Lee Kleiman, and mother and daughter Debi and Meghan Bowker, are the three sensational women behind one of New Zealand's most respected clothing labels, Repertoire. Earlier this month, Meghan was awarded the BNZ Newmarket Business Association Young Enterprise Award. Jenny Rudd talks to them about the highs and lows of working together.
Debi - Eleven years ago, I met Lee when she arrived in New Zealand. We were in fact neighbours; we had an instant connection and that is when our incredible friendship started. I soon realised that we viewed the world through the same lens.
Together, we did the interior of the Hotel on Devonport and had so much fun working together, from choosing art to bedspreads. When this project was finished we thought, 'what next?' We both loved clothing and being active working mums and we saw a niche in the marketplace that catered for our specific needs - "bullet proof" clothing that looks gorgeous.
Around that same time my daughter Meghan was finishing her business degree and wondering what to do next. Growing up, Meghan was extremely adventurous and loved being active in the outdoors. This spirit of adventure is what intrigued her to join our new business venture. At high school, Meghan started to develop quite a taste for beautiful clothes as she attended all the school balls in the Bay. Meghan's sense of style was also influenced by her great grandmother, who sewed extremely well. Thank goodness, as I can barely sew on a button. Meghan was often dressed in exquisite little designer dresses. I have packed them all away in case she has a little girl of her own.
Lee is not only my business partner, she is also my best friend. No one can make me laugh like Lee does. She is bubbly and fun and I am in awe of her creativity. Although she doesn't share the same surname as Meghan and I, we consider ourselves a family.
Lee - Repertoire is not work for me - it's home from home and where my passion lies. I love that it feels like one big family.
This is one of the qualities I love so much about Debs. She holds the business together with a family culture. Although it's unusual to work with a mother and daughter, we have very clear boundaries which keep our personal lives and business separate. We learnt from an early stage how important that was. Meghan doesn't call Debi "Mum" at work and they respect each other as equals. We have mentors outside the business to lean on and so never have to take sides. Like me, Meghan is creative. Unlike me, she is extremely organised. She has an enviable ability to cut through to the core, finding structure in chaos. This focus and youthful tenacity is invaluable to our business.
Meghan is also extremely driven, with a gritty determination, which was recognised recently with her winning the award.
When designing, I take everyone's opinions into account: my design team, customers and colleagues. Debi keeps it real and Meghan keeps it on trend. Every now and then I have to make a call when I know a new look is in and everyone is nervous about it. We have complete trust in each other and the roles we play; Meghan and Debi have faith in my final decision, which gives me the courage to gallantly go forth when it is so easy in this economy to play it safe.
Meghan - My career aspirations have changed over the years. When I was 5 I wanted to be a dolphin trainer and then in college a psychologist. One thing that never changed was my love of business. From a young age, my parents have always owned their own businesses and I have always been roped in to help whenever needed, sometimes whether I wanted to or not.
I love the freedom and the drive that comes with owning my own business. The opportunity to start a business at a young age, whilst scary, felt like another big adventure. I cannot resist adventures - especially those that don't involve extreme heights. I love how fashion is like a journey of self-discovery and that Repertoire is the most gorgeous dress-up box any woman could wish for.
Despite the gap of a generation between the three of us, I am always thrilled to see how the same Repertoire piece is worn differently by each of us. Lee and I have often arrived at work in the same pieces and no one even notices as we style our look so differently. When I am in Tauranga I often raid Deb's wardrobe, as being her daughter, it is a hard habit to break.