Paris Mitchell Temple (left) and Georgia Cherrie. Image: Supplied.
Mitchell Temple and Cherrie, who met as teenagers in high school, have been praised for their stylish, form-fitting basics since they launched Paris Georgia in 2015 with six pieces they’d designed to complement the vintage items they were selling from their online store, The Mercantile.
It was this small, eponymous collection that caught the attention of New York-based designer and retailer Maryam Nassir Zadeh. Nassir Zadeh, who regularly shopped on The Mercantile, reached out to the pair, asking them to showcase a full Paris Georgia collection in her New York showroom. The proviso was that they expand their collection from six to 25 pieces… in two months.
Today, 60 pieces make up the full Paris Georgia collection, and stockists are located everywhere from New Zealand and Australia to America, Asia and Turkey. Fabric-focused, minimalist designs (think slip dresses, silk skirts and well-cut trench coats) are still at the brand’s core, but these days, “we’re more refined, we’re elevated,” says Mitchell Temple.
Their success story is a remarkable one. Few designers, especially those in New Zealand, have had the fortune to launch in a city like New York, supported by a feature in American Vogue. Fewer still can count the likes of Emily Ratajkowski and Adria Arjona as fans. “We met some amazing people that helped us get to where we are today,” says Cherrie modestly, belying the amount of hard work she and Mitchell Temple have put in over the years. But while this was highly beneficial for the pair globally, it was a partnership with Mercedes Benz at New Zealand Fashion Week in 2019 that helped establish them locally.
“To be the Mercedes-Benz Presents designers (a program which recognises an Australian designer who demonstrates dedication to the use of quality materials, unique style and innovative design) had been a goal of ours for a long time,” says Mitchell Temple. “As a brand we started internationally, so to have that recognition within New Zealand was amazing.”
“It was a real honour and gave us that credibility on both a local and international scale,” adds Cherrie. “We were only four years old and having Mercedes-Benz believe in us was a really big deal and it's really helped develop us over the last year.”
Aside from styling, casting and directing the runway show for Fashion Week, which “was such an amazing process for us – putting on our first proper runway show and seeing all our clothes on different models for the first time ever,” says Mitchell Temple, the pair designed two bespoke outfits inspired by Mercedes-Benz, which drew inspiration from the cars’ stitching, leather and quality. It was, they say, “a fun experiment”.
The year-long partnership with Mercedes-Benz has led to a range of opportunities, including a two-month-long pop-up store in Auckland. It’s also opened up opportunities for much more international travel in 2020 – the pair will host an event in Los Angeles in June, and launch with luxury online retailer Net-A-Porter, among other things.
The next New Zealand Mercedes-Benz Presents designer will be announced at New Zealand Fashion Week in August 2020. Can’t wait? Look to Australia’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week from May 11 to 15 for the most exciting new designers and trends. This year marks 25 years of Fashion Week, so you can expect the event to be bigger and better than ever.
By Anna Webster