Jack Sullivan is not your stereotypical male fashion designer – in fact, this 20-something, straight, ex-ski instructor never imagined that he would be trading the slopes of Canada for a career which incorporates creating his own lace. Jack has not only just launched his Winter 2013 Collection, but has been accepted to take part in the Bridal category at this year’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week!
Jack has been holding Designer Days around the country, and I was lucky enough to meet the man himself at his recent Designer Day in Brisbane. Greeting me with a glass of champagne (could a Saturday morning start any better?), I was welcomed in store and into the beauty of his bridal creations.
Jack says, “I love doing Designer Days. I spend most of my time either in a studio working on gowns or in airports, so doing Designer Days are amazing because you get to see something you designed make someone so happy. It always acts as good motivation when you have been frustratingly and pain stakingly pinning lace to a new design for weeks. Then a few days later, a bride-to-be wears that gown and it brings her (and often her family) to tears, making it all worthwhile.”
“Brides seem to enjoy meeting the person that designed the gown, often getting little bits of information about the gown they might not normally get, whether it be about the lace, or how the gown was cut.” The fact that Jack, along with his mother Wendy Sullivan (award-winning bridal designer and Owner of “Brides Desire” and “Airs and Graces”), create their own lace from scratch is simply impressive. I especially enjoyed getting this background information and an insight into how Jack has interpreted the peplum trend or is embracing styles other than the typical sweetheart neckline.
After years of studying design through Wendy’s guidance, Jack has created his own unique style which reflects a combination of old fashion elegance and modern-day playfulness. “I have been blown away with the response to my latest collection, a few of the most popular gowns were actually inspired by gowns that I did for a competition last year. This next collection that I will be giving a sneak peek to has been inspired by some new laces I have had made. It took a few goes at sampling these laces before I was 100% happy. It is a hard balance between having something cool and different, and having something so crazy, nobody will like it”
Well Jack, I am sure that almost everybody is going to like (love) your new collection!
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