COPYWRITER & CREATIVE

“Freakin’ scary, man!” is the way Marc Moore of Stolen Girlfriends Club describes his fashion sense as youngster. The designer says he wasn’t really creative as a kid. “I wanted to be a bus driver. I used to get my mum to make
me my own customised stubbies, then I would rock round with my socks pulled right up.” It’s exactly this quirky style that inspires the rebellious, weird and
oh so cool label that Marc and his mates have come to be known for. He said himself: “Once you open the creative valve, it’s near impossible to turn the
thing off.”

 

“Originally we wanted to make those Mexican sack tops with Corona printed
on the back, but apparently they went out of fashion in the early ‘90s, so we
had to quickly change the direction to suit current trends, wants and needs,”
he deadpans. “We’re developing the sack tops this year as they’re making a comeback. Back on track! But seriously…” As some would say, Marc is “great value” – a laugh a minute.

 

When describing Stolen Girlfriend Club’s qualities, it seems he could be talking about himself. “It’s honest, humble, romantic and mysterious, yet it’s a total rat bag all at the same time. A strange and interesting animal is Stolen Girlfriends Club,” the 32-year-old says. An ex-pro surfer, Marc surfed his way around the world gathering inspiration for SGC, which he operates with Luke Harwood (director/creative director, also a pro surfer), Daniel Gosling (director, who
owns his own surf, skate and snow brand distribution company), and Zara Mirkin (design and production assistant).

 

SGC trumps in daring originality, honing the most rebellious and individualistic style we’ve seen since Vivienne Westwood – coincidentally one of Marc’s favourites.

 

“I think our direction is the same today as it was three years ago when we first started. Higher end boutique garments that are relaxed and easy to wear, good quality construction with attention to detail; we like subtle details – always have. The quirks are still ever-present in our collections, and we love people to have to think when they’re confronted with our stuff.”

 

On their Autumn/Winter 20009 collection, Marc remains relatively tight lipped. And rightly so; it’s probably one of the most hotly anticipated collections of the season. “We are using pure silk in the knitwear, which we’re excited about. There’s a lot more colour than we’ve used in the past, and more prints too, which is exciting. That’s it, you ain’t getting any more out of me!”

 

One of the greatest things about SGC is their hilarious sense of humour, not
just in the people who create it, but the clothes themselves. “I think these days there’s too many brands that are getting too serious about… making clothes.
It’s just clothing at the end of the day, we’re not saving the world, so let’s have some fun and try to inject a little happiness into the day.”

 

SGC didn’t set out to attract the hip indie kid clientele they have today, it just happened. “We did want to have like-minded people rocking around in our stuff, we just wanted to make cool shit that we wanted to wear, oh and t-shirts that our girlfriends could wear when they went home after staying at our house. It was more a case of us forming a brand and doing it how we wanted, and then putting it to the market – letting the market decide where we would be positioned.”

 

It’s been a wild ride. “Man, it’s been so tough!” he says, “But equally rewarding.
If we had to go back and start all over again, I don’t think we would! I’d be a chef – that looks fun.”