Supporting local is what drives us and whist Melbourne is still in lockdown, we want to continue to support and share some of our creative friends. Today we are introducing you to Caz, from Cazinc The Label, an incredibly talented, multifaceted woman who shares many of our loves (trans-seasonal wardrobe staples, interiors and champagne to name a few), and continues to bring inspirational sustainability and innovation into her designs.
Meet Caz…
Hi, my name is Carolyn (Caz) Rowland, a fashion designer at Cazinc The Label, model, lifestyle blogger and professional image stylist. I am also a qualified NLP Master Therapist, Advanced Practitioner of Matrix Therapies, Time Line Therapist, Practitioner of Hypnotherapy, has a Diploma for Business and Life Coaching and A Professional Image Stylist.
I am happily married to my husband Simon and raised four beautiful children, who are now young adults and a teenager.
I owned and operated a Professional Image, Styling and Therapy company for over fifteen years, am a qualified interior decorator, and has a love for culture, fashion, arts, food, and wellbeing. Oh, and of course French champagne!
The Cazinc story est. 2018
I knew our clients wanted classic, contemporary styles they could mix and match, and keep in their wardrobes season after season. They also shared my passion for slow fashion; quality garments made to the highest possible ethical standards.
When I launched Cazinc The Label in 2018 with a curated collection of trans-seasonal wardrobe staples designed to work for any occasion and celebrate every figure. Since then, the label has evolved to include sharp, tailored investment pieces and everyday basics but I have remained committed to my original vision: classic cuts, beautiful fabrics and high-quality, sustainable product that is accessible for every woman. I am evolving as a designer with today’s society and the needs of women, especially as their body shapes change with age and other factors, including pregnancy and menopause. I utilise the technology of today (such a social media) to provide all women with busy lifestyles access to easy wear clothing.
Cazinc’s mission
Our mission is to create environmental awareness, providing eco-conscious, ethical and high-quality designs. We are not looking at taking any short cuts in our journey towards being a more sustainable fashion label. We will always keep looking for more sustainable options in production, shipping, sourcing and planning. This is a responsibility we are more than willing to take to live up to our values.
I have seen first hand what harm fast fashion is doing to people and the earth and so when starting CTL, my number one value was to create ethically made clothing and always improving on sustainability.
When designing we….
– Look at the market to see what shapes and silhouettes are missing.
– Look at different styles that can be worn to at least 3 different parts of the day – whether it be: school pick up, lounging/relaxing & date-night (to educate consumers on keeping quality garments for longer).
– Fashion shows, fashion shows, fashion shows!!! See the trends overseas, streetwear to formal wear and it generates the flow of ideas from one season to the next.
– We start with a range of ideas, whether it is a sleeve from one season, a seam in at the waist that we love & we pick apart the clothing and by dissecting the clothing apart we then create our base for styles that can suit different shapes. We start with 1000’s of scrapbooking pages and ideas, we then draw from the ideas which then turns into thousands of garments we then sift through to select the perfect ones for CTL.
What’s next?
Sustainability will be a huge thing that the label aims to tackle in the future. Our team aims to emphasise to women that it’s not about buying more for cheaper – but building a quality wardrobe that allows you to mix and match easily, and for a lifetime.
The reality is that the cheaper you buy, the more you will waste. You’ll have clothing that comes apart at the seams. This throws people into a mindless cycle of consumption, and consumption leads to waste and buildup in our landfills. Not to mention, the workers behind these pieces are often poorly treated or underpaid.
The aim is to break the cycle, to stop being distracted by low prices, but looking at the lifetime value of what a piece can offer you. What place it has in your wardrobe throughout the seasons and years. The label’s whole emphasis is on buying less but buying better. On pieces that are timeless, not trendy. One’s that will keep your wardrobe looking up to date without you needing to constantly buy.
COVID’s silver linings
2020 has been an interesting year, one where we have had to embrace change like everyone else. The silver linings are that our online sales have increased, but it has taken a lot of hard work and we have seen so many of our beautiful wholesale boutiques struggle, which has been really sad for many in the industry. One thing our team are practising is gratitude and we are grateful for everyone supporting small businesses, amongst other things, like our health.
5 things you can’t live without…
1. My husband and children
2. Champagne!!!
3. Exercise
4. My career
5. Clothes, shoes and skincare!!! (I know this is more than 5, sorry!!!)
And… fav Hills & West pieces?
It has to be your Crescent Clutch Bag with gold studs for sure. We love it and a fabulous bag for all occasions. The bag is also timeless, so it is in line with the CTL values. One that made it’s way to my wardrobe – oops!!!
Well, we might have to admit that we knew Caz loved the Crescent Clutch as she actually stocks our clutches (made from the remaining leather of our Lunar Bags) in her store. We are so aligned with our ethos and I have to also admit I may have a pink bamboo and linen suit in my wardrobe too Timeless and transeasonal. Perfect.
Thanks so much for sharing Caz, we love everything you are doing and hope we can catch up face to face one day soon.
Sending loads of love to everyone in Melbourne and please do check out Cazinc website here or follow on Instagram here.
