Born out of Byron Bay in 2020 by Australian designer Jemyma Kavanagh, Hyde & Stone creates effortless wardrobe essentials designed to transcend seasons. This season we introduce Hyde & Stone mix and match sets in their signature crinkled fabrication, and we love the versatility of these pieces.
Wear the Anastasia Shirt with the matching shorts or pants to create a streamlined set, or style the separate pieces back with your essentials. These pieces wear beautifully and gradually loosen over time with wash and wear to create the effortless look we love.
To celebrate the launch of Hyde & Stone at The UNDONE, we spoke with Jemyma about how the label started with her hand making all designs with her grandmother, how she ensures her business approach is conscious and considered, and what to expect in the future.
I love hearing how you were originally hand making all your designs with your grandmother, can you tell me a little more about your shared love for fashion design, her background, your background and how you started Hyde and Stone?
Yes, Hyde & Stone emerged from very humble beginnings. My grandmother has always had incredible tailoring skills and fine attention to detail - very much a perfectionist at heart.
She was taught this skill by her mother at around 5 years old and went on to tailor both mens and womenswear, create lingerie with fine lace detail, and knit garments. She made my mother’s wedding dress and tailored suits for all the groomsmen. She would make the majority of our clothing growing up.
I have learnt my skills through watching both my mother and grandmother sew. I studied both fashion design and clothing production and worked with small boutiques creating clothing and leather bags before pursuing Hyde & Stone.
I’ve always had a love for designing since I was a little girl. Both my mother and grandmother had taught me to make things well. How to create with natural fabrics and how they’ll last, how they’ll wear, how they’ll fall. They taught me not to consume so much, not to be wasteful.
The motive behind Hyde & Stone from the beginning was to create timeless, well-made garments, focusing on fit and fine natural materials for women to feel confident and to love in their wardrobes for years. I have always been passionate about never wanting to pursue a mass-produced brand that is just disposable clothing. In those early stages, I spent hours and hours designing, pattern making, hand-cutting and sewing garments with my grandmother. We would tailor pieces to each woman’s unique measurements working with a made to order business model.
Who taught you to sew and what’s your earliest memory of making clothes?
Both my mother and grandmother taught me how to sew, this skill was passed down through generations and creativity was always encouraged. My earliest memories are of my grandmother's art box, filled with water colour pencils and fine artliners.
I was handed books on how to sketch proportions of the face and body. I remember sketching women’s figures and designing clothes. I always knew this was the path that I wanted to pursue.
At around 5 years old my grandmother taught me how to hand sew buttons on shirts. I have watched and learned these skills ever since.
I’ve read that your mother and grandmother taught you how to make things well, so that they last the distance. What’s the most important thing for shoppers to consider when making a purchase? What should they look for?
Most importantly quality, to consider the materials used, to look for investment pieces - well designed pieces made with premium fabrics that have a true appreciation for craftsmanship.
Consider good quality cuts, how the piece makes you feel and if it will work with the rest of your capsule wardrobe. It’s that perfectly tailored pant that fits you just right, or that shirt that just seamlessly works with everything. These are the wardrobe pieces that you gravitate towards on high rotation. The pieces that you will take extra care of, hand wash and mend when torn that transcend well beyond seasons.
We love a matching set, what do you love about your mix and match crinkle sets?
The versatility of these pieces, I find myself constantly packing a suitcase for travel, so I tend to gravitate towards these crinkle pieces as they work back into my wardrobe effortlessly for all occasions.
Tell us about your design process, where do you begin designing a collection?
I usually begin designing my collections from a particular fabric - colour, weight or texture that I am drawn to.
I love this part of the process, sketching designs and meeting with my fabric suppliers to explore each fabric swatch. I love to create pieces with natural materials mostly wools, silks, cottons and linens and with a focus on texture.
My approach to design is considered, I think the quality is something that has been inbuilt in me and appreciated through every aspect of life, passed down through family generations.
Hyde & Stone’s ethos is an extension of my core personal values of appreciating quality, well made garments and the true craftsmanship of a piece of clothing.
What’s important to you when designing and creating your brand?
My design philosophy and overall business approach has always been conscious and considered.
As a designer, it is important to consider your purpose and understand the foundations of good design, fabric composition, sustainability and garment manufacturing.
I am devoted to an in house design development business model, I work closely with all of my suppliers and makers to ensure all Hyde & Stone garments maintain high quality standards with longevity in mind. Responsible business practices are at the forefront of Hyde & Stone’s ethos.
I aim to continue to design and develop wardrobe essential pieces that are timeless, versatile and will remain in my consumer’s wardrobe for years. All garments are produced in limited production runs, with natural materials and manufactured onshore in Australia, avoiding the disposable clothing mentality.
What can we expect from Hyde and Stone in the future?
I aim to continue to evolve and refine my responsible business practices and to continue to create brand growth and awareness in both Australia, New Zealand and internationally.
With a focus on continuing to learn and refine my transparency of supply chains and sustainability practices - a complicated and multi -faceted topic that is ever changing.
To learn, to explore and develop fabrics, to elevate tailoring and garment finishes, to find innovative ways to remain a responsible Australian made business.
