Chloe & August at Home
One of our favourite things about WARES has to be how easy all of the dresses are. For Chloe, her WARES pieces have become wardrobe staples, even more so since welcoming a new little one to her family. We caught up with Chloe at home with new baby August, to chat about the inspiration behind WARES.
Hi Chloe! Where did WARES get dreamed up?
Wares was dreamed up about two years ago when I was traveling through Vietnam with the family. I found myself wearing the same dress day on out because it was easy-care, breast-feeding friendly, and comfortable and stylish. It was a simple dress that I designed and had made by a local tailor in Hoi An at the start of our trip because I had under packed for myself, and overpacked for the kids (sound familiar?!). When we got back to Australia a month later, Olivia and I started properly discussing the idea of creating a collection of apparel that will see women through the every day. From around the home to work, and through different stages of life from maternity and breast-feeding to beyond.
What is your personal love story with the range?
I rarely dress with trends. I’m all about having a few staples, worn over and over again, accessorised and layered when the occasion permits. Everything about this collection I love. I love the idea of taking one simple garment and accessorising through different times of the year, seasonally; adding a chunky knit here, a turtleneck there.
What does a day in the life of Chloe look like right now?
At this time in my life, just having my fourth little one (still a newborn!). I’m spending most of my time at home, popping into the office occasionally. Most of the time, I’ve usually got my Cassia dress on (all the way unbuttoned!). Days and nights blur into one a bit at the moment - I’m really enjoying this slower time - this baby bubble. I do find myself making the effort to shower, get dressed (popping on some lipstick even!) each day so that I’m not in pyjamas all day.
Take us through the design process:
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4. We did all our pattern making locally, with our lovely seamstress, sewing & fitting samples in our Byron Bay showroom.
5. We then selected our partner factory; going through compliance audits, proto samples and fabric quality tests.
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7. There were a few more fits and tweaks of the factory samples to approve pre-production sample for the bulk order of WARES. We had to make sure it was perfect! At this stage we also did washing and drying tests.
8. The bulk production was made and we eagerly awaited delivery...
9. ... WARES arrived to our three global warehouses and we all did a happy dance!
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