DESIGNER KACEY DEVLIN INTERVIEWS FOUNDER ALEXANDRA BROWN
FASHION DESIGNER KACEY DEVLIN WAS FIRST INTRODUCED TO MS BROWN, LIKE SO MANY OTHERS, VIA INSTAGRAM AND WAS QUICK TO PLACE AN ORDER. AFTER USING THE MS BROWN DELICATE WASH ON HER COLLECTION - KACEY LET US (AND EVERYONE ELSE SHE KNOWS, APPARENTLY!) KNOW HOW IMPRESSED SHE WAS WITH THE PRODUCT AND WAS KIND ENOUGH TO REQUEST AN INTERVIEW WITH MS BROWN FOUNDER, ALEXANDRA BROWN.
By Kelly Muller.
AS YOU WILL KNOW BY NOW, KACEY DEVLIN IS COMMITTED TO BRINGING YOU LUXURY GARMENTS THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME. HOWEVER, WHAT’S ALSO IMPORTANT TO US IS THE PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION OF THE WORLD WE LIVE IN AND SUSTAINABILITY IS SO IMPORTANT TO US - WHICH IS WHY WE WERE SO EXCITED WHEN MS BROWN CAME INTO OUR LIVES.
Not only does Ms BROWN allow our customers to preserve the life of their KD garments, it’s a conscious, organic and locally owned brand founded and run by an inspiring Australian businesswoman. Introducing Alexandra Brown of Ms BROWN…
KD: Can you tell us what led to the formation of Ms BROWN?
I spent the first 15 years of my life living on a merino sheep farm on Kangaroo Island that was passed down from one generation to the next – so was brought up with an appreciation of natural fibres and an inherent awareness of sustainability and treading lightly.
After university, my career was in fashion magazines and while there, I realised there wasn’t an all-natural, Australian-made laundry wash that was as special as the clothes I wanted to wash with it. So, I left my job and launched Ms BROWN.
KD: Are the scents as important as the formulations? How do you decide what to use?
I couldn’t say one was more important than the other, as they are both so essential to the end product. With each new product, I work on both elements side by side – while we’re sourcing the best natural and organic ingredients (from Australia as much as possible, as well as overseas) and perfecting the formula by testing countless versions over and over again – we’re also blending and experimenting with pure essential oils to decide what the fragrance will be. These are always tough decisions to make and I’ll consult quite a few different people along the way but ultimately, I’ve found it’s best to trust my instincts and go with what I love most.
KD: At Kacey Devlin, we are committed to leaving a lighter footprint on the planet, and we know this is important to you too. What do you do as a company to support this?
Leaving a lighter footprint is so important to Ms BROWN and the focus behind every decision we make. One of the most impactful ways we do this is the fact that all our products are 100% biodegradable. All our ingredients are certified organic or natural meaning less pesticides and chemicals used on the farms that create them, and we don’t send any toxic ingredients into our waterways. In fact, you can use the water from washing with Ms BROWN to water your garden afterwards!
Our garment care products also offer an all-natural and safe alternative to dry cleaning reducing the environment’s exposure to the toxic chemicals used at the dry cleaner.
All Ms BROWN products are made in Australia in an effort to reducing our carbon footprint. We use as little packaging as possible and all our cardboard and paper packaging is recycled and our bottles are fully recyclable. We send 95% of our online orders with carbon-neutral couriers.
Plus, our products are cruelty free and vegan – we don’t test on animals.
We’re also working on a way for our customers to return empty bottles to us so they can be re-used.
In our studio we have our reusable cups for afternoon chai tea (I don’t drink coffee!), buy lunch from cafes with biodegradable packaging, say no to single use cutlery, never buy bottled water, print documents only when absolutely necessary, use recycled paper and recycle all waste… We’re by no means perfect – perfect would be packing an organic lunch from home in a glass container and never printing a single document – but it’s something we really try to be conscious of improving on every single day. Personally, I also take my basket everywhere so I can say no to plastic bags – being from South Australia where plastic bags have been banned for nine years – it astounds me that this is only just coming into action here in NSW.
KD: who and what are you inspired by?
Being in nature is when I feel my most relaxed which in turn leads to greater inspiration - so escaping the city or just heading to the beach or a park really helps. I’ll always love fashion and am drawn to classic and minimalist designs yet with interesting and often sculptural details from designers like Celine, (Kacey Devlin of course!) Albus Lumen, The Row, Ellery and recently Nehera. Favourite fashion and interior magazines are Vogue (of course) Unconditional, US Architectural Digest and British House and Garden. Before Ms BROWN one of my roles was as an arts writer and theatre, opera, ballet and visual art provide constant sources of inspiration. At the moment I love everything by Michaye Boulter and I have my eye on a work by Danica Firulovic. Pinterest is a great place to get a fix of all of the above!
Read the full interview on kaceydevlin.com.
KACEY DEVLIN is a contemporary womenswear brand designed to elevate the modern woman’s wardrobe. With an emphasis on soft tailoring, fluid fabrications and rich textures, KACEY DEVLIN seamlessly merges the effortless with the brave for a brand that embodies luxury dressing in a wearable way. Proudly Australian made, KACEY DEVLIN consciously works with manufacturers equally committed to leaving a lighter footprint on our planet. KACEY DEVLIN was the Winner of The National Designer of the Year supported by David Jones and Harpers Bazaar 2017, Winner of the BT Emerging Designer of the Year 2017, Finalist for the 'Best New Talent' at the Prix De Marie Claire Awards 2017, Regional Finalist International Woolmark Prize 2016 and Finalist The Australian Fashion Laureate Emerging Designer of the Year 2016.