Road To The Runway: Designer Caitlin Snell Reflects On A Change Point Ahead Of ‘The Maiden’ Runway Show

Caitlin Snell is known for her playful and sustainable hair ties. With her debut show ‘The Maiden’, the emerging designer will signal the next steps towards an invested local fashion scene.

Sometimes an accessory from a local designer cements itself as part of the fashion zeitgeist in Aotearoa
New Zealand.

Caitlin Snell’s precise arcs are another.

The designer’s structural and cheerful hair accessories have struck a chord with the New Zealand fashion crowd.

The adornment has been cut into hairstyling everywhere, from the stage at Spark Arena, where American singer-songwriter Wallice donned two cream satin bows with braids, to the crowd at Kahuria: New Zealand Fashion Week 2023. Stockists from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland to Ōtautahi Christchurch have integrated the arches into their offering (perhaps spurred by a corresponding global increase in terms of popularity).

The marching band has kept Caitlin Snell busy. It is also a preparation for her to celebrate a moment of change.

“I want to find the joy in the profession again, because I have made hundreds and hundreds of hair bows. Now I’m really looking forward to taking a new direction in clothing.”

The young designer will mark this new direction tomorrow, with a festive premiere in Auckland. Caitlin Snell will present new pieces at Studio One Toi Tū with the catwalk show and exhibition ‘The Maiden’. The preparation for this moment was motivating and full of anticipation.

“It’s quite an anxious process to put yourself in the foreground. My entire label is done digitally – I think I want to change that, put myself on the map more.”

“The Maiden” will herald a bigger shift in her label’s era. Recently, Caitlin announced that she would be working full-time at her eponymous label, leaving her position as a UX designer at a tech start-up and leaving Auckland.

It’s an exciting and somewhat surprising moment for the emerging designer, who explains that her label started “very accidentally.”

The Caitlin Snell label launched in 2021, when she designed an anti-fog mask cover-up embellished with dramatic bows. The mask, a meeting between function and fashion, attracted interest from people in Pōneke where she was studying fashion design at Massy University (she says her first brush with fashion came at A&P shows in Hawke’s Bay, where she grew up – where as a teenager she presented silk dresses covered in paint).

After university, she would go on to work as a machinist for Auckland-based luxury handbag brand Georgia Jay, using her tertiary education in leatherworking.

Her hair bows were similar to the label’s first design. She found inspiration for the accessory within the confines of her personal style and began producing more as interest grew. She pulled fabric from deadstock, the end of fabric rolls and scraps, and began producing statement hair bows using low-waste patterns.

The marching band grew with several collaborations, while working with other emerging designers such as Grace Ko of Baobei, Chyna-Lily Tjauw Rawlinson from Chills (who will also be showcasing accessories at the show) and more established brands such as Twenty-seven Names. Caitlin attributes the accessory’s popularity to the optimistic feeling it gives the wearer.

She says this keen focus on “divine femininity” will be expanded during her debut runway show. However, she is also excited to show the next step for Caitlin Snell in “The Maiden.”

“I played with draping, there are elements like the bows, but in a new direction. I’m trying to make it less playful and more sexy and wearable for a large number of people.”

Following her move, which takes place four days after the show, she will apply lessons learned to change her business model and welcome loyal Bow wearers to view unique pieces that cannot be replicated.

“I think I want to focus on one-off pieces rather than made-to-order.”

Caitlin Snell’s debut show ‘The Maiden’ kicks off at Studio One Toi Tū on Sunday, November 10 at 11am. Participation is free, standing.

From New Zealand designers to local production.