New look keeps Chinese flavor subtle, elegant

[Photo provided To China Daily]

"Kym Ellery is very talented in the way she sculpts and creates volume," says Kelly Wong, general merchandise manager at Lane Crawford. "She knows how to create wearable but dramatic clothes which women love. We also love how she plays with contrasts of different fabrics with layering and the idea of masculinity and femininity."

"It is amazing to see how she has incorporated what she has seen on the trip and what is dear to her heart into her capsule collection," Wong adds.

Born and raised in Perth, among the most geographically isolated cities in the world, Ellery recalls there was not much to watch on TV except two news stations.

So she spent much of her time learning and practicing art with her mother, who taught her to sew when Ellery was 8.

"I loved it. I always wanted to create and make clothes," she says.

After acquiring a certificate in fashion design in Perth, Ellery went to Central Saint Martins in London to study fashion illustration and sketchbook building.

At the same time, she was offered a job as a fashion editor at the Australian fashion magazine Russh. After finishing her summer school in Central Saint Martins, she went back to Australia to work for Russh, which introduced her to the fashion industry.

After two years at the magazine, she started preparing for her own brand. For the next two years, she had to work full time at the magazine and part time after hours for her own brand. A typical day would start from 8 am and last until 2 or 3 am.

Ellery says she was lucky to be young then.

With an emphasis on tailoring and fabrics, Ellery has not only dressed the elite Australian women, but also international superstars like Madonna and Gisele Bundchen. Her work has been featured in Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.

While Ellery often designs what she personally would like to wear, she says she is also looking to dress more women.

"I always want specific things and there are many women out there that I want to dress. Sometimes I think about what I want to wear, but I also have to think of other women as the muse to my collection."

Ellery will show her next collection at this year's Paris Fashion Week on Oct 6.