AVENUE THE LABEL
‘THIS IS NICE’ CO-FOUNDERS ALEJANDRA AND JAX JUMP ON A CALL WITH AVENUE THE LABEL CO-FOUNDERS AND DESIGNERS JESSIE AND GABRIELLA TO TALK EVERYTHING FROM THEIR EXPERIENCES STUDYING FASHION AND TEXTILES AT UTS, STARTING THEIR OWN BRAND AND LAUNCHING THEIR DEBUT APPAREL LINE
’THIS IS NICE’: HOW DID AVENUE THE LABEL BEGIN?
Avenue the Label: We’ve known each other for a very long time, actually since we were 10. We went to school together, and we kind of just had so much in common and we were both creative. We actually did the same university degrees- we did fashion and textiles at UTS, and that was amazing. We kind of always said all we want to do something, one day, in our final year of university, Jessie got an amazing job at bec + bridge as a designer, and then I carried on and did my honors year and I think it was a really amazing year to kind of also see like what we wanted to do. I don't think we were like, let's start something now, it was very organic.
We were actually on a walk one day and I remember and we were both in baseball caps. I think they were like a Billabong and a Nike hat, and we were like yeah there’s not a lot of luxury caps out there and we were like, okay, there's an Acne cap for $400 but there was no kind of in the middle. So we were like, should we design hats and I think we called each other the next day and we were like, should we actually do this. And the more people we spoke to we realized, everyone kind of felt the same. Tuchuzy in Bondi was one of the first stores we spoke to and they were like yeah that's a great idea.
ATL: We launched the whole capsule range of caps, and then eventually expanded into straw hats, then we were doing hair accessories and headbands and then we've been speaking about apparel for the last two three years.
Fashion era you relate most to?
Jessie: The late 70’s
Gabriella: The 90’s
‘THIS IS NICE’: First design memory?
Jessie: Making clothes with my mum on her Pfaff sewing machine from the 80’s.
Gabriella: Visiting my grandmother’s millinery store and watching her sew and style her handmade hats on customers.
FAST FAVOURITES
‘this is nice’: Hat?
Jessie: Fornillo Sunhat
Gabriella: Izzy Sunhat
‘this is nice’: Song?
Jessie: Homecoming Queen by Thelma Plum
Gabriella: River by Leon Bridges
‘this is nice’: Model at the moment?
Jessie: Jasmine Tookes
Gabriella: Agi Akur
‘this is nice’: Place to visit?
Jessie: Portugal
Gabriella: Auckland, NZ
‘this is nice’: Colour?
Jessie: Green
Gabriella: Blue
‘this is nice’: Clothing item you own?
Jessie: Vintage Levis 501
Gabriella: A vintage silk dress
‘this is nice’: Place in Sydney?
Jessie: Kutti Beach
Gabriella: Tamarama
‘this is nice’: Dinner Spot?
Jessie: Café Paci
Gabriella: 6 Penny
‘this is nice’: Muse?
Jessie: Jane Birkin
Gabriella: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy
Gabriella’s Muse, Caroline Bessette Kennedy
The designers favourite place in Sydney. The beaches.
TIN: WHAT WAS STUDYING FASHION AND TEXTILES AT UTS LIKE? THEY HAVE CHURNED OUT SOME OF THE BEST AUSSIE DESIGNERS AROUND…
We’d wake up really early and work really late nights, it would work really like that, it was so physical yeah very hands on and it was an amazing way to learn fabric, fit, construction, working on manicans, we had this technical training which was incredible like we feel so lucky that we have, you know, cuz I think now with Instagram, you can just launch business and it's amazing to be technically trained I think gives you that little edge. It’s a pretty great course, it was so hands on but in terms of business we didn't learn anything. Launching this business we had no idea what we were doing in terms of the admin, running it, and, like, you know, having a bookkeeper, paying an invoice yeah so that's the one thing I think.
I feel like design actually, sadly, is such a small part of running business and no one really tells you that, you know, sampling takes a really long time, to fittings, it does take up a big chunk, but then you've actually got to sell it and market it.
TIN: IF YOU HAD A UNIFORM WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Jessie: Go-to uniform is our Sienna Shirt, currently living in it
Gabriella: The Layla Dress in black
“we've always said like when you see a girl on the street wearing an oversized cotton shirt. It just looks cool AND there's something very understated and that's what we've kind of gone for and that's what we love to wear”
-Avenue the Label
‘tin’: DESIGNING AND PRODUCING IN A MORE SUSTAINABLE WAY IS GENERALLY MORE EXPENSIVE THAN TAKING THE EASIER ‘FAST FASHION’ ROUTE, HOW DO YOU FIND A BALANCE BETWEEN CREATING CONSCIOUSLY WHILE STILL KEEPING YOUR PRICES APPROACHABLE?
ATL: We don't want to call ourselves a sustainable brand, we actually feel it should be every brands approach, it's not like, oh, we're sustainable. We think what we're doing is, is the bare minimum. Not using plastic in our packaging- we're not trying to be heroes, you've got those limitations like we're learning natural fibres, we’re only doing cottons and linens and we're not doing any polyesters.
I think that's a real journey and we’ve always said on our platforms, where we want to take the customer on our journey, and I think it's always a work in progress and I think, you know, which is exciting as the demand to be more sustainable is increasing. So therefore, fabric prices are going to be better, you know, not using plastic is becoming more common. Like I think it's, it's, you know, everyone's is kind of jumping on the bandwagon, which is great, it's just gonna benefit everyone in the end.
“Figuring out what people actually want was a big driving force with this new apparel range because you know there are such amazing brands out there and they're doing such great things but we're like, what do we actually want, what do we keep going back to, like, developing the perfect white shirt you know, having that staple that for years you just keep going back to.”
-Avenue the Label