“I now use the Rachel Mills brand to communicate a different way of working, which prioritises the skills of the people who make it.”
Rachel Mills, an Auckland-based designer was offered the chance to purchase a Mount Eden garment factory. She knew that it would prove difficult. Working alongside her mother, the pair gained insight into the often thankless, arduous work of the ‘skills side’ of the fashion industry.
Putting her eponymous label on a temporary back burner, Rachel spent the next year or so becoming “very familiar with what our machinists (and machines) do well… [we] basically designed a range of individual pieces that work in their favour”.
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The Rachel Mills brand trialled a new way of working, curating a selection of “engineered essentials” that prioritised the training and support of garment workers. Rachel’s in-house label has since expanded its offering of thoughtful wardrobe basics, now available on a weekly pre-order basis. Below, Rachel speaks on the label’s journey so far.
We want to know more about you. What’s your fashion background?
Since I was five years old I’ve been sewing, with the help of my mother who was a teacher. Every day since then I’ve had a project in my head. After studying fashion, I completed a few internships in Auckland. After that, I was offered my first career as a Karen Walker patternmaker.
It was a great place to work for five years. I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with such talented people who are open to learning from each other. As they are an amazing source of information, I spent much of my time asking the machinists how they did things.
I learnt the importance of thorough patternmaking, balancing the machinists’ needs and the quality of each garment… since then, I have worked for different brands around Auckland, either freelance patternmaking, or through the sampling and manufacturing side of our business.
The label was created in how? Let’s talk about how you got started and what the obstacles were.
It was six years ago that I founded the brand. But, my original format is very different from it now. My initial structure was similar to that of fashion companies. I worked to the seasons and tried to get into the wholesale market. Then, I started designing complicated pieces. I thought that’s what you had to do to make it in the industry.
It was difficult to get traction in this industry without a lot of financial backing. I quickly learned the difficulties that came with it. It was hard for a small company to convince manufacturers to prioritize our work, and get us into stores. [pay] Our deadlines were met. It just wasn’t working, and as a result, I was needing to juggle contract pattern-making work for other brands on the side.
Three years ago, I was offered the chance to purchase a garment manufacturing plant. Many of my clients who were pattern-makers had difficulty finding sample machinists. I was aware that there was a demand and the factory was performing poorly. What I didn’t know was how much of an uphill battle it would be to get the factory running smoothly.
The factory had operated with such low margins that it was challenging after challenge. I had to drop the brand completely for at least the first year… the initial lockdown in 2020, when we had to close the factory completely, was the first chance I got to take a step back.
… This was when I really started revisiting the brand again, but in a completely different way. The brand started to offer made-to order pieces.
Was this what you wanted to do with the project in the first place? What has the project evolved into and how do you want to convey this through your brand?
My initial vision for the brand was different from what I have now. My experience in the fashion industry has taught me a lot about what I saw. [does and] doesn’t work. I saw a very one-sided relationship between brand and manufacturer… a lot of the pressure is placed on manufacturers.
This part of the business is a delicate one. Accepting the wrong job can have serious consequences. So much of it is outside of the manufacturer’s control yet they have to wear the costs. With the RM label, I elevated this concept to a whole new level. The way garments are made was something I changed my perspective on.
…Over the course of two years, I became very familiar with what our machinists (and machines) do well and basically designed a range of individual pieces that work in their favour. As a way of bringing positivity and growth to our garment factory, we now use the RM name.
I know there are much bigger issues in the world than the depletion of an industry, but the way I see it, the alternative isn’t currently ethical enough to become a replacement for our local industry. Rachel Mills is my brand, and it communicates a new way to work that values the talent of people.
How would you describe Rachel Mills to someone who’s never seen it before?
Engineered basics. A uniform for every day. These are your everyday pieces that you will reach for over and over again.
Which of your labels are you proudest?
One obvious answer could be the number of events, exposures or clothes we’ve worn. But to be honest, I am most proud of the ‘package’ of our business as a whole and what we communicate through the RM brand.
… A few years ago, I was [told] that if the one thing your business is counting on to succeed from can be recreated by someone else overnight, then that’s not it. Yes, our garments can be copied, but the approach we take to them, our team and our workroom, the knowledge and passion it has involved to get there… I doubt can be recreated.
Which Australian/NZ designer do you find most interesting right now in fashion?
It is the interesting ideas that get me excited, not the colourful designs. Say if two brands I have followed separately – one because I like their style and another because I like their ethics – form a collaboration to create something even better.
I think this shift in my mindset began when I started to look at fashion as more individual ‘products’, with features and values, than collections. I think it encourages a slower way of consuming, that isn’t based on seasons.
Although not technically fashionable, I believe there’s an intriguing space in this product concept, and brands such as Emma Lewisham and Allbirds are leading the charge.
Is there anything that needs to be done about Australia’s/NZ fashion industry?
To challenge current ways of working, there should be more collaboration among manufacturers, designers and brand representatives. Often the manufacturers’ voices aren’t heard, and if the local manufacturing industries are going to survive, they need to be heard.
Dream Australian/NZ collaborators?
Collaborations with brands that are located offshore would be a great way to get involved. [I want to] You can show them how it is possible for garments to be made locally by taking a completely different approach.
The dream would be to collaborate with a larger fashion brand or retailer, reworking one of their pieces in the way we approach our own… I have a shortlist, but I’m keeping it close for now.
What are you wearing right now in your closet?
I live in our plain camis and bodysuits, as they’re so easy for busy days in the workroom. I also end up wearing many of the brands we use on the CMT part of our business. Wynn Hamlyn Jeans were two sizes too large for me to wear with our bodysuits or camis.
They are a favorite of mine and I wear them three times per week. They are also available in black. If I’m not wearing those, I’ll be in a pair of Pecchenino pants – she is one of our clients who really understands the way we need to be working.
She does great, simple, elastic-waist cotton pants – perfect for a hot summer in the workroom. I am currently a fan of the Margiela ballet flat, RM bodysuit, and baggy pant.
Where can I buy one?
We are the only company that sells our products. We don’t wholesale at this stage, which means we don’t include a wholesale markup in the majority of our pieces, which is why we are able to make our in-house manufacturing achievable at a reasonable price.
Our online store allows you to place your orders. We run weekly pre-orders, which we close every Tuesday night, then spend the next seven days making that week’s orders. Our flagship retail shop, Grey Lynn, has just been opened. It is stocked with samples that our customers can try. We follow the weekly pre-order system.
You can browse the Rachel Mills collection right here.