MAC & BAIN

Recently I put together a fashion parade at Southport Sharks as part of a partnership with Get it Magazine for a fabulous Melbourne Cup luncheon called Bubbles & Bling that was a sellout day.

Click HERE for my previous post on Melbourne Cup Day

I caught up with Alana McBain the designer behind Mac & Bain to get an insight into her label.

      You showcased Mac & Bain at Gold Coast Fashion Week in February which was a huge success, how was that for you?

     My experience with Gold Coast Fashion week was amazing. It was such a great opportunity for Mac & Bain to be able to showcase the 2012 'Promises' collection and reach a new audience since it is still such a new label. It is also fantastic to have such an important event for designers and fashion return to the Gold Coast successfully.

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     Mac & Bain has only been around for a couple of years, what made you decide to become a fashion designer?

     I always wanted to become a fashion designer and started sewing after my grandmother gave me a little blue Holly Hobbie sewing machine when I was about six. I completed work experience with Prue Acton and Barbara Wilson in Melbourne in the late 80's and then moved from Victoria to the Gold Coast in the early 90's. Fashion designers were almost non-existant on the Gold Coast back then so I decided I should do Interior Design instead. After starting a family and a career as an Interior Designer (and perhaps a mid-life crisis) I decided to go back and study Fashion Design in 2009 and chase my original dream.

Your collections feature a lot of leather, lace and floaty fabrics – where do you get your inspiration from?

      

     Other than the obvious trends etc I tend to draw most of my inspiration from the fabrics which I like to find first before I do anything else.  I love quality, interesting, textured fabrics that help me to create my next designs.

Where can people purchase Mac & Bain?

      

     At the moment Mac&Bain is a made-to-measure label so you can purchase through the website www.macandbain.com or visit our Facebook page. We are working on opening a studio at Currumbin Beach for 2013 where we will have a limited number of stock ready-made but also do made-to-measure for people that are not a standard size.

      What is next in store?

      

     We are busy working on the next collection for 2013 which we will showcase at the Oracle Fashion Week in February.

      What are some of the trends that featured in fashion week this year that you loved?

      

      Some of the trends that featured in Sydney fashion week that I loved were the use of colour, in particular pastels, colour blocking, pixelated prints and splashes of neon. Toni Maticevski's collection was a stand-out for me, he is truly amazing.

      Favourite designers?

      

     Manning Cartell, Ginger & Smart, Zimmermann, Lisa Ho, Kirrily Johnston, Alice McCall, Toni Maticevski (the list is endless).

      How do you think fashion on the Gold Coast has changed in recent years?

      

     The change has been huge. As I mentioned previously, that when I moved to the Gold Coast in the early 90's, the only place for fashion designers seemed to be Marina Mirage but catering mainly for a more mature high end client. Robina Town Centre didn't exist and Myer, Pacific Fair was the only place for younger people to go to get designer labels. I still remember Adrenalin opening and thinking…..YAY FINALLY!!!

Photography by Jeskaa Designs