The past few months has seen the strong emergence of a new fashion label on the scene – with The Wylde being spotted everywhere across Instagram. Literally everywhere, with a slew of the big league IG girls – think Mimi Elashiry to Inka Williams, Gypsea Lust to Maddy Relph – stepping out in the brand’s eco-conscious and sustainable pieces crafted from natural and raw materials.
But while the brand itself has been getting a lot of air time, the creator behind The Wylde has stayed pretty much in the shadows – preferring to let the clothes do the talking themselves. But with the brand going from strength-to-strength, the founder has decided it’s time to come out from behind the closet – with lifestyle influencer Lucette Romy revealing to Husskie that The Wylde is actually all her work.
A couple of years in the making and launching last October, we are beyond thrilled to chat exclusively to Lucette about everything The Wylde – from product conception to stepping behind the camera for some of the incredible campaign imagery…
Firstly, congratulations on The Wylde! Why did you decide to launch the brand?
I’ve always been creative – in school I was always putting my hand up to do set design for school plays, enrolled in every creative class I could up until I graduated, and attended art classes outside of school. But I never really felt fulfilled, it was like my brain wouldn’t stop thinking and being inspired. So I decided to create something more tangible. I wasn’t quite sure what it was for a while and tried my hand at a few different things.
After spending a few years living in between Bali and Australia, I really started feeling inspired by fashion and design. But also inspired to do something different, to be able to use natural materials and give back with everything we create. So many labels are using methods that aren’t sustainable or eco-friendly. But the world is waking up slowly and there are many great brands making better choices now, which is really exciting, and I’m really happy to be a part of that.
Have you always been interested in fashion design?
Initially no, all of the drawings and paintings I would create – typically the figures were completely naked! Haha. It was never something I was inspired to draw or put on paper. When I was about 16, a friend and I bought a bunch of clothing from op shops and thought we would start a label. We embroidered a few pairs of jeans and customised some of the pieces, we even had a terrible brand name. Needless to say, it really went nowhere – we were the only ones that even wore it, haha. But I guess this is where I started bringing some ideas to life in terms of fashion.
Did you do all the designs yourself?
Yes! It’s been super fun, but also quite time consuming. I’ve been drawing a lot of inspiration from my mum’s clothes from the 80s and 90s, pieces that she loved time and time again, and reinventing some of these styles. A lot of the designs never made it to production after the sampling, but it’s all part of the fun! Maybe I’ll come back to them one day, but for now I’m working on some new pieces and sketching up future designs.
Can you talk me through your process of getting the brand together?
Initially I wanted to start a bath house brand – organic bath products, bath robes and sleepwear. It really moved from there and started developing into loungewear as I wasn’t feeling very inspired. The robe then developed into the kimono, and the sleepwear into pieces that could still be worn to bed but also worn out during the day or night. I really wanted to create pieces that were fully transitional for the wearer, from bed to bar if you must.
Then it was just a matter of putting it all into action! Bali really helped as I had been there so long, I had all the resources on hand. I looked into having the pieces made in Australia at first, but spending so much time on the island, it just made sense for me to create whilst I was here.
How long was it in the works?
About two and a half years before I launched! There are no investors behind The Wylde, so after a lot of work in hospitality and boutiques – slowly I was able to bring it to life.
What influencers have you worked with to help promote the brand?
I feel so blessed to have made some incredible friends through social media who have been so kind in helping out and posting for me. I’ve also been very lucky to have had some incredible photographers style The Wylde into their shoots. My friend Leila (@leilajoy_) has shot Cindy (@wolfiecindy), Mimi (@mimielashiry), Inka (@inkawilliams) and Maya (@mayastepper) all wearing The Wylde. They have shared it with their audiences as well. I have a number of beautiful friends who are influencers that love The Wylde and have posted wearing our pieces; it’s been really wonderful to have everyone’s support. We all have each other’s backs and I would do the same for them in a heartbeat.
You have some epic campaign imagery for the brand…
Thank you so much! A lot of the imagery I have shot myself. I’m really enjoying working behind the lens and showing how I see The Wylde. A lot of friends have also created and shot some insane content for The Wylde, and it just blows my mind how talented everyone is.
Has being an influencer yourself helped in this side of the brand development?
It definitely has helped, but I feel like how I present The Wylde is quite different to how I present myself on my personal page.
Where are you hoping to take the brand?
I want to grow The Wylde to be able to support women around the world with specific campaigns targeting different charities and countries. I’m really passionate about using my resources to better the environment and humanity, but it can be a slow process as sometimes the costs when working 100% sustainable and eco friendly can outweigh what you are able to charge as a startup. I want to be part of the movement and of course only use the best, though it’s very important for us to stay affordable for those who cannot afford high priced designer items.
We are really looking forward to sharing our first WYLDE WOMAN project we are working on to give back soon. You will definitely be hearing more about this in the coming months. In terms of our growth, we are taking things slow, working with beautiful local artisans, and I hope to be able to support the talents of artisans all around the world.
All imagery: @the_wylde / @lucetteromy
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