Selwyn Times: May 30, 2017

8 Tuesday May 30 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi
Our People
SELWYN TIMES
Jaz Tuihana Vivian
Tomboy takes non gender-based
Jaz Tuihana Vivian, 22,
grew up in Southbridge
and is now making her
mark in the fashion
world. She talks to
Georgia O’Connor-
Harding
Tell me about your fashion
brand Losers Are Cool (LAC
Crews)?
I have always kind of had the
dream of doing a tomboy clothing
line but I have never really
known enough about it. So I
did a business course last year
and it made me a little bit more
confident about releasing it. A
couple of my friends are in the
fashion industry. I bounced ideas
off them, came up with a name,
put it all together and released it.
There is actually nothing online
that is purely tomboy clothing.
What I wanted to do was take
away that awkward shopping
down the wrong aisle thing and
make it all online so people
don’t have to go into the shop.
What made you realise you
were a tomboy?
I have always been a tomboy
out playing rugby and getting
muddy with the boys. I am not
a girly girl at all. Mum always
tells me about when I was
a kid she would dress me
in a pretty pink dress and
then I would go steal
my brothers’ clothes just
before we were about to
go out. I played rugby
for eight years. I had to
take time off this year
because it was getting
too busy but I am into
staying fit and
healthy. It
makes you feel better at the
end of the day.
Tell me about your
idea to have non-gender
based clothing?
I think these days
in our society you
know everyone is
breaking down the
barriers. And a lot
of things have come
to head that you know
back in the day
would be
scorned upon. I think with everyone
breaking down these barriers
why not me as well. I don’t
understand why there is girl and
boy clothing – it just puts that
line in the middle.
Have you always had a passion
for equality?
Just growing up being a tomboy
you always have your battles.
You have people at school and
stuff saying things to you and
it makes high school really uncomfortable.
I thought if I could
make it easy for people that are
younger, that is me doing my bit.
Was it a mission creating
these clothes?
It was a big mission but like I
said, I had a few friends in the
fashion industry so I bumped
heads with them and thought
what isn’t working about the
clothes now and what I can improve
on. Together we came up
with a few ideas. I made it very
basic so I can add onto it. My
sister Jayde Vivian is an upcoming
model so she was my model
and her friends are interested in
photography. Everything about it
means a lot to me. It hasn’t been
about making money. It is about
making a difference.
How did you get into the business
side of things?
Definitely, I left high school at
year 12. I was never into school
but I knew I had to carry on
doing something so I went to the
New Zealand Institute of Sport
thinking I would be a personal
trainer and then I did a marketing
paper in the curriculum. It
was just what we had to do and
I aced it. My teacher pulled me
aside and said that was the best
marketing paper she had seen.
I was like why don’t I venture
from that and do something with
it rather than sitting in a gym
all day. That is when I got into
business. I was the class clown at
school and it is a better
feeling being successful now having
not actually enjoyed school
at all.
What were your experiences
like at school and how did you
stay true to yourself?
I had a lot of support from
my family. Especially my mum.
We have quite an open relationship.
When I came home from
school she could tell I was upset.
I think that was the best. There
were a few teachers at school I really
related to. I think a mixture
of that and people telling me I
am unique is what pulled me
through. But I definitely got bullied
a lot.
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