Natanja Hoskin is one of my favourite designers. She is talented, unique, an amazing person to work with and she possesses a kind of creativity that can’t be described. She designs in such a way that surpasses fashion. She travels with her garments from the very first thought, through to the way they are manipulated during the photography stage and edited thereafter. She thinks about the entire process and the emotional projection of her garments, long after she has pulled the final threads on them. She has a very holistic approach to designing, encompassing more than just the physicality of the garment itself – and that’s one of the many reasons we love her.
She’s the kind of person that walks into a room with a smile and can talk to anyone there and then; she’s positive, kind, beautiful and always happy to help. Natanja is definitely a key fashion contributor not only locally in Brisbane, but Australia wide. She’s a mover and shaker helping to put Brisbane on the fashion map, raising the bar on the sustainable and couture front as well.
I first worked with Natanja in 2013 for my series of Fashion Fridays events when she exhibited in both Heat 2 and the Finale. Natanja was also selected as a finalist in the 2013 RAW Awards for Fashion Design and also showcased in Sydney late last year for the Australian Graduate Fashion Week; she’s a busy woman. She describes her label as “creative, exclusive and individual”, and it is this combination that continually drives success for Natanja. She is inspired by everyday life around her, the “hectic” and day to day buzz and rush of the people that she meets. She also knows the importance of business backbones, marketing and relationships, and she is smart about the areas she chooses to spend her money on. As Natanja says, “MARKETING MARKETING MARKETING” is the most important aspect to launching a fashion business in Brisbane and it is an inevitable spend if you want to have your label name known.
Hoskin Designs is unique. What drives you to design in such a different way?
Coming from a cultural explosion in South Africa, I have an unfulfilled desire to allow my clients to express their individuality and creativity visually. I thrive on the idea that we as human beings cannot be contained in a social box of what any governing body wants us to be, but rather to embrace the possibility that we can be ANYTHING we want! Normal is a state of mind, not a way of life.
Have you studied or do your talents come naturally?
I have always had a more creative than a logical approach to life and have inherited all my creative talent from my mother, but wanted to refine my skill set. I studied to be able to physically create what my imagination dreams up.
What do you love most about fashion and the local industry?
I love the fact that people talk about TRENDS… but looking back at the fashion history, trends are merely an adaptation of the past. I love that we as skin-covered people can dress in a visual portrait of our emotional states and express our current state of minds so generously. I am also extremely grateful to the industry that it allows fashion to merge into art and art into fashion, leaving all my desires fulfilled and allows so many different avenues to be explored.
Explain your creative process?
My creative process basically starts with an idea. I will then sketch, draw up the patterns and then create the individual piece!
Describe the personality of Hoskin Designs in 3 words?
Individual, extraordinary, entertaining.
You’ve accomplished quite a lot in the last few years. Can you tell us about a few of your highlights?
I believe the biggest highlights of my career so far, and most probably will be, is seeing my client’s faces when I have completed a garment for them that captures their personality and desires.
Sustainability in the fashion realm is extremely important. Your label is definitely making a positive impact, why have you chosen this path?
I believe I am sending out the message loud and clear that we as human beings can change our way of life and our impact on our beautiful planet with a simple idea. The idea of ‘waste not want not’, is very close to my heart and I believe that we can re-create useless into something use-full.
Support local fashion and shop the Hoskin Design range at hoskindesigns.com.
The Fashion Advocate x
