MASAMI CLOTHING BY JULIE PUDDICK

ONE OF A KIND: Julie Puddick holding one of her Masami Clothing garments inside her workroom and retail space above Muirs Bookshop. Picture by Liam Clayton

Gisborne fashion designer Julie Puddick has gone from designing in a coffee shop to needing bigger and bigger spaces, as her Japanese-inspired designs get picked up by fashion houses in the nation's capital. She talked to Aaliyah Rogan about her passion for fashion.

Julie Puddick is a fashion-forward thinker who loves to dress up and feel good, and never has an excuse not to.

She studied fashion design in the early 1980s, and her brand, Masami Clothing, offers one-of-a-kind and made-to-measure garments.

Fashion design was something Julie always wanted to do as she loves clothes and fabric. Her mother had sewed so designing and crafting clothes was something she has always been around.

“I could never find the right pattern or style on Butterick or Vogue, so I wanted to know how to do it myself,” she said.

She established Masami Clothing in 2016, living out her dream.

Her brand has a Japanese aesthetic, comfortable yet elegant and unique to wear, she said.

“Masami” translates as “gracious beauty”, and Masami Clothing evolved from Rubies Design, named after Julie's grandmother.

Before Masami Clothing, Julie worked doing alterations and designs at the Aviary Collective in Gisborne, where Rubies Design was located.

“I felt I needed a change and I needed to know I could do it,” she said.

Masami Clothing is now located above Muirs Bookshop after a stint at Far East Coffee Gisborne.

“I rented a room there and it was tiny,” she said.

“I had outgrown it and I'm here now, and I've really outgrown this.”

She indicates a space filled with fabric and racks of clothes.

Masami Clothing started turning heads when Julie attended a Wellington market. She then offered a small range to The Service Depot in Wellington, and they took Masami Clothing on board. Her brand is also sold at Greytown's Designer Clothing Gallery.

Julie has decided she will be on the road at some stage this year, tiki-touring around New Zealand with pop-up stores. In 2020 she opened a pop-up in Auckland's Ponsonby Central.

“It went really really well, quite a few clients popped in because they saw I was going to be there, so that was humbling to know I do have a good following,” she said.

Julie is planning her next pop-up stores in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Originally from Wellington, Julie lived there and in Auckland with her husband for six years. Once she had her two sons her family decided to call Gisborne their new home.

“It was a perfect lifestyle for the boys and it's done them well, they still want to come back,” she said.

Her main creative inspiration is fabric.

“It's all about comfort and the cloth,” she said.

She wore the Masami white puffin pants with an old shirt she made years ago.

“I made one shirt and I never made any more, but I should.”

Julie is inspired by many well-known Japanese and other high-end designers such as Jil Sander and Mother of Pearl.

“I love the Mother of Pearl aesthetic, and she's a great role model for the world because of her sustainability,” Julie said.

The fashion industry is renowned for being wasteful and Julie tries to minimise waste wherever possible with her brand.

The Hospice shop donates a lot of her textiles and haberdashery and she recycles or upcycles items. She often uses vintage cloth as well.

Masami Clothing offers one-of-a-kind items and made-to-measure garments.

Due to Covid, business has been difficult at times as fabric can be hard to get and prices have increased, she said.

“It's having to reshuffle things and really rethink the whole process.”

She still considers herself lucky as every morning she walks along the beach with her dog, goes for a swim, and does 20 minutes of yoga before starting work at 9am.