Nia Stavropoulos has extensive experience in the fashion industry. She sits on the Board of the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival and shares a passion for good design and quality manufacturing. She sat down with Neos Kosmos to talk about her involvement in the industry and her view on Australian design.
In Melbourne people aren’t afraid to try new things, there’s a lot of individuality, it’s a creative hub.
Nia developed a strong interest in art and design whilst living in Paris. Upon returning to Australia, she was offered a job as a Federal Ministerial Advisor for industry and was responsible for two of the best parts of the portfolio – fashion and tourism. This involved every part of the fashion industry, from manufacturing to retail.
“Once I finished my stint as a Ministerial Advisor, I was offered the position of CEO at the Textile Fashion Industries of Australia,” says Nia.
“This is the industry lobby group which covers manufacturing in textiles, clothing, footwear and associated industries. The association has about 500 members and it was at this point that I really became immersed in the fashion industry.”
The Melbourne Fashion Festival had only been running for three years when Nia was appointed to the board in 2000, for the last three years she has also been Chair of the festival’s Business Events Committee.
“The festival is the biggest consumer event, not only in Australia, but generally speaking, in the fashion industry globally. We can have over 120,000 people attending at any one time – so it’s a massive undertaking, we’re lucky to have a fabulous team of people working to make it happen.
“Each year we introduce new events, so overall the festival offers a very comprehensive program of fashion, cultural and business events.
“Our business seminar is a leading event for the industry; it takes a global approach and covers retail, manufacturing, fashion and marketing issues. We introduced a new event called Designer Forum which is fantastic for designers… it provides them with advice on things like market access issues. We have international designers come and visit and talk about their experiences – it’s good for designers to learn from each other and it provides them with very practical advice.”
She is very passionate about Melbourne as a creative hub, arguing that the city stands out because it offers something unique and exciting.
“Only a couple of other places come close to being like Melbourne in terms of uniqueness, craftsmanship and design. The quality of design here is very, very high and people aren’t afraid to create a niche for themselves. In Melbourne, people aren’t afraid to try new things, there’s a lot of individuality, it’s a creative hub.
“On the other hand, Sydney has great design, but it is dispersed and more uniform… it caters to a homogeneous market. It’s fresh and it’s lovely, but there’s no real point of difference. Melbourne has a different focus; it has a great history of manufacturing and there are a lot of artisans here. People really pursue their creativity and experiment more.”
So are consumers are becoming increasingly savvy about their purchases? Nia believes so.
“People have become more specific about what they buy, they’re thinking about their purchases a lot more than they used to. Our thinking about spending has changed. People think, ‘I can live with this dress, but I’ll get a new accessory.’ Consumers have become more cautious, they’re mixing and matching the old with the new.”
So how does a young brand succeed in this market? Nia says that the future of retail lies in smaller labels that are able to offer great, personalised service along with a unique product.
“I believe that if you offer people something unique and different you’re going to seduce them into buying it. These days everyone has everything they need, so the only thing that will make us part with our money is something truly fabulous. It doesn’t have to be expensive, just something that is exciting, a must-have – if we have to save up to buy it, we will. These days you want to be enticed by something exciting.”
For those keen to get involved in the fashion industry, Nia says it’s time to sharpen your skills. If it’s design that you’re into, then feed your creativity and broaden your perspective.
“These days, younger brands are involved in everything. They’re not just into fashion, they’re into film, music, online media – all sorts of things,” she said. “But what the industry really needs are good technicians… people forget that there’s a lot more to fashion than just design. There are the marketing and communications people, the fashion photographers, hairdressers and makeup artists, there are stylists and merchandisers. Technically, there is a major shortage in areas like pattern cutting.
“If you’re interested in any of these, you should concentrate on being the best you can be. The industry needs everybody.”
Nia also sits on the Course Advisory Committee for the RMIT School of Fashion and Textile Design.
“Students need to receive a really broad range of influences and perspectives so that they can decide what they are interested in. It’s essential that they get something out of their degree – the academic side of things is essential, but when they graduate there has to be a practical outcome.
“They must be able to get a job that will fulfil them and is satisfying in a creative way – a job that they want to do. You don’t want them to get a few years down the track and find that they’re so disillusioned with the industry that they bail out and do something else.
“Not everyone will become a top name designer, but not everyone wants that. Many designers want to create a niche market and be very good at what they do. I see my role as a nurturing one; young designers can come to me and ask for advice on how to do things and how to access people.”
For Nia, being involved in activities like the fashion festival and the Course Advisory Board allows her to give back to the industry. She also enjoys seeing how she can help a healthy and thriving local fashion industry maintain Melbourne’s reputation as the fashion capital of Australia.