At Blue Illusion, we love a good collaboration. C’est vrai, one reason is that it’s fun and exciting to see what we can make when joining forces with another artist—whether a painter, a home and events stylist, or a travel extraordinaire. And, bien sûr, we love to be able to offer those exclusive collections to our customers. However, another reason is that it's simply inspiring to spend time with innovative, intelligent, hardworking women.
Recently, we met with television presenter Catriona Rowntree and home-decorating entrepreneur Chyka Keebaugh to discuss our upcoming collaborations. They offered us a peek into their thought processes, from personal influences to sustainability to how body type impacts their fashion sense.
Catriona: How would you describe your style?
Chyka: I think I’m probably very fashion-forward. I look at fashion every single day, because it's also part of my life. I would love to set a table that looks like this [shirt]. I like combining [the different facets of my life] all together, making something versitile and just having fun with it. I'm very good at trying on new fashion looks; they don't always look good on me, but I've tried!
Catriona: I love fashion as well. Nobody in my life has ever called me fashion forward, though. I do not have a fashion-forward bone in my body.
Chyka: You’re classic. I love classic; it’s one of those things that just lasts the test of time. You know that jumper will look great in five years or today.
Catriona: I love that, too, that when you buy a piece, you know you can hand it down. I mean, look at that shirt, and my goodness, the scarves are fabulous, aren't they?
Chyka: Aren’t the scarves beautiful? But you know what I love about this [shirt] is that my mother will wear it, my daughter will wear it, and I will wear it. It's generational, and I love that we can all interpret it in our own way. It’s the same with your jumper and your beautiful dress; we can all have our own take on it.
Catriona: Something else I'm picking up is that our mothers have really influenced our style.
Chyka: Absolutely.
Catriona: Maybe 20 years ago, we wouldn't have admitted that, but it's clearly coming through.
Chyka: Yeah, it's so funny. My mother will look at me in this [leopard print] and go, "Oh, I've done something right. She's taken on something that I've always had,” and it's true! But also, in those days, they knew about quality. They knew about things lasting. It wasn't about things just being disposable. I love the fact that these are [pieces] we can pass down and wear time and time again.
Catriona: I do also have to say that I'm flying the flag for my husband—Australian wool. It's interesting because both of our husbands are very strong in their own identities and characters, and we both love to dress up for our partners.
Chyka: But I think we're both strong as well. We actually can carry all this off without them. But it's really nice that we have their love and support, too. Bruce is so excited about everything I do with Blue Illusion. He cannot wait to see what the newest collaboration looks like, what colours are happening, what the shapes are, and I love that he cares about it.
Catriona: My husband cares about it because, ultimately, it's Australian wool, and we are wool growers.
Chyka: But you're also bringing attention to Australian designers doing beautiful things with the best Australian product we have, which is wool.
Catriona: It's sustainable, and I know that's really important to Blue Illusion as well. That's what they're taking into the future and very quietly educating their customers on. I like how between the two of us, we’ve kind of covered all the markets regarding the customers. For me, I like it cinched in. I want to show off the curves.
Chyka: You're owning it.
Catriona: Own it! Absolutely. And then Donna will sometimes say, “Not everybody likes to do that.”
Chyka: I always say I like a bit of cleavage and [Donna] says, “We need to have the ability to do it up as well, because not everyone wants to show off their boobs.” But because I have got big boobs, it's nice to have a bit more skin. That's the thing about Donna that I love. She knows her customers. She knows what her woman wants to wear in any age group. I respect it when she says to me, “No,” and she has a reason, and it's always right.
Catriona: I think that [dynamic] works really well regarding our designs too because we're so clear on where we're going and what we want to create, and then Donna can come in and go, “Yay, nay, yay, nay. Are you kidding?” and “Yes!”
Chyka: We also travel so much; we know what works. But, you know, there's also nothing I love more than putting on an outfit for every day. It doesn't matter whether I'm at home or working; I love making sure I look the part. And that's the fun of fashion. Don't take it seriously; have fun with it! It's been fun doing today, though, hasn't it?
Catriona: I’ve loved it. And can you believe that this is just coffee?
As the best part of any collection is seeing you style them, Chyka and Catriona leave us with a message for you:
Chyka: I've had so much fun putting my collection together, and I know you have, too. This is not work; this is just the dream. So, I hope everyone enjoys the love and attention that we put into our collaborations and that you have fun playing around with your pieces.
Catriona: I'm thrilled that we had this opportunity to talk to you and let you see how much we love creating these pieces for Blue Illusion. It’s a thrill when we get to wear the pieces that started as a lamb in a paddock or a favourite shirt of Mum's and see how it all comes together. So, we hope you love these pieces as much as we do! Thank you, Blue Illusion. Thank you, Donna.
Merci beaucoup Chyka and Catriona! It’s always a treat to create with you ladies.
À bientôt !
