Runway for Ronald: Q&A with Kathryn Wilson
It’s that time of the year again, the time of the year when we get to see all the latest and greatest sartorial selections hit the runway for the M Factor Fashion Show for 2019.
What attracted you to become involved with Ronald McDonald House?
It’s a cause that is important to me. I remember hearing first-hand about what they’re dealing with in terms of lack of funding and thought ‘how can we help?’
I’ve been an ambassador for Ronald McDonald House Charities for six years, so we align our brand with the house with several events throughout the year. We support the house with proceeds from our public ticketed shows and our head office team recently did a cooking evening for some of the families staying there.
For anyone who hasn’t visited the houses before, it’s quite neat to know you’re always welcome to cook or volunteer there. It was so awesome for our team to see, not just the kids staying in Starship, but the impact for their siblings as well that are living away from their homes.
Once I heard there was the catwalk show, it was an easy decision. I had to be involved.
What are you most looking forward to about the Fashion Show in April?
We don’t often get to do events outside of where we are based. Our head office and retail stores are in Auckland, so it’s amazing to have an opportunity to connect with customers and stockists throughout the country. It’s a really well run event; I’ve worked with Maree from M Factor Events before and she makes it easy for us to be involved because she’s such a professional.
We’re due to have a baby very soon, so I won’t be able to personally attend, but I’ll be there in spirit. It’s great to be able to share our collections on the catwalk and see our products come to life.
You released your Autumn/Winter footwear range last month, can you tell us a bit more about that and where you drew your inspiration from?
The winter collection is a return to the ‘90s, with pointed toes; red and black and white; textured and printed leathers. They’re bold and make the wearer feel super confident and like she can take on the world, whether they’re in the boardroom or at home with two toddlers.
What other exciting things can we expect from the brand this year?
We’ve got Fashion Week in August and our annual Queenstown show, which is in its eighth year in August.
Lola is four now, so she’s going to school soon and we have our new one on the horizon for the family, so it will be challenging times ahead.
Timed in with the arrival of our new baby, we have Baby Wilsons on the cards – a collection of toddler and baby shoes. We’re also moving head office with new space for the team and we’re looking at retail opportunities outside of Auckland, which is all part of our expansion plans for the next five years.
