A luxe local label: Q&A with Sarah Harris Gould
The Harris Tapper brand was most recently in Paris at Fashion Week. Now it’s hitting Christchurch where you’ll find this luxe label at The Contemporary Lounge at Ballantynes. Metropol caught up with Co-Founder and Director Sarah Harris Gould.
Can you tell us a bit about the story behind the Harris Tapper brand?
I have had over 10 years experience in the industry working across buying, marketing and brand management in London for Urban Outfitters and in New Zealand for Topshop Topman. Lauren, my business partner, has worked in retail across top NZ brands and more recently in PR managing the account for Topshop Topman, which is how we met. We started to notice a gap in the market. We wanted to go against industry norms and create a brand with a ‘see-now buy-now’ business model. It was important to us that our brand was inclusive and all about celebrating strong, independent women.
Who is the Harris Tapper woman?
I suppose she’s globally aware and respected in her field, whatever that may be. The Harris Tapper woman is intelligent, inclusive, refined and independent. She leads a fast-paced, experiential life and isn’t afraid to push boundaries. She recognises quality and knows what she wants. She commands respect through what she stands for and what she achieves but she also instills this in others.
What’s your design philosophy?
We try to keep all of our designs uncomplicated. We want everything to be wearable, with an easy elegance. We have a strong idea of who our woman is so we design around her and what we believe she would want in her wardrobe.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Our main source of inspiration would have to be from other women. We try to surround ourselves with inspiring women and this really plays into our designs. What does she read? What are her values? What does she do? Where does she eat?
What does the rest of 2019 have in store for you?
Lauren will be taking our next collection over to Paris in June; I will be at home having a baby! This will be our second time this year in Paris. Our long-term goal is to become a global brand and use that platform to create a strong community and shine a light on women who inspire and uplift one another.
