Helen de Kluiver, the visionary founder of CAES, speaks to us about fashion memories, leather corsets and why one must stay true to themselves.

Suzana Tas: Can you remember your earliest memory of fashion? Helen de Kluiver: When I was a little girl, I used my brother as a mannequin. On weekends I made clothes from crepe paper and he had to try it on or he had to stand really still so I could drape the paper around his body. He was so sweet; he didn’t care. Later, when I started working, I saved for designer clothes or shoes. I still have one favourite pair of Alaia heels that I bought when I was seventeen. But I still wear them. I was already so obsessed by craftsmanship at a young age.

ST: You work with some of the most sustainable approaches to design products for CAES. Is there a technique that you’re particularly drawn to? HK: I think designing in 3D is very interesting. I work closely with a patternmaker, Mathilde, and she makes her patterns in 3D, which is fascinating. The product looks almost real and you can even see the drape of the fabric. In this way you reduce the making of many samples and you therefore use less fabric or yarn. 

ST: Do you have a favourite piece from the CAES collection? Do you remember what was happening around the time you designed it? What you were feeling or thinking? Where do you think it came from? HK: Definitely the leather corset top. I always like to combine opposites with each other – like oversized with slim and bold with straight. I like that the leather top has lines and curves, but the material is tough. And I think I was super happy during that time because I had found a nice alternative to leather, VEGEA, which is characterised by a high content of vegetal, recycled raw materials. And it even looks like real leather. It gives the collection just a little bit more by adding this material.

ST: What thoughts are circulating for you as you continue to grow CAES and develop the brand’s vision HK: That I have to continuously focus on what we want to tell and what we think is important and who fits with the brand. I think it’s very important to stay close to the core; sometimes it’s a challenge, but if you stay close to who you are then it stays real and credible. I believe nowadays a brand is much more than just clothing: it’s also a way of living, a story. So keep it close to yourself – that is my main thought at the moment.

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Belinda Smith, the woman behind ST. ROSE, shares her creative process, thoughts on healing and her most nostalgic fragrance.

Suzana Tas: They say that a sense of smell is closely linked with memory. Is this true for you? Belinda Smith: Scent and memory are so closely entwined and this is because of the brain’s anatomy. Smells take a direct route to the limbic system, including the amygdala and the hippocampus – the regions related to emotion and memory. It’s because these olfactory signals get to the limbic system so quickly that fragrance is truly like armchair travel. So when you smell a bouquet of flowers, fresh cut grass or a passer-by’s perfume, suddenly you are swept back to forgotten memories almost instantaneously. 

ST: What does the process of coming up with a fragrance look like for you? BS: Each of our fragrances start from something I am inspired by and also something I am craving to wear personally. The concepts and creation process varies but always starts from a personal experience – travel, art, being in nature. ST. ROSE partners with one of the best fragrance houses in the world, so we truly have the most incredible perfumers behind our collection. 

I’ve always been highly visual, so prior to presenting a creative brief for a new project, I love working through mood boarding with images, colours and textures that shape the idea of this scent I have in my mind. I also love to work with music by creating a playlist to help articulate the mood and energy of the composition’s essence. It’s always a really collaborative process – sharing inspiration and allowing the masters to compose the notes that will ultimately become the final fragrance. As a clean brand, with sustainability and transparency at the heart of the creation process, there is always a big discussion around ingredients – where they are sourced and ensuring that they are gentle to both people and planet. 

In the end, the true journey begins when someone falls in love with a fragrance from our collection and forms their own connection to it. That is truly the most rewarding part of this experience.

ST: How do you think forming a closer relationship with Mother Earth and her medicine helps us to reconnect with our inner power? BS: I feel most at peace in nature. Whether that is swimming in the ocean or walking through a forest. But nature as medicine is far from a novel idea. The sensorial artform of perfumery dates back all the way to the Ancient Egyptians, where their uses extended beyond cosmetic indulgence and into the mystical and spiritual realms. From rose to frankincense to sandalwood, the Earth’s elements have been used across cultures in medical, ceremonial and spiritual uses for millennia. The Latin meaning of the word ‘perfuma’ means ‘by smoke’ and was originally applied to the burning of incense, sacred herbs, resins or wood.  In fact, for over 40,000 years, the First People of Australia have used sandalwood – burning the aromatic wood in sacred rituals as a way to protect mind, body and soul.

We include sandalwood exclusively from our sandalwood provider in Western Australia, which is fifty per cent Indigenous owned, in each of our fragrances as a way to distil this beautiful philosophy into one’s daily ritual. A simple but powerful way to connect self with nature.

ST: What advice would you give to someone trying to navigate their own path to healing? BS: Be gentle with yourself. Being mindful about what you are nourishing your mind, body and soul with. In today’s hectic and fast-paced world, where we often find ourselves exhausted from too little sleep, too much stress and far too much screen time, finding daily rituals to ground and recenter us brings an immediate boost – even simple ones like going on a morning walk, cooking a healthy meal, taking a bath or spiritizing on a fragrance to uplift your mood.

ST: What lessons have you learnt as makers? And how do you keep trusting your instincts? K&L: So far, our instincts have not led us astray. As artisans and creators, we made a conscious decision to champion the savoir-faire and craftsmanship of traditional cold process soapmaking (the first bar of soap is reported to have been made by the Mesopotamians and Egyptians dating to 2800 BCE). This, however, translates to production being a more costly and time consuming process for us. This is reflected in the quality of our products and we have learnt that our consumers value and appreciate this. We have also collaborated with wonderful creatives globally who share and understand the ORRIS ethos and aesthetic. Many of these partnerships have been born out of serendipity, chance encounters and following our own instinct.  

ST: Who inspires you right now? K&L: We are currently loving the rebrand of Chloé, under the new creative direction of Uruguayan designer Gabriela Hearst. Her principle of “luxury with a conscience” and being attentive to tradition and fine craftsmanship really resonates with us. And, of course, the ultimate source of our inspiration has always been Nature herself: the smells, sounds, colours and textures are a constant source of inspiration for us and for ORRIS. 

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I was drawn to Fourth St immediately for its sensibility and the way it celebrates the old and new. Here, its founder Rukaiya Daud and I speak about our shared appreciation for the artisan made, the fun of candlelit dinners and the sorts of things we can do to curb climate change.

ST: How does the past and the present influence your designs? And what’s your process around materials? I know the interaction of contrasting textures is important to you. RD: The interaction of materials, textures, shapes, colours and people is what it’s all about. I’m always observing shapes and forms and referencing colour combinations—whether it’s a chic older woman I spot on a walk, a detail on an art deco home or an antique. At the end of the day, what you bring into your home should be a celebration of what makes you happy. Outside of necessity, people will buy what they’re drawn to—something that sparks some sort of feeling or desire. 

With Fourth St there’s an underlying theme of playfulness: candlesticks remind us that every dinner can be a candlelit dinner if you just light the candles, playing cards are to be enjoyed with friends and sarongs are something to keep on hand year round for a mood-lifting pop of colour.

ST: Where did the name Fourth St come from? RD: Coming up with a name was such a task. In the end, Fourth St resonated the most. It’s a street in the East Village where I spent most of my time while living in New York with my dearest friend. Fourth St is where I felt most at ‘home’.