Introducing The Stolen Girlfriends Club

Stolen Girlfriends Club (SGC) began as an art exhibition.  The exhibition titled, “Stolen Girlfriends Club” consisted of “a collection of acrylic on canvasses” and art pieces, originally taken from the windows of old houses. At the time, SGC’s creators; fostering a desire to create clothes for themselves, were thinking about creating a line.  People who had viewed their exhibit had taken to the name Stolen Girlfriends Club, so it was a no-brainer, that Stolen Girlfriends Club would become the name of their new line. Starting out, none of SGC’s designers had received an education in fashion; two had even struggled as professional surfers for eight years.  However, the desire to learn and work hard was there.

Each SGC collection has been an advancement in the right direction.  To date, this collection is their most complete line and a near perfect example of the type of line they wanted to create.  With their fifth collection titled, “Pretty Vacant”, designers Marc Moore, Luke Harwood, Dan Gosling, and Zan Mirkin have brought “together inspiration from late 70’s punk, Marie Antoinette, Siouxsie & the Banshees and The Human Heart.  In an era when nearly everything has already been done Stolen Girlfriends Club has mixed together a melee of ideas in an attempt to avoid clichés, and has done just the opposite. This collection is bordering on Punk Romanticism and unashamedly celebrates 80’s icons in the form of Safety Pins, Tartan, Lace, Hearts, Faux Fur and Animal Print.”

Q & A: Marc Moore of SGC

If the collection was a song, what song would it be?
Terror! by The Rakes!

If the collection was a person, which descriptive adjectives would you use?
If the collection was a person It’d be a modern day Bunker Spreckles. Rebellious, flamboyant, and fluent in 12 languages (including french).

Stolen Girlfriends Club. What does it mean?
It is what it is to each individual. We find that everyone interprets it in their own way, it’s kinda cool cause people tend to take ownership of something they discover and can they relate to.  Everyone has experienced love and loss of love, happiness and pain, good and bad…if you haven’t then you haven’t lived!

Transitioning from fall to spring, what were your goals?
We are slowly working out what shapes are going well, and what people expect from our brand in terms of aesthetic.  So now we can pretty much run a shape that we always have in a new colour/print and fabric that is suited to the season/climate and the collection theme.  Obviously a Spring collection for us is more about function and flow.   So fabrics have to be natural, and shapes have to be loose and complimenting to the figure.   Pieces need to be able to standalone.  Where as with Winter we have this whole layering look going, the textures are heavier and the silhouettes are totally mixed over fitting (body con) garments with loose layers.

What inspired this collection?
It was a bit of a mix due to the fact that there are 3 ‘cooks in the kitchen’! I would say late 70’s punk, Marie Antoinette, Love/Romance, Barbed Wire & Safety Pins.

What is your favorite piece from the collection?
For the men’s side,  I would say the Leopard Face Shirt.  It’s a bold piece due to the leopard print, and the ruffles but i think it’s completely wearable as it has been overdyed, muting the print.  Oh and the collar is super stiff, i like classic tailored collars that don’t ‘doggy-ear’.  For the girls I would say the God Save The Queen Dress.  This was the key piece of the collection and I think this piece embodies the whole collection theme and spirit.

Have any of the pieces joined your wardrobe early?
Ha ha! I wish.  I did get my hands on the College Dropout Sweatshirt (grey marle crew neck sweater with leopard fleece on the back).   But i was only because it was an ill-fitting first sample that we couldn’t use.  Yes if you see me round i will be the one wearing all the ill-fitting mock up garments!

Do you ever create clothes with yourself in mind and not production?
Every collection we do this. Every piece is designed with atleast one of us in mind.  We have to like the garments we are making otherwise what are we doing this all for?  It can’t just be about making money, there has to be an immense amount of passion involved.  People can sense that when they pick the garment up in store.   Passion & integrity shows, consumers are not dumb.

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London Fashion Week has been moving so slow. I’m internally grateful for the start of New Zealand Fashion Week. The highlight so far has been the fall 2009 collection of Stolen Girlfriends Club.  It is a plaid paradise.  Just when I thought that I could not tolerate one more glimpse of red plaid, here comes this collection.  The runway of torn jeans and flannel is reminiscent of the late style icon Kurt Cobain, but it is made modern by the additions of wide framed waistcoats and blazers. Maybe I’ve been watching way too much of Rachel Zoe on Bravo, but the coats are so ridiculous, I died.  At the moment, I would buy one in a heart beat!

Pictures from Coutorture

I received these images with the spring 2009 clothing collection, but decided to hold off and post them separately.  As you may have noticed, I try to keep posts simple with a specific focus, so it’s easier to take in all the details.

Moving on to the collection, I’m not a wearer of rings, but I do like necklaces, so I was instantly drawn.  I like that the necklaces are simple and understated, yet unique at the same time.  I haven’t been wearing accessories lately, because it has been insanely hot this summer and I’ve been sticking to simple layering, but usually I like to wear necklaces when I’m wearing solids that need a little punch.  I would never advise wearing a necklace with graphic attire as it is too much and will just get washed out.

Click here to view the clothing line.

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Stolen Girlfriends Club (SGC) is on the south hemisphere schedule, so this is the current collection arriving in stores now.  Pieces that grabbed my attention were the hooded button down and jeans featured above.  I have an obsession with hooded button down shirts.  They definitely add a stylish edge when layering and can completely change the mood/direction of an outfit. I also like the wash of the denim.  I’ve been looking for a pair of jeans with a subtle bleaching effect and these definitely fit the bill.

What follows is the SGC official press release that explains the thought process behind the collection.  It’s an interesting read talking about the world, we as people have created and the hypocrisy of businesses claiming to go green.

‘WE ARE ALL ANIMALS’

The sixth collection from pop culture brand Stolen Girlfriends Club, takes its name from a song by The Rakes. Exploring the imperfections of the human race – and the way in which our animalistic nature can surface when left unchecked, resulting in destruction to our fellow man, the environment, and ourselves.

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