KARL CLAUSEN
You may ask yourself what makes someone a successful fashion stylist - aside from 35 years in and around the fashion industry. The answer is simple, according to Karl; you need to have a love of fashion and an ability to build a genuine rapport and trust with your clients.
Karl says having the ability to coordinate colour and patterns can to an extent, be taught, but having an inherent understanding of how to put these items together in a compelling way without the client looking like a Liquorice Allsort.
Karl came from a creative family, and his fashion career started almost by accident at a well-known menswear store when his father spied a position for a junior while having breakfast one morning. It was here he learned the art and importance of providing great service, which he believes should be at the forefront of anybody working within the retail industry.
After 13 years, Karl moved on to establish Working Style in Christchurch. It was five years of pure enjoyment, offering up something quite different to what had been available in Christchurch at that time, and his deep dive into the world of Made to Measure.
An unexpected opportunity to move to London and immerse himself in the Luxury Menswear industry was too good to turn down. First stop was a role with one of the finest menswear brands in the world – Zegna, located in the heart of Mayfair on New Bond Street. It was a baptism of fire, making a £23,000 sale on his second day set the tone for his time in London and a window into the ultra-wealthy and the spending power they wielded.
Karl went on to work for Dunhill, which is synonymous with British craftsmanship and design, running the custom and bespoke tailoring offer in London from the eye-catching Bourdon House store. This was a whirlwind of personal and professional growth, becoming the person responsible for styling many of Dunhill International’s brand ambassadors at the time, which included Daniel Craig and Jude Law.
Back in New Zealand, Karl’s passion continues to encourage clients to evolve their fashion sense, and he gets a kick seeing his clients in well-cut clothes. Currently, the demand by professionals to better understand and execute how to put together a business casual wardrobe is keeping him busy. Many men in recent times have mistakenly blurred their work attire with what they might wear outside of work in the name of comfort. However, it’s an easy fix that Karl has undertaken with many clients, more so in the past 12 months.
Karl has come a full circle – finding himself back in Christchurch with Working Style as their Creative Director. When speaking with him, you are left in no doubt of his ongoing love of fashion, which he says is due to the evolution of seasonal collections. Karl loves that fashion takes its cues from the past and reinterprets them for the now. But what hasn’t changed in a career spanning 35 years to date is a genuine enjoyment of ensuring his clients look and feel the best they possibly can and understanding that listening and not talking is a very powerful skill to have learnt.