Nearly 20 years ago, Melbourne woman Jana Kachel was designing children’s wear but had a bigger dream – to move into women’s fashion.
The fashion and textile designer had a vision to create a brand that seamlessly blended art with fashion, drawing inspiration from trips to hidden vintage markets and her own global travels.
“I loved how much fun you could have with colour and prints in children’s wear, and I wanted to bring that same feeling into women’s fashion,” Jana told news.com.au.
And so Kachel, her eponymous fashion label, was born in 2007.
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“I’ve always loved colour, beautiful prints and feminine clothes, so Kachel was a natural progression for me. I wanted to create pieces that had personality and made women feel good wearing them.”
The founder and mother-of-two quickly developed a distinctive style when it comes to dressing women of all ages – ethereal blouses, flowing skirts and flared dresses, all bursting with paisley designs, intricate floral patterns and vivid tie-dye.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a Millennial woman who hasn’t owned at least one Kachel dress over the years, this writer included.
For Jana, the creations are very much an extension of her own personality.
“I’ve always loved colour, beautiful prints and feminine clothes, so Kachel was a natural progression for me,” she said. “I wanted to create pieces that had personality and made women feel good wearing them.”
Born in an era when fashion very much looked like bandage mini dresses, chunky high-waisted belts, bubble hem dresses, slogan tops (logomania was huge!) and skinny-leg jeans, Kachel embodied the very opposite of that – admitting, even as a designer, she’s not one to follow fashion trends.
“I’ve never really been someone who designs just to follow trends. I’ve always preferred to do my own thing and stay true to what I love, and I think that’s given Kachel its own look and feel over the years,” she said.
While there was no ‘hero product’, Jana said she’s always believed in the power of a truly great dress and its ability to make a woman feel wonderful.
“I’ve always loved dresses and prints, and they’ve naturally become a big part of Kachel over the years.
“I love what a great dress can do. You can put it on, feel good and not have to think too much about the rest of your outfit.”
After more than 20 years in the fashion industry – Jana’s children’s clothing label, Jack and Milly, was her first love prior to 2007 – the designer says the industry has changed significantly, and is more competitive than ever.
“It’s definitely become harder. The market is much more competitive, there’s so much choice for customers, and the cost of running a fashion business has increased significantly,” she explained.
“As an Australian label, you’re competing with brands from all over the world, so you really have to understand your customer and give them a reason to buy from you.”
Add to that, cost of living pressures with Aussies under pressure to reduce costs left, right and centre, Jana said that has meant she’s more thoughtful than ever about delivering a product her customers really want.
“It’s a challenging industry, but I still love the design side of it. You just have to be willing to adapt and keep finding ways to move forward.”
She added: “After all these years, I still get excited when a sample comes back and it looks just as good as I imagined. That’s probably one of the things I love most about what I do.”
With summer on the horizon, Kachel has recently launched its latest collection, Soleia SS26. Designed for long lunches, balmy evenings and the ultimate resort statement moment, the new drop is OG Kachel – statement dresses, matching sets and easy summer separates, featuring vibrant florals and painterly prints.
“I also think it’s important to keep things fresh without losing what makes Kachel Kachel,” Jana said about her consistency. “I think the reason Kachel has developed its own look over the years is that I’ve stayed quite true to what I personally love. I’m not trying to make the brand look like everyone else. I like feminine shapes, beautiful prints and colour, and I keep coming back to those things even as fashion changes.”
The label is currently stocked in David Jones and Myer.
Read related topics:Melbourne