Auckland. Some liked the change, although some are shocked by the leaving of well-loved shops. But even Beth (as an ex-Wellingtonian) cannot deny that High Street is most definitely changing. Even though the familiar names already left the street, the new kids on the block are excited to keep High Street’s spirit alive with its fresh, creative and unique offerings for the public. NZ Style Collective’s Beth Ivy Buxton had the absolute pleasure of meeting the newest tenants of 33 High Street. Meet Steven, Anthea and Rosey of Luck/House.
Luck / House was brought into being around five moths ago by Rosey Thomas (NYMPHETS designer) and her brother Sam Thomas. Since then, Luck/House has grown into a collaboration with two other fashion designers Steven Park (6 x 4) and Anthea Hayley (Anthea clothing). Rosey came up with the idea for the space shortly after Sam took over the lease upstairs and developed it into Snake Pit Gallery. Together, Rosey and Sam have temporarily taken over the building and with it the opportunity to do something more than a bit extraordinary.
Rosey’s story is inspiring to say the least, as a young artist it is easy to write off ideas as too hard, too expensive, or impossible. However, according to Rosie, the whole venture has come about with no pursuit of financial gain in mind; but plenty of passion, vision and self-belief. And since taking over the space, Rosey and Sam have become dab hands at D-I-Y, between them making all the racks, rails and temporary walls that constitute Luck/House. And the response so far just shows how much it strikes a chord with others.
As soon as it was good enough to open, the space quickly attracted like minded souls with even Anthea and Steven becoming involved through simply visiting the space. Others have been excited and intrigued about the store, especially as it’s manned by the designers themselves. In fact, when we arrived the trio was found literally knitting, stitching, and drawing the day away!
It’s more than a shop; it’s an art project
When you walk into Luck/House, the place is quite unique, from the D-I-Y walls to the eclectic mix of clothing and objects, Luck / House has its own quirky personality like nothing else.Rosey, Steven and Anthea all share an unwavering belief that Luck / House is, and shall remain, an experimental art project, and most definitely not a retail space. They describe Luck / House as ‘artist-run space in an existential state of becoming”. By this, the trio meant that Luck / House is not, and never will be driven by sales, trends, brand or targets. Instead, Luck / House is about creativity and the clothes, but not fashion.
One of the things that set Luck / House apart is that it strives to be ‘anti-retail’, ‘anti fashion’ and ‘anti whole fashion-trend style’. Steven, Rosey and Anthea all spoke passionately about this, but I think my favourite moment was when Steven looked up from his absentminded doodle on a paper bag and said ‘fuck trend forecasts! … I don’t like fashion, but I like clothes’. And for the young designers, that is simply Luck / House in a nutshell, ‘it is about the experience of wearing clothes, whatever they may be, and how they can shape the wearer in that moment’. As Rosey sums up, “it is more important to me that people love and cherish coming here than how much we sell”.
How would you all describe your creations, and who do you think wears them?
Steven: That’s an interesting question. For me, 6 x 4 is and has always been, an art project. Even the name comes from the idea of aesthetic perfection in thirds (2 x 3). So it is twice this visual rule of perfection, and in this sense made redundant and self-negating. The 6 x 4 clothes are about materiality and the meaning of materials. They are about how clothes change on the body. For me, the whole project questions the idea of a body and what constitutes our identity. I see the body as clothing for the mind; so clothing literally becomes a metaphor and it’s all very conceptual. But I guess I do have an aesthetic, and it’s about the materials, textures and shapes. I like to make things I want to wear but can’t find, and so I often put things together in new ways, or experiment with materials.
Anthea: For me, Anthea clothing is born out of what I love to wear. I was taught how to sew by my grandmother, that is why it has been a huge part of who I am. I like to create clean, sharp shapes and structured lines. I wear what I make, and design what I want to wear. I see the Anthea Girl as someone with pink hair and black lips. She is wild, but clean and crisp. And that is really what my label is about. Even the logo represents the structure of clothes and everything being kind of perfect. Ultimately, I think clothing can bring the wearer a lot of joy and this is more important to me than fashion.
Rosey: The name NYMPHETS came from the novel Lolita. In the story, Nymphets are young girls, ethereal, surreal and beautiful. To me, NYMPHETS is about infecting other people with the aesthetic of my label. When someone wears one of my pieces others see a part of me. The identity of the wearer changes for that time and others respond to it. This makes both the wearer and the observer feel different which I find interesting. NYMPHETS is all about unusual, whimsical fabrics, colours and textures. It is almost a costume. It’s playful, quirky, isolating and intriguing.
And when asked what the three creatives plan for the future of Luck/House… “NO! Luck / House is about the here and now, and not having a plan. It’s about being young, experimenting and seeing what happens”. This kind of enthusiasm and creativity is, like Rosey’s clothing, infectious and hard to find. So if you fancy a different flavored eye candy definitely drop by Luck/House and meet your new best friends.
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