anna King

Lovingly designed and crafted in New Zealand with an emphasis on natural materials and timeless trans-seasonal style, Anna King is created by Joanna Hockham.

Tell us a little about what you make.

Anna King is a women's clothing brand that is designed and created by myself and made locally in Canterbury, Christchurch. The fabrics I use are chosen because they wear well and are mostly natural fibres. I love the idea of Style over Fashion. Fashion is fast, disposable and a novelty, style is creative and unique.    

What was your creative journey like, what led you to being a designer/maker?

Even when was young I loved fabrics and creating and sewing pieces to wear that were different from what was for sale in the stores. I have been working in the fashion/clothing industry for 25 years and I have always felt that fashion has been mass produced and sometimes poorly made. I wanted to use my creativity and fashion knowledge to create a brand that isn’t fast fashion and that ladies would feel fabulous in.

How would you describe your design aesthetic/identity and where do you find your inspiration?

I wanted to produce garments that were thoughtfully designed and made with fabrics that will wear well and styles that are trans seasonal, garments that can be worn with each other, to create an outfit, also taking into account women’s shapes and sizes. My inspiration defiantly comes from the idea of slow fashion. I like to create pieces that can be worn often, wear well and become wardrobe favourites.

Do you have any advice for other makers and budding creatives?

Always follow your creative passion, if you have a creative soul use it.

What is the best part about being involved in GUILD?

I absolutely love having Anna King Clothing at GUILD, the shop is a fabulous space that has been created by designers for designers. The support that GUILD offers is outstanding, I wish that I lived in Dunedin so I could work in the store!