How a mom-and-daughter team hitched their star to designer Gert-Johan Coetzee’s turbo-charged wagon
When Alberton businesswoman Lorraine Sutherland planned the curriculum for her new modern-day finishing school, she saw a gap in the fashion market, and while brainstorming with her lawyer daughter Tiffiny, she struck on a lucrative idea… why not get a big-name designer involved? Fast-forward 10 months, and the bright mom-and-daughter team are collaborating with one of SA’s hottest designers, Gert-Johan Coetzee, and have created an exclusive range of clothes for the working woman. Their label, Vintage Closet by Gert-Johan Coetzee, has quietly made an entrance on the rails as part of Edgars’s exclusive SA Fashion Week Designer Capsule Collection.
What a great story! How did you get to Gert-Johan originally?
We started as a clients of his; Gert designed gowns for us and we really respect his talent and work ethic. Fashion has always been a passion of mine and when I started looking at content for my new Social Edge Modern Day Finishing School, Wardrobe Planning naturally figured as a course I would offer. But if you really want to dress for success, on a regular person’s budget, you battle to find what you need. I spotted the gap so Tiffiny and I started talking about creating our own range of clothes according to our taste – vintage-inspired, ladylike with a twist… clothes that an elegant woman could wear to the office. We have the business and the legal skills between us, but we needed a designer, and of course Gert-Johan was the first one we thought of. So we presented a proposal and he agreed to come on board as creative director!
How do you work together as a mom and daughter – isn’t it complicated?
We tend to talk shop all the time, but that’s the biggest problem! We’re close, we both like a challenge and we approach things similarly so this is a perfect project for us. We get to share the hard work and the worry as much as we share the success. You can’t ask for a better business partner than someone whose judgment you trust who has exactly the same end goals in mind.
How did you feel when you saw the clothes in the shop for the first time?
Wow it was so exciting! We popped into the Melrose Arch store, and as we were admiring the display a customer came and took a dress to go try on… I almost burst from delight. We like to pop by the stores on a busy Saturday and it is very satisfying to see women choose our clothes.
What is your dream for Vintage Closet?
Our dream is for VC to be seen as the go-to brand for elegant working women. And we’d like to see Vintage Closet in stores across the country so that they are accessible to every woman who works. We will soon launch an online store that will also sell the brand. Our winter range is next – we are very excited about that, and later on we hope to develop the brand to include a children’s range, lingerie and accessories.
Where did the idea for The Social Edge finishing school come from? It sounds so quaint in 2014!
It may sound quaint, but good manners, etiquette and knowing how to carry yourself with confidence still set the winners apart from the people who battle to get to the top, in life, as well as in business. Whether you’re an ambassador for your country, your school, your
company or your own brand, you need certain skills which most people aren’t born with but which luckily can be learnt. What we offer is very targeted towards requirements relevant in 2014, that’s why it’s called Social Edge Modern-Day Finishing School … we equip people with the skills to face the challenges of the modern day business environment.
Who are your ideal clients for the Social Edge?
We offer targeted courses for teenagers, for men and for women at all levels, so whether you are a mom who wants to send her daughter to gain sophisticated social skills and etiquette in the digital always-on cellphone age, or a young newly promoted executive who wants his or her boardroom skills polished while learning how to maximize a working wardrobe to dress for success, we have tailor-made packages.
How do we reach Social Edge to find out about what you offer in more detail?
You can find us online at www.socialedge.co.za. I really am passionate about empowering women – we have such an important role to play in keeping our families and communities together, and we need a place where we too can be nurtured and learn from each other. That is why we also launched a networking forum for women called the Elegant Women Women’s Club, which is constantly developing networking opportunities for ambitious women, so that we can make a difference in our communities by pooling resources, sharing learnings and empowering others. Check it out at www.elegantwomensclub.co.za
Vintage Closet by Gert-Johan Coetzee is for sale in Edgars Sandton City and Edgars Melrose Arch, with two more locations planned for 2014
The pink Juliette dress with pussycat bow, by Vintage Closet. Limited stock now available only at Edgars Melrose Arch and Edgars Sandton City. Also in red, black and silver grey.
The Juliette blouse and Gracie skirt by Vintage Closet, limited stock now available at Edgars Melrose Arch and Sandton City. Blouse also available in red, black and silver grey; skirt also in cobalt blue, red and orange.