Equilibrium: A Modern Twist on Timeless Textiles
Image credit: Equilibrium
Olivia Ferguson is a fashion designer in Pōneke who refashions vintage lace, doilies and secondhand textiles. We met six years ago as fashion students at Massey University. Olivia started her label, Equilibrium, which centres on sustainability and sharing by allowing customers to buy and rent garments from the website. Her aesthetic is a whimsical and contemporary take on a woodland fairy with hints of art nouveau.
Olivia’s Pōneke-based studio is one of many at Punaka Collective on Blair Street. The collective houses a multidisciplinary group of artists, from photographers to graphic and fashion designers to fine artists. Together, they’ve created a community that fosters the craft of each resident and builds camaraderie in the often inaccessible arts industry.
Her new collection, “The Dress Up Box,” will be showcased on November 23rd with her first-ever solo theatrical runway show one floor below the Punaka studios. I spoke to her about the challenges of being a young designer and what it means to express yourself through creative play.
Let’s go back to the start; how did you find yourself being a designer?
I’ve wanted to do fashion from a young age. I had a Klutz “paper fashions” craft book where you could cut out different papers and make your own little wardrobe. My grandad made me a little shoebox wardrobe to hang them all in.
I always loved doing that and drawing designs. I grew up sewing with my great Aunt Yiayia, who’s into quilting. My first project was with her; I dreamed of a rainbow dress based on a book I read, and she helped me find a pattern and fabric to materialise it.
My mum also sews, so I’ve always been around it—she made her wedding dress with her friend Audrey, who also went to Massey.
I took a materials class in high school, where you learn to sew and make simple garments. This solidified my passion for the art form. When I left high school, I had two gap years travelling around Europe and learning more about myself. At university, I started in spatial design but quickly changed to fashion. That’s my journey with fashion so far; it is something I’ve always loved and dreamed about.
I think it’s fun when you talk to any of our classmates; they all had an instinctive foresight from a young age that this is what they wanted to do.
Yeah, it’s something we all feel very strongly about, though I know it’s not necessarily financially viable, haha.
Let’s talk about that. In a time like this, what was the process of starting up your business?
I’ve always been business-inclined, but in saying that, it doesn’t mean I have particular skills. I had to write a business plan. It was the worst thing I had ever written. There’s a question about what type of products you sell, and it’s like there are multiple garments, and it is constantly changing! There’s not one way things happen with the variety of secondhand materials I work with.
I still don’t know what I’m attempting to put together. I have goals to live overseas and be flexible. I haven’t prioritised profitability as my focus has been on play. Through doing one-off garments, I’m kind of saying ‘fuck you’ to the traditional business model. But as I go on, I’m having to start reconsidering this.
I’d love to start bringing in more commercially viable pieces, but it gets repetitive, which isn’t why I create. I have two commercial products: the Bodega Bags sold in Dirty Laundry in Pōneke and my Bow Tote bags. But retail is really bad now, so I’m not making any money there. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t work part-time and receive income support.
Having a dedicated space to create from was a huge help. I messaged A.J. Hope, the founder of Punaka Collective, who was putting out ads for these studio spaces. He showed me around, and we picked one immediately. I was lucky because it was cheap at the time A.J. was setting it up, and I got in quickly.
I’m curious to know how you would describe your style to someone who doesn’t know your label.
I hate this question because I don’t know how to answer it. I was asked this on my date last night and on the plane.
The first thing that comes to mind is the material choice; I use a lot of secondhand material (not exclusively). I wonder, what amazing thing can I make out of this tiny piece? And being given lace and doilies from family members, I ask, what the hell I do with these? They’re kind of fugly, haha—I mean, they’re beautiful, but they are old-fashioned and carry a strong aesthetic. I’ve felt a very strong aversion to that, so I’ve pushed myself to make them desirable. I don’t know if that’s always nailed, but I think a lot of the pieces are cool. I love working with denim and silks, too.
How does beauty and the creation of shapes manifest your pieces?
I looked at geometric shapes and how they translate on the body for my graduate collection. I worked with deadstock silk chiffon, doilies, and repurposed homeware. A lot of them were originally from my Granny, but she was reluctant for me to cut them up. So, it has always been at the back of my mind when I receive secondhand goods: how do I preserve the vintage sentiments and history without cutting or destroying the original piece? Often, I will use a whole round doily or a square piece of fabric to create the dress and connect the shapes. It’s a lot of play, connecting edges by hand sewing and draping the pieces to mould to the body—I think that’s where the most delight in garments can be found.
Doily scan by Olivia Ferguson
It’s impressive! Anyone who sews knows that trying to fit a circle on the body can be hard. It’s a practical approach. The most creative people can make things from whatever is in front of them and be resourceful.
Tell me about your upcoming show on November 23rd and why this is important to you.
The show is about me wanting a project to give myself a purpose after university. Collaborating with photographers, models, makeup artists, producers, musicians, and now an audience is fun and an aspect I haven’t worked with before.
The collection is about childhood nostalgia and play. I want to remind people of the fun in dressing and play, and not take themselves too seriously, to remember the childhood innocence towards clothes and not caring so much about how you are being perceived. I try to emulate certain aesthetics or decades when I get dressed, usually just a point of reference. Some days, I dress like Fred Jones at work and others, I look like a skater boy.
There are times it feels like there’s not enough substance to my collection theme, but I know for me, the act of dress is very intentional and I want to encourage people to appreciate their clothes.
Textile knowledge is very specific. We have to think about the skin, so a lot of thought goes into how it feels physically and how it is perceived. Fast fashion has diluted what it means to design intentionally, so what you do is important.
Thank you! Yes, it really is its own little world of making. Designers are dreamers; they can conceptualise and execute a project using their knowledge of pattern making, fit, and cloth.
Do you think fashion education is important?
I found university hugely valuable and did technology in high school, too. It exposes you to a motivating environment that makes you think critically about what you’re making.
No one else in our class has pursued this, which I think speaks volumes about your bravery.
I don’t see myself as brave. I mean, it’s not a financially smart thing to do, but I’m in my early twenties. As an adult, I have so few responsibilities. So, I thought now was the time to give it a go. The thing is, I don’t have all the answers, and if I look back in two or three years, there would be things I already know I would do differently. My last collection was a springboard for this collection; because I don’t like ‘XYZ’ now, I can make tweaks. I just wanna make it; it’s my biggest thing.
You don’t know what you’re doing, but you’re doing this because it makes you happy—I would consider that brave. Most people don’t pursue the thing they love from childhood to university and continue after education ends. And you’ve been running Equilibrium for two years.
If I were more business savvy, Equilibrium might be more financially successful, but that has never motivated me, and it speaks to my privilege. Fashion design is an expensive art, making the thing you love so much harder to pursue. I’m grateful for where I am and the support around me.
What would be the ideal situation for your job and this label?
If I could make this label full-time and sustainable financially and environmentally, that would be my ideal. I would love to employ a team where we get to make things we love whilst sticking to core values. I want to continue to give useless things purpose again and not add to the waste we already produce. I would like to have a business like early Marine Serre, which started only working with second-hand materials, and eventually have my own studio.
Being around other emerging creatives is super important right now—we’re all on similar journeys. Punaka Collective has many art graduates, and most view Punaka as a family. There’s always someone around to lunch with, and we check in on each other.
Images provided by Equilibrium.