Designer Profile
The colourful threads that weave the fabric of a fashionable 30 years.
Liz Davenport has been a leading Australian fashion designer, manufacturer and retailer for more than 35 years. One of only five Australian designers to receive the highest fashion accolade - a Grand Award from the Fashion Industries of Australia, Liz Davenport also has an Advance Australia Award for ‘contribution to lifestyle through fashion’ and is the current winner of the Sydney Business Award for ‘outstanding women’s wear’.
Liz Davenport stores are found in some of the most high profile shopping precincts in NSW, Vic, Qld and South Australia.
For almost three decades, Liz Davenport researched, designed and made all her clothes in Australia. Liz finally gave in to the realities of the market place and secured an agreement with an offshore manufacturer to make her clothes. “I still have 100% control of the quality of cut and the fabric but it means we can expand the company internationally with more competitive price points.”
Liz is recognised for her brilliant use of colour. Every collection is underpinned by classic garments in block colours that cleverly coordinate with the prints.
“The use of colour and coordination is born from countless hours of experience, research and experimentation. We have made our name by engineering the right look for the right body shape and for the right lifestyle. I make women feel and look confident.
“Women are often made to feel inadequate or failures because they dare to be bigger than a size 12. The average size of an Australian women is now somewhere between 14 and 16. It’s all about the dynamics of disguise. I enjoy making women who want to, look younger and slimmer. And if you happen to be tall, young and slim then the clothes are made to make you feel good about yourself.
“After years of research on thousands of women including myself (who happens to have a very realistic, curvy figure), we realised that the standard measurements used in the Australian fashion industry are not true to size today. We have re-proportioned our sizes and made them more realistic.”
“Size 14 is both a psychological flashpoint as well as a design one.
“The ‘average’ woman may spend her earlier years as a proportional size 10 or 12, but may well put on weight at the hips and waist but not at the shoulders as she matures. Too often the jacket fits, but not the skirt or pants.
“Despite what most designers appear to do, once you hit size 14 you simply cannot just add a few more centimetres here and there and expect the look to work. It won’t. There are an awful lot of women who have been short changed in the design department,” says Liz.
Liz Davenport uses fabrics that draw on modern technology which means they are low maintenance whilst combining easy-care performance with maximum comfort.
In Liz’s former life as a fashion agent she spent days flying from city to city to attend appointments with clients. Her life today is even more demanding with international trips to source the best fabrics from around the world. The reality of air travel often means long waits at luggage carrousels or even longer waits at the Lost Luggage department.
The ‘Miracle in a Suitcase’ was born of necessity. It incorporates 22 cleverly coordinated trans seasonal garments that can be packed into a cabin sized bag and will make up hundreds of different outfits which can be worn from the beach to the ballroom. “I never wait at carrousels anymore”, says Liz.
Even after 35 years in the business every garment that bears the Liz Davenport label is still meticulously developed by Liz herself but for almost a decade now she has been working in conjunction with two other top Australian designers, her daughters Katie and Jane. Together their designs encompass the original LD philosophy of “Creating garments for every facet of lifestyle” combined with a new generational perspective.
KATIE DAVENPORT
After completing a Law Degree and a Masters in Accounting Katie worked as a solicitor and international tax consultant.
But in 1999 Katie decided to throw out the calculator and plug in the creative juices and started up her own fashion label. A year later, Katie Davenport was recognised for her business acumen and was inducted into the Business Women’s Hall Of Fame.
“I design my clothes intentionally with the idea of dressing up, of looking fabulous and feminine. I want the clothes to go from daytime dressy occasions through to cocktails and weddings and to last the course at the races which may well slip from day into night.
“I exclusively design dresses for the Katie Davenport label but I often break down my collection into pieces, I deconstruct it. I might cut a dress into two and make a camisole top and skirt out of it which fits into Liz’s collection.”
Katie has been enamoured of horse racing all her life and is a well known personality at race tracks around the world. She owns racehorses and likes nothing better than to be at the track at 4am to watch them in training before work begins.
Katie is one of the only fashion designers ever invited by the famous Ritz Hotel in London to present a fashion parade for VIP guests to coincide with the Royal Ascot races.
She has attended some of the most prestigious race meetings in the world including the Dubai World Cup, Royal Ascot, the Irish Derby and the Hong Kong International.
In 2003 Katie was invited back to the United Arab Emirates, this time to host Fashions on the Field at the Dubai World Cup.
Horse racing is no longer a predominantly male domain, almost 50% of racegoers at the big carnivals are women and as much attention is paid to the fashion as it is to the horses. Katie is now a regular host and MC of racing events around Australia as well as being a frequent TV and radio ‘racing and fashion expert’. She is author of the book “Showpony – a girl’s guide to going to the races” and is a much sought after commentator having featured in the racing magazine Turf Monthly, the Hong Kong Tatler, Vogue Australia, New Woman and the Sydney Turf Club magazines amongst others.
JANE DAVENPORT
Jane Davenport is a multi award winning photographer and artist as well as being a designer with Liz Davenport.
Jane's small, tightly edited fashion collections have a cult following of their own.
"I believe that beauty captures the eye but it's personality that wins the heart and this drives me to find new ways to pour a little charisma into each of my designs. My aim with design, whether it be for fashion or anything else I’m working on, is to it imbue it with charm, so that it virtually calls out to just the right person. I like to think of my designs being given good homes, where they are loved and treated as favourites, " says Jane.
Jane is currently working with leading textile technologists to bring her artwork even more into her fashion range. "Eventually I will be able to create limited edition design pieces to be collected, just as I have with my photographic work," says Jane.
Jane’s designs have a unique flavour and give the LD collection a different look when they are mixed together. “I don't specifically think of Liz's designs when I create my own, but I have a thorough knowledge of the label's history and spent many years involved in the business before I started my life as an artist, so I understand and respect it,” says Jane.
In January 2008 Jane Davenport opened 'The Institute of Cute' in the heart of Byron Bay, NSW. It is equal parts gallery for her internationally recognised photographic artwork, gift store for her beautiful stationery, library for the five books she has produced and boutique for her fashion label.