Make fashion fun

Helping people with their fashion choices takes Christchurch stylist Lou Heller all around New Zealand. She talks to Céline Gibson about how and why fashion fills such an important role in her life.

 

hen Lou Heller was a little girl, her favourite item of clothing was a white dress patterned with strawberries. “I loved wearing it because it made me feel like the real me.”

The youngest of four children and raised on a Taranaki farm, Lou always felt there was something beckoning beyond the farm gate.

“Whenever I wore that dress, I wanted to keep chasing whatever was out there waiting for me. It made me feel a certain way – a sense of freedom within, even at a young age.”

English, art and music were among Lou’s favourites at school, although she struggled with some of the more mainstream subjects.

“I was made to feel bad about that, and if you’re considered not good enough at the foundation things society dictates that we should be good at, then how do you discover what you might be good at?”

Lou worked in the local floristry industry on leaving school then headed to Christchurch to study interior design, supplemented by part-time florist work.
Around the same time, Lou married and began a family. “Working my floristry business, Bloom, from home provided that creativity I craved.”

After a decade of doing flowers for weddings and events, as well as wedding styling, Lou decided it was time to follow her dream. She and a friend launched Mrs Smith Loves, an online-only clothes boutique in 2012.

“We had Australian labels, such as Camilla & Marc, and Zimmermann, labels only known in editorial pieces but not readily available here at the time.”

Post-earthquake upheavals and having a new baby saw Lou reluctantly close the business to become a fashion buyer then a fashion writer.

These latter two roles brought home to Lou that there was a growing need to educate women in their choosing and buying of clothes.

“I saw women buying clothes, but not wearing them. It wasn’t about the clothes; there was something else triggering this shopping pattern. Over time, I came to have a deeper understanding of what was going on underneath.”

Just over two years ago, Lou began travelling nationwide for her work. Separated from her husband, and with shared custody arrangements, this allowed her more freedom to travel when she needed to.

“Social media took off. People began noticing that I was traversing the country helping sort clients’ wardrobes.”

The publicity even aroused interest from Australia. “I was working in stores over there recently with Kiwi clients and they said they’d never seen anyone work like me before.”

Lou talks of her downloadable programme, Your Style Journal, which comprises six step-by-step modules.

“Your Style Journal is about being your own style architect, and clients learn how to be exactly that from working through all of the modules. It also creates a safe space for everyone to get in there and support each other.”

Future plans will see Lou’s business continue, but with a more passive element to it. “My online presence is gaining momentum and its positive feedback underscores I am on the right track.

“I intend doing more collaborations with designers and brands. Your Style Journal will remain, as it has proved to be one of the strongest tools in the toolbox for change,” she adds.