Day that changed Chris Kontos’s life: Vera Wang, Cheetos and me

She’s the global fashion powerhouse worth $270m but an Australian fashionista has lifted the lid on Vera Wang’s unusual addiction.

Chris Kontos divides his time between Adelaide and Melbourne heading up a creative consultancy designed to put fashion and lifestyle brands on the international style map.

I remember watching my first runway at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney in 1999.

It was Morrissey Edmiston, and Sarah O’Hare (now Murdoch) was in that First Nations flag dress, INXS blaring.

I said to myself, “This is where I belong.”

I was working for Miss Gladys Sym Choon.

Sarah O'Hare (now Murdoch) at Australian Fashion Week. Picture: Joe Murphy

My opportunities in the industry have come from the masters of Adelaide. Joff Chappel and Razak (from Sym Choon), Wild Child Stylelab’s Carol Foord, and “the kings” George and Harry (George Gross & Harry Who founders George Gross and Harry Watt) and Kathy Gross are all legends of the game.

Chris Kontos with Harry Watt, Liza Emanuele, Antoinette Veltri and George Gross. Picture: Supplied

Working for and being mentored by them led me to the moment …

In 2012, I was head of marketing at Harris Scarfe and I had been asked to come up with a collaboration with the Vera Wang brand.

I rocked up to their offices in New York and sat there for about 20 minutes, waiting, waiting, waiting, thinking “what’s going on?”

They finally said, “Mrs Wang is ready for you now”, and I’m like, “sorry?”, and they’re like, “you’re meeting with Mrs Wang”, and I’m like, “what are you talking about?”.

I wasn’t expecting to actually meet Vera.

She had Cheetos on the table, so I started talking about the Cheetos. She also had orange juice … but it looked like it was a Screwdriver.

It was so funny. Vera only eats orange things. She’s a junk food addict, like I am.

After 15 minutes, we got to the presentation part and Vera said, “I don’t even care, I like you and you need to make sure every time we work with Harris Scarfe it’s you that I see.”

And that was it. That day changed my life.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

I had finally got to work with a global brand.

Chris Kontos and Vera Wang. Picture: Supplied

Vera was prolific at that time, doing the Kardashian wedding dresses and every celebrity was wearing Vera Wang on the red carpet.

Vera was so iconic, but so normal. The woman who dressed everyone in the world, all she cared about was what junk food I ate.

We launched Simply Vera – Vera Wang in Australia, which was huge for me.

I ended up being invited to a Vera Wang event at New York Fashion Week.

I was thinking I would be at the back, standing up with all the plebs, but I was sitting front row with Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington and Monica Rose, who was working for the Kardashians.

I was this kid from Adelaide, who had worked in the family chicken shop his whole life (Editor’s note: Kontos is forgetting about all his previous fashion gigs and stint as a Sunday Mail gossip columnist).

Suddenly, I was thrust into this amazing world and everything was possible.

After Harris Scarfe, I worked for Australian Fashion Labels.

I was head designer for TY-LR and the first person to wear it was Kendall Jenner.

Kendall was sitting in our showroom and the Kardashians’ stylist Monica Rose walked in.

She was like, “no one is to touch this label until we launch it with Kendall”.

Kendall wore about five of the coats and still wears them today.

TY-LR was beautiful, my heart and soul, everything I’ve ever wanted women to wear, classic and elegant.

Vogue Australia editor-in-chief Christine Centenera and Chris Kontos. Picture: Supplied

The late Carla Zampatti and Chris Kontos. Picture: Supplied

I was the first to do “lady” at that time … I brought “lady” back. Now everyone is doing it.

TY-LR had the Bianca, a flowy, chiffony dress that Lindy Klim wore in Paris.

We got a call from a Qatar bride and she wanted 100 of those dresses for her family. It was a special order and we were laughing and like, “What the hell?”. That brand had such charm. It was so popular, so quickly, I didn’t have time to breathe.

One time, I was sitting, eating a burger, in The Mercer in New York – you always show at the best hotel – and this beautiful little girl, who looked like North West, came up and tagged me. Kanye walked in, then Kim and they sat with me.

I wanted to scream because they were my phone screen saver and Kanye was like, “How are the fries?” and I’m like, “They’re great.”

I was texting the TY-LR team and they came down and it was just the most insane moment where I was thinking, “All this celebrity in the one room and I can’t take a single photo of anyone” because it is not the done thing. Welcome to the world of fashion!

TY-LR folding and the Adelaide Fashion Festival (being axed in 2019 by the then state government), when I was creative director, were both tough. But you learn that not everything is a complete bloody Greek tragedy and that is why I am where I am at now.

I’ve worked for Bird in Hand, where they allowed me to be myself, but I’m now concentrating on my business Chris Kontos Creative. At the moment I’m working with (Melbourne label) Effie Kats and I’ve just finished off the ADL Fashion Week photo shoots, which is super exciting.

There’s so much to be done in the creative arts space in South Australia.

So, I’m trying to hustle. It’s a tough industry. I’m lucky to still be here.