1. A little introduction for our readers who might not know the real Alvin?
I’m Alvin Manalo, the designer and creator of Saint Augustine Academy, a music snob and general nice guy. Haha.
- 2. When and How was Saint Augustine Academy born?The idea of the label started in December 2003. I really wanted to make something that reflected what me and my friends were into: music, art. We just really loved to dress up.
- 3. When was the turning point in your life that you believe designing and clothing could be more than just a passion, but actually a career?
- To begin with, I’d never really considered that designing could actually be a career… and the level of success we’ve achieved so far has happened kind of ‘organically’ so I guess there’s really no actual point. After a while things just started to fall into place.
- 4. How did it all happen – what is the story behind the creation of the label?
- Our first collection was called ‘Delusions of Grandeur’ and consisted of denim, tshirts and shirting and a few blazers. We sold it at Incu, Capital L, Orson & Blake and Cactus Jam (Melbourne) plus a few other stores that I had relationships with via my previous label (which was called SCAR). With each passing season, we increased our stockists and the collections got larger. Over the past nearly 6 years we’ve sold our label in some amazing boutiques in Japan, LA, New York, Singapore, Ireland and Canada, including Patricia Field’s boutique in New York, Hotel Venus. Now we have our own boutique in Surry Hills, and are heading over to New York in January to source a new distributor.
- 5. Who was involved in this happening – who do you thank for helping you get to where you are today?
- Adrian, my business partner, has always been an integral part of running the business and if it wasn’t for his belief in what I was doing, Saint Augustine Academy would not be where it is today. I’d already sort of lost steam after the failure of my last label, due to not having enough capital and someone to take care of the business side of things. At lunch one day, Adrian made the fatal mistake of asking me what I needed to make it happen. The rest is history.
- We’ve also worked with our publicist Candice since the beginning and she has been really helpful in raising the profile of the label. Plus of course all my friends who’ve ever modelled for me for free and interns who’ve done all the shit-kicking work ha ha.
- 6. When did your lucky break come, when was the spotlight cast upon you and your clothing?
- I feel something really changed early last year. We’d already been around for 3 years or so, quietly chugging along, but as soon as we produced our first runway show off-schedule during RAFW, coinciding with opening our boutique in Surry Hills, the general consciousness about the label became much more wide-spread. We had a string of success working with several big profile bands around the same time, including Bloc Party, The Horrors, Interpol, MGMT and The Rapture.
- 7. Where did the inspiration come from for the whole feel and look of the label in general?
- All my collections are somehow connected to music – whether it’s an album, or a genre, artist, or even just one song. I love a lot of different music, and its always been a big part of the reason why I design clothes. The label kind of started from me wanting to make clothes me and my friends wanted to wear. Like the clothes of the bands we saw and loved. Things like skinny suiting and sharp silhouettes. My dream is to have bands like The Horrors, Ipso Facto and Dead Weather dressed in Saint Augustine Academy exclusively.
- 8. Tell us a bit about “Do you believe Her?”
- This Summer collection was inspired by the song of the same name by Danish band The Raveonettes. The song is a bit of an ode to the sounds of 60’s girl groups and surf rock, and I wanted “Do You Believe Her?” to reflect this. The collection has a kind of mod aesthetic and is monochromatic. The menswear is sleek skinny suiting and shirting with unique details, in black, white, charcoal, tweed and houndstooth. The womenswear comprises of lace and ruffled shift dresses, silk shantung high-waisted mini shorts and cocktail dresses and my favourite, a womens tuxedo.
- 9. Most memorable moment during your career – milestones, awards, etc?
- We’ve had some amazing times over the years… Getting to do what I do every day is pretty awesome, it doesn’t really feel like a job. Getting the opportunity to meet some of my heroes and give them my clothing… I’m talking about people like MGMT, Interpol and Nick Cave. Pretty cool.
- 10. What are some of your favourite labels, what can we expect to see you wearing other than Saint Augustine Academy?
- My favourite labels right now are Carol Christian Poell and Tatsuro Horikawa, but I mostly wear my own clothes or vintage stuff. I like combat boots on my feet most days.
- 11. We have seen the label feature in some of the biggest magazines in the country ( i.e. GQ) where can it go from here?
- I want to expand the label’s international distribution, especially in Europe and Asia, and increase our womenswear to be as big a part of the business as the menswear.
- 12. Where would you go to wind down after a busy week for a few drinks on a Friday afternoon?
I’ve been working 7 days a week for over 5 years now, so the concept of a weekend’s gotten lost, but I’d usually go to an art exhibition, maybe at Black & Blue, Palmer St Gallery or MA Gallery. Sometimes I might swing by Ching-a-Lings, Vegas (at Q bar) or Brighton Bar but I usually end up just hanging with friends on the steps of The Gaff, or Palmer St Park until we get told to move along. Haha.
- 13. Future plans for the team – distant and near?
- Next Feb we will have our Autumn/Winter range (which is called ‘The Lamentations of Euchrid the Mute’ which was inspired by the Nick Cave novel And The Ass Saw The Angel) in store. We’ll also be showing the S/S 2011 collection at RAFW in May, as well as exploring a line of Saint Augustine Academy accessories and footwear.
Alvin’s newest line for S/S 09/2010: Do You Believe Her?
visit www.saintaugustineacademy.com.au to view the complete range