Lizzie Renkert rose in the publishing ranks to become editor of madison in 2010 until the mag’s closure in 2013. A year later, Renkert turned her creative talents to fashion and joined forces with sibling Georgie to form the We Are Kindred label.
The bohemian fashion brand just made its MBFWA debut - but not without help, - partnering with VS Sassoon for the show. “It’s a perfect fit,” says hair stylist Travis Balcke, going on to add: "Both brands are effortlessly beautiful and the VS tools are the best way to create natural fashion looks to complement We Are Kindred’s style and brand. We Are Kindred is about embracing individual beauty and style and VS tools allow women to do this with their hair.”
It’s a partnership that made backstage life easier for Balcke, who comments on his love of the hair brand: "Using tools for a runway show is about having the ability to create the same type of look on many different hair types. The Diamond Waves, Goddess steam straightener and 3Q hair dryer [all used during the We Are Kindred show] are perfect tools for all hair types. The ability to create a long- lasting look that will hold up backstage and on the runway is key. I feel so confident with my tool kit.”
Following the We Are Kindred MBFWA debut and VS Sassoon collaboration, BD talks to Renkert about life after magazines, her latest creative endeavour, and working with a global hair powerhouse:
It's been three years since madison closed down. What have you been up to since your departure from the magazine?
I can’t believe it’s been three years. It feels like a lifetime ago. I spent the first year finding my feet and having our second child, Max. I worked on a number of projects and then just over two years ago my sister Georgie and I launched [fashion label] We Are Kindred.
What inspired your move into fashion?
This isn’t something I thought I’d ever do, but Georgie inspired me to go into business together and it’s the best decision we ever made.
Do you feel your experience in publishing has helped in working in the fashion industry?
Absolutely. Publishing is cut-throat, as is fashion. The fact that I have 18 years’ media experience and Georgie’s background is in fashion design and production has really helped us navigate our way through. But there’s also a lot you can’t know until you have your own business, so we’re on a constant learning curve.
How do you find the publishing and fashion industries differ?
I worked in fashion magazines, so fashion has always been a big part of my life and career. Both industries are essentially about reading the mindset of your audience or customer and tailoring a product that they want, need and ultimately, love.
Do you believe your work in publishing helps or hinders when it comes to marketing the brand?
This is a tricky one. I don’t think we’ve been given any special treatment because of my background in magazines. If anything, we’ve had to prove ourselves a bit more because I’m sure people in media didn’t think I had the right background to do this. They didn’t know that my secret weapon is my ever-talented sister, Georgie. Having said that, a pretty loyal madison following moved with me from mags to Kindred, which has been lovely.
Are you excited about taking part in MBFWA?
Beyond excited. It’s so much work, but I’m confident it will be worth it. Our collection is beautiful and I’m incredibly proud of Georgie and our team.
Why did you decide this was a good move for the brand?
It’s the right time for us. We launched Kindred just over two years ago and we’ve been finding out feet, working out who the Kindred girl is and what she wants from us. Fashion week is a way for us to showcase what we’re really about – our aesthetic is beautiful and sexy and this is how the Kindred girl likes to look and feel when she’s wearing our designs.
You've partnered with VS Sassoon for MBFWA. How did this collaboration come about?
is such an iconic hair brand and we are thrilled to be working with them. The hair director for our show, Travis Balcke, loves VS Sassoon tools so it’s a perfect fit.
How do you choose which brands to partner with for a big event like this?
We’re quite strategic and we want to make sure the brands we partner with are like-minded and will relate well with our customer. We have some incredible brand partners on board for MBFWA and our relationship with VS Sassoon will extend beyond our show. We’ll be collaborating with them for all of our look book shoots for the next 12 months, as well as sharing exclusive content with their customers.
Can you tell me about the hair look for the We Are Kindred show?
The We Are Kindred girl has an ease about her, so hair for our show will be quite natural. Our models will wear their hair as it is naturally – if she has a fringe or curls or a blunt bob, that will remain. “Undone” hair is actually really difficult to create – there’s a cool factor about it that I think women will love.
What was the inspiration behind the hair?
Our collection is called Stealing Beauty, as we were inspired by the ‘90s film and Liv Tyler is one of Kindred’s muses. Liv is the epitome of the “sexy, pretty” Kindred girl and her hair is natural and beautiful.
Once MBFWA is over, will you be focusing solely on fashion or will you be looking to juggle both fashion and publishing?
My focus is on We Are Kindred. I occasionally consult for media brands and twice a year I edit Chadstone’s Fashion Capital magazine, which gives me my fashion mag fix, but Kindred is what I’m committed to.
Do you have any plans to move back to publishing full-time in the future?
No. After madison closed I definitely wanted to, but the right role didn’t arise and I’m a firm believer that these things happen for a reason. I genuinely love what we’re doing at We Are Kindred and I adore working with my sister. I’m also very lucky that working for myself gives me complete flexibility when it comes to raising a young family and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
