By Paula Joye
The soaring glass ceilings of Hotel d'Evreux cast soft, grey shadows across the runway as designer Kym Ellery made her debut at Paris Fashion Week.
The Perth native known for exaggerated shapes and sculptural tailoring presented a considered spring/summer collection full of flared pants, ruffles and sheer metallic dresses.
Kym Ellery enjoying her time in Paris.
''I worked incredibly hard and slept very little,'' said Ellery, whose show received immediate attention from international buyers and press. ''It wasn't until a few days later that I realised what I'd achieved. Paris has been a lifelong dream.''
The road to the world's fashion capital has not been smooth. The designer spent much of this year embroiled in a legal stoush with Myer after a defection to rival retailer David Jones. Myer successfully enforced its contract, resulting in Ellery's label being stocked in both stores until 2016.
An outfit from Kym Ellery's spring/summer collection.Credit: Darren McDonald
''I'm relieved we survived and that we're still trading,'' she said. ''Dual distribution makes us an anomaly in the local market, and the litigation, perhaps ironically, gave the brand unprecedented publicity.''
Ellery joins Qantas uniform design chief Martin Grant and Collette Dinnigan as the third Australian to show in Paris alongside fashion giants such as Karl Lagerfeld and Marc Jacobs. Dinnigan, now in her 17th year on the official fashion week schedule, credits the city with shaping both the direction and growth of her label: ''Working on that stage is what drives me creatively because it's the centre of excellence''.
While the allure is unquestionable, Paris remains a difficult city for antipodeans to crack. The cost of producing twice-yearly runway shows is prohibitive for most designers, but some of our most established players, including Toni Maticevski, Josh Goot and Dion Lee, are gaining momentum using Paris-based buying agents who specialise in international markets.
''The most important stores and most influential stylists are in the city during fashion week,'' said Emma Van Handel, whose company represents many of Australia's leading designers, including Ellery. ''It's a great opportunity for designers to get in front of these people. Our clients sell there because it's not only the gateway to Europe but the US, Asia and the United Arab Emirates.''
Red carpet favourite Alex Perry waited almost 20 years before throwing his beret into the ring, engaging European representation in March. ''Paris is about design but it's also about being ready,'' he said. ''I wanted to be capable of servicing large orders and ready for the opportunity a global platform presents.''
It is a move that has paid off handsomely for the veteran designer, who has added actors Sandra Bullock and Elizabeth Debicki to his celebrity client roster and more than 47 new international stockists in just six months. ''Dubai is full of glamorous women who need event dresses three to four times a week. Paris has opened up this territory for my brand, '' Perry said.
For Ellery the test has yet to come as she juggles showing in two continents. ''The battles of this year have made me stronger, and while Australia will always be home, success in Paris is what every fashion designer dreams of,'' she said.