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BUSINESS CHICKS latte magazine

MY WAY

Top of Fashion Hill

ith her soft green eyes complementing the elaborate
satin and tulle creation from her upcoming couture
collection, iconic Australian fashion designer, Alan-

nah Hill, evokes free-spirited women worldwide.

"You know, I could happily stare aimlessly out of my ho-

tel window, watching the city lights while bathing in a tub of
Chanel Mademoiselle and eating raspberries," explains Hill. "I
was never really gob smacked about being a fashion designer.
More than anything, I wanted to be successful a little star."

It's been almost a decade now since Alannah conquered

Australian fashion. It began when she was named in the fi rst
David Jones designer family. "It was one of my fi nest hours
when I received that fi rst wholesale order from David Jones."
Hill refl ects. "David Jones has been a wonderfully fostering
infl uence throughout the past ten years." Today she directs
a phenomenally successful retail empire and is a recognised
Australian fashion industry spokesperson. An unusually sensi-
tive Arian with a devilishly fi ery underbelly, Alannah meticu-
lously studies the catwalks of Paris and Milan each year so as
to continually evolve her eponymous label.

"From inception, my design process is always completely

chaotic," Hill explains. "I fret, I paw over magazines, and I
contemplate the symmetry and form of the beautiful girls
within them. I travel relentlessly around the world. I love ob-
scure vintage stores and antique markets and I would travel
almost anywhere if it proved a valuable source of inspiration,"
she proclaims. "It's utterly exhausting but somehow I manage,
and surprise myself as well."

On the eve of executing the next instalment of her photo-

graphic shoots for The Ice Maiden's Fairground collection,
Alannah muses about embracing new avenues of curiosity.
"It's an exciting time for Australian fashion," she predicts.
"There are so many windows of opportunity opening up on
an international scale for Australian designers and Australians
in general."

In the last two years Hill has opened three new stores and

has 13 concession stores within David Jones. "With the re-
furbishment of four of my existing stores within the next six
months and a move into my new and beautifully appointed
1000sq metre head-offi ce, things are looking good." Hill adds
following with "My sales have maintained a steady quarter and
my accessories are up 50% on last year. You have to keep
dreaming, you could be dead tomorrow."

Despite the all pervading talk of a global fi nancial crisis,

Hill remains upbeat and optimistic about her business and
the coming years. "I keep waiting for the unexpected losses
that the media seem to be speaking of. My business partner
has told me for years that there's a recession expected and so
we've always planned ahead, it's the only wise move one can
make in fashion. People are looking for an escape from the
negativity so I've designed a collection more elaborate and
beautiful than before."

In a fi ckle fashion landscape and a newly conservative econ-

omy Hill explains "I try to give girls hope, from my fashion
shows to my stores and the elegant fashion assistants who
inhabit my stores, the imagery as a whole is a fantasy of sorts.
Fantasy and hope keep one living, without these two factors
your own life can cease to exist."

Contemplating her achievements so far, Alannah Hill speaks candidly

about her career and reflects on her 10-year seduction of Australian fashion.