 Aloha and welcome to the Savvy Chick Show on Think Tech Hawaii. I'm your host, Chantel Seville. Today is a very exciting episode. It's all about living the dream with international fashion designer Jason Gretch. I'm incredibly excited to have him. He's one of the most inspirational people I know. He's all the way in Melbourne, Australia. Now, have you ever wanted what it would be like to live your dream and use your natural talents to do what you love every single day? Well, our guest Jason Gretch does exactly this. So we will be taking a walk down memory lane with Jason Gretch with his experience in becoming a fashion designer and icon brand. He'll share with us what he does, how he does what he does, what inspires him, where he's been, celebrities worked with and where he's going and where you can expect to see him next. Now, stay tuned for this whole episode because you're not going to want to miss anything from it. Now, this episode is particularly dedicated to all you Savvy Chicks out there, you girls with big dreams, little girls. We're all little girls at heart, but with all ages. And it's never too young to start living your dream. So without further ado, let's welcome the man himself, Jason Gretch. Thank you so much for being here, Jason. Aloha. Hello. You've had a pretty busy time, haven't you? Last week has been absolutely crazy for you with the brown low and the deli-ams. What's it like being all over the papers? It's been, naturally, it's been so overwhelming, but really exciting. It's an exciting time, you know? I love it. So was that something that you ever imagined that you'd be able to do? That you would be dressing, you know, the most known girls on the red carpet? Not really. Oh, you might as well, you might as well introduce your dog there. Introduce your dog, Jason. Really successful and really championed two things I love. The week was actually a really good stand that says, yes, you're doing a right part. So yes, it's really exciting. Yeah, it's pretty amazing. I mean, in Australia, because obviously in Melbourne, it's all about the sport. So to actually have you dressing on both red carpets and both coming in the best dress, I mean, with having Britt Davis there with Joel Selwood, the captain of Geelong, looking like an absolute fairytale princess, I mean, that's every little girl's dream. And she just looks amazing and own that gown. So I think it's a huge combination of what you've created and how you've done it so well for her and then how she walked it and wore it and really owned that red carpet. So that must have been pretty special to see that. Yes, it was. We've been working with Britt for maybe six weeks. So we sat down and we designed something and then we made it and then we changed it. We did it. We changed again. We did. We changed again. We did. I think we did that like about five or six times and then the day before it was all done. And you know, Britt's been amazing. She's a special needs teacher. So that just, you know, says a lot about her. So when I was asked to dress her, yeah, straight away. And as you would, wow, it's one of the most beautiful dresses I've ever seen in my life and you've done a lot of beautiful creations in yourself. So that was pretty special to see you on those papers and just made me so proud. I mean, we've known each other for a while now to see that. I was like, wow, it was only a matter of time and that's, that's neat. And then also, so you also dressed, what was it, Tegan Martin, who is Miss Universe Australia at the Deli Ames? Yes. Oh, we're just showing one. We're just showing one more of Britt Davis here on the screen and then we'll get one of Tegan up there on the red carpet. So, yeah, what was it? How did that come about? It came about a good friend of mine that's a stylist just called me a couple of days before I did the brown loads and we just, you know, chat about what he was after and what look he was after for Tegan. We then, yes, sent a couple of dresses up and bang, you know, really amazing. Yeah. So it's a really, it can be a really different process depending on, it's, I guess it's like art, as you said, with, with Brits, you kind of kept working on it, working on it and it evolved over time. And then with Tegan's, you just kind of, you sort of had a feel of what you knew what to do or how do you decide as a, as a designer, artist essentially is what you are. Okay. So the truth of it is this, with Brits, she's an album based, so she came and saw us and we, you know, spent a long time doing that. With Tegan's, hers was something out of our collection. So, her stylist, Rainn Gagas, loved some things we sent, goes over and then, yeah, he chose one. We did choose some tiny changes, but yeah, that was easy. Yeah. Wow. And those sleeves are incredible. We've got the sleeves up on the screen at the moment. They're amazing. What inspired you to do those type of sleeves? I just wanted something with movement. My thing about fashion, it's a form of art which sort of has to move. So because that dress is quite structured, I just wanted the arms to move. Beautiful. And so this wasn't your first experience dealing with celebrities as such. I mean, you're no stranger to dealing with a lot of the other well-known celebrity names in Australia and America. I mean, you've worked with Delta Goodrum and Kelly Osborne. I mean, we're here in, obviously, the Hawaii that a lot of Americans would probably know Kelly Osborne a little bit more than Delta Goodrum, but Danny Manogue and, you know, even you've done some work with Susan Sarandon. I mean, just the list goes on and on. But what I do notice is it's often really powerful, confident women that you dress and that really inspires me to see, especially, you know, for savvy chicks, these people to aspire to. It's quite, I mean, stars in themselves, the voice, the X factor. I mean, is there any sort of show that you haven't been on where it's all about people's talent? You know, Australia's got talent. I know, it's been overwhelming. Yes, I never thought of that, but yes. Yeah, it's... And so how did you come across, or how did they come across you, or how did that all happen? You know, I think it's really been a big road with social media. So, you know, that's a big part of it. We deal with lots of stylists from abroad, you know, and Australia, and they seem to either see us online or see something we've done in the past, and then, yeah, they just call us and we have a chat. So is it a lot of times the stylist that actually you deal with before the celebrities, at how it works? Yes. So the stylists get a feel for the celebrity and then they can choose the designers, I suppose, that would match that style? Yes, that's right. So the stylists will call us and we'll have a chat with them and then we make the talent and we have a chat with her, you know, yeah. So are there certain, like, have you ever had a people approach and it just wasn't the right fit for you? Has that ever happened? Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's happened. And I think that's important for, you know, for yourself as a designer and that's why you've been able to be so successful is to choose people that align with your own brand as well, because it's not just about them. It's also about you at the end of the day and protecting your brand and from a marketing background, you've just done an amazing, amazing job with that. So one of the collections you've done, I mean, you've even done the Australia's top model. That's quite exciting. Sophie, she's only 17. I mean, look at her go and just own that dress. Wow. And again, it was that stylist that came and found you and you just worked with them and... Yes, that's right. Yes. Very, very cool. Now the gladiator range, that was, I mean, I've always, every time I've worn your dress, I felt so confident and so amazing. It flipped like a glove, but this gladiator range that you came out with a couple years at the Fashion Week, where did that even come from? That was insane in my mind. It was so powerful. What was the inspiration behind that? Thank you. So that's, I first did the collection before that was Birds of Prey. And that was a really dark part of my life. I was dealing with lots of personal issues. So I turned into a bird that killed basically. So Trump months after I became a gladiator because I was strong, I was fearless, I was powerful. So I designed things for that character, which I've loved, which was amazing. And, you know, and that all started by being at home and watching the gladiator movie. Oh. And to me, I wasn't being that person. Well, I mean, any of those dresses, I think that if any woman put them on, even if they didn't feel confident, they couldn't not. It just, it was such a powerful range. And that's when, I guess, when we looked at the pictures of celebrities in the prior images there, a lot of them did choose your gladiator range to wear. Yeah. Yeah, that's, we even had Kelly Osborne on, you know, wearing your gladiator with a snake around her. Now that's taken things to the next level. Yes, we did. So why I really wanted to get you on the show is you inspire me so much. I mean, I've seen your, I've seen you over the years and just keep on on your craft. And as you said, through everything you go through, you bring that in. And that's a true artist to me. And for those watching today, I really want you to be able to share and today and every day after this, when they can watch the replay. Like, you know, I want to know a bit more about Jason Gretch, the actual person. And getting real with Jason Gretch is really what I'd like to take people, you know, like, who are you and where did you come from and this type of thing. So when you were little, what did you want to do when you grew up? So when I was little, I used to want to be a chef. So I was in a, just I did that for about six months. And then it was just dirty. I really hated the dirty cans, you know. So then I went back to school again and then studied accounting. I did that for two years. Then I thought that that was a bit boring for me, you know, doing gel. And then when I was overseas and I was like, yeah, fashion's it. So I, yeah, came home and studied. So did you ever have a fashion inkling when you were younger, like as a child or? Not really at all. Well, we've got some pictures we're showing you Jason. It looks like you might have. I used to play with money. So I'd dress those all the time. So, you know, it possibly started at that time. So when you were overseas, what was it that inspired fashion then to you? You know, from a chef to accounting, then what was it overseas that you saw or? So, again, the truth of the story is I was dating somebody and that person loved fashion. At that time, I did not or not, I didn't. I just didn't want to be a designer, you know. I had never really thought about it. And then I am thought, what will be my sweetest revenge? This person's really broken my heart. What would it be? And I'm fraudulent, you know. Again, I turned my pain into power. Pain to power. That is awesome. I'm going to quote that for you from now on forever. Pain to power. Wow. That's all. I had no idea that was part of that story. Pain to power. We're going to hold it for two seconds. Take a short break and come back to you with more pain to power in the next segment. Aloha everyone. I hope you've been watching Think The Kauai. But I'm here to invite you to watch me on Viva Hawaii every Monday at 3 p.m. I'm waiting for you. Mahalo. Aloha. My name is Danelia, D-A-N-E-L-I-A. And I'm the other half of the duo, John Newman. We are the co-host of Keys to Success, which is live on Think Tech live streaming network series weekly on Thursdays at 11 a.m. Aloha. Aloha. Hello. My name is Crystal. Let me tell you my talk show. I'm all about health. It's healthy to talk about sex. It's healthy to talk about things that people don't talk about. It's healthy to discuss things that you think are unhealthy because you need to talk about it. So I welcome you to watch Quok Talk and engage in some provocative discussions on things that do relate to healthy issues and have a well-balanced attitude in life. Join me. Aloha. Welcome back to the second segment of the Savvy Chick Show on Think Tech, Hawaii. We are here with one of my favorite, most incredible people I know, Jason Gretz, the international fashion designer from Melbourne, Australia. Now it's all about pain to power, according to our last segment. And we're excited to hear more from Jason. So welcome back, Jason. That was good. I liked how we ended that segment there. So along your journey, and when you were going from being basically wanting to be a chef and then in accounting, and then you said you were going to be a designer, what did the people around you say? They all thought I was crazy. They thought I was nothing. They just thought I had no goals. I remember my sister saying, Jason, you're going to end up not having a job because she thought I changed and she actually thought I was lazy, surprisingly. What does she think now? She thinks I work too much. Isn't it incredible when you find something that inspires you so much that you just don't even want to stop doing it, but someone you can be seen as lazy? I mean, I interviewed a young girl who does sailing the other week and she's only 17 years old and she said when she was younger, everyone thought she was lazy and now she wakes up at four in the morning every day to go sailing because she found what lights her up and she doesn't stop. Yeah, that happens. And so did you ever think, oh, that's your dog. Feel free to welcome Jackson, your dog there. Jackson is a celebrity in himself. Is this Jackson? Hello, Jackson. What's his Instagram? The Adventures of Jackson with an X. The Adventures of J-A-X-O-N? Yes, that's right. Oh, awesome. For any of you watching, he has some awesome pictures on there. And of course, you can follow Jason Gretch at Jason Gretch on Instagram there. So people did tell you it wasn't possible and then what made you, you just kept doing it and thought I'm going to prove them wrong or how did you train your mind to just keep going? Again, just turning into power. You know, I think that people always knock us down. I think that people always try and put us in a box, but it's up to us to change that and to, you know, make people or not even make people, just make yourself, just give yourself some time, set some goals and do it. I think, yeah. So give yourself some time, set some goals and just go for it. Yeah, that's right. And then turn that pain into power. Pain into power. And I just want to share like a little bit of behind the scenes. So then you basically started doing, would you start sketching? So you did study design. You went to university and you did a design course. And then was there a particular type of fashion you gravitated towards at that time? Yes, I was doing women's wear. So then I got a job during work experience. And then I was there for about six years. I started off, sorry, this is Jackson. And he wants his toy and he's driving us all nuts. So that's all that. And so then I worked there for six years. And then I was, you know, I got a big board and then I started Jason Gretch. And what was the first type of style that you started? Did you start, I know you're very famous for your wedding. Did you start with bridal couture or what did you start with? With evening wear. With evening wear? Evening wear, okay. Which makes sense now with all the red carpet you're doing. And then I had a store and I used to target girls between 18 and about 30. And it was all really short and party dresses. And then from there you sort of got inspired to do, when did the bridal inspiration come from? The bridal inspiration comes from doing my niece's gown. So I've got six brothers and four sisters. And I've got many, many nieces and nephews. One of them got married, yeah. And then you just did a wedding dress and then you were inspired from that time. That's right. So what have been sort of the biggest challenges you faced along the way? Just to give people an idea of what it's like to follow your kind of career and what kind of challenges you can come across. Well there's, I think there's many of them. I think the biggest one is staying true. I think there's lots of outside forces that try and, or try and pull and grab it take years. So I think that's probably the biggest one. So another one would be long hours. I've worked on Monday, Tuesday I did and probably that's 16 hour days. And I did the same on Wednesday. And I've, you know, and it's Thursday and I've probably worked about 40 hours. And you know, and also just coming up with new designs. That's a big one. So how do you come up with new designs? And where do they come from? Do they come from within and you just sketch? Because I mean, you sketch them and then you make the pattern and then you actually sew them and you work with the client. It's just incredible. Your talent doesn't stop. I mean, you're all rounded. Yeah. Well normally, yeah. Thank you. And I generally design things I love. So I brought an example with the gladiator. You know, it was a powerful time in my life. This year I did this juxtaposition collection and I partnered with IBM. So this was a world first collage. So they asked me, you know, I am to chat with them and they asked me to partner with them and to design a collection using IBM and Watson's insights. And that was really amazing. And they just told me, you know, it just gave me data on predicted colours, styles, trends and things like that, which is very different to how I've designed in the past. But, you know, this collection has been really successful. The dresses, I mean, at Spring Fashion Week this year with IBM, that collaboration, IBM, Watson, that is absolutely incredible. So you actually use a computer program to assist you. So that's the first time that you had done that? That's right. So it's actually, Mark Keiser did the first dress. You would be called Mark Keiser did a dress that had lights on for the Met Gala. So they did the first gown. Well, why? And I did the first ever collection. So, yeah, with the computer system. And the colours. I mean, is that something that you found from that as well? Because the colours are beautiful. I love the pastels. The pink. I'm in love with the pink. All the pink. I mean, I'm wearing bright pink. I like to wear bright colours. But those pastels in the purple is gorgeous. Thank you. So will there be more coming of that? Is there more to that that we can expect to? That's hope so. That's hope so. Well, I mean, be rude, not to really. We're just, we are showing some of the images just at the moment now of Spring Fashion Week. I just, I mean, every collection you do, I'm more and more inspired by. I just wonder what you're going to come up with next. So the next thing that is coming up, I guess, is Spring Fashion Week? No. We've just passed that. Oh, yeah, that's right. So what's next? Next is our bridal collection. Bridal, right. Bridal. Bridal Brides. Jackson, I'm sorry. We love having Jackson. He just wants a spotlight. It's okay, Jackson. We'll get you your own show. I think he's just, he's just, he's just jealous. So what will you be doing with the bridal? Like what's, what's happening with bridal? Are there some new designs to look out for or? Yeah. So what I do is I do one evening collection and one bridal collection per annum. So we've done the, you know, just done evening and now it's our bridal. So, but, but, you know, this is all to our really busy, bridal client times. So we work with those and we make, you know, some really awesome new things for them. We also do things for the races because that's coming up and that's really exciting time. And then we'll start to design again. Oh yeah. Racing time. Cause that's huge. Racing is huge in Melbourne. So that's, that's something that you've done a bit with in the past and you've been, you've, um, what is it? What's the racing, um, fashion? Is it fashion on the field? Fashion's on the field. Yes. So you'll be doing that again this year? Not this time. Not this time. You've kind of been there and mastered that. We got to, we're doing IBM. We're mixing fashion technology now. Like, come on. That's awesome. Um, so just a few things, cause we only have a few minutes left. I'm definitely going to ask you for some advice for, for all those dreamers out there. But firstly, for anyone who has been inspired by your collections, how can they, can they, you know, order from you or how does that process work? If they want a wedding dress or a normal dress or how, how do they get about that? Um, just, um, just, um, a website. Yeah. Which is JasonFreds.com. And then so can, can they just order a dress online or do they have to work with you and make a couture or how does that, or is there either either and both these days? Yeah, both these days. We can do both of those. And the greatest thing is, I mean, anytime I've come and tried on a dress, you haven't even had to make it for me. I've actually just put it on and it's fit like a glove. So that, I mean, that is one of the things right from the beginning that inspired me is I put on the dress and I just felt so powerful and confident, but we always had fun. And that was the main thing. I mean, we did a few, a few fun events with, um, at Bowles in, in Melbourne, Australia. And I've got a few photos coming up here with Robert Dipper Domingo as everyone knows he's an AFL ambassador and just a hood of a person to hang out with. We did have some fun, fun days back in the day in Melbourne, Jason. So I'll, memories I'll always cherish. Thank you. Design. Before, before we wrap up though, what's, what advice do you have for, um, either those who want to follow just any dream and, and then in particular, those who want to follow a dream in fashion? I just think to it, I think you just have to leave all your opinions at the door, leave everyone else's opinions at the door and just really focus on what you want to do and do it. You know, I'm a type of person that, you know, I mean, me, I'm Western suburbs from Melbourne, working class, family with a stutter. You know, I just, you know, who would have thought I'd be doing what I do? Definitely not me. So I think the, my best advice would be just believe, believe, believe, because it's out there. And if anyone can do it, you can. You know, I've, you know, had obstacles, which have been really hard and they still aren't like, you know, public speaking still kills me. There's interviews killing me. And, but, you know, you just do it. That's, thank you so much, Jason. I mean, you may say this, you know, interview it's not your thing, but the words that you say come straight from the heart. And I know that they will, I mean, I was getting goosebumps as you were talking then and almost get tears in my eyes just because I know how much, no, it really will inspire people watching it to, it doesn't matter where you come from, where you've been, it's just, as you say, you just get something and you go for it and don't let anyone get in your way. So it means so much to my heart to have you on the show today and thank you so, so much because I know you're working a million hours a week and yeah, it means a lot. So thank you. Thank you for all that you do. Keep shining because you're bright star that's just going to make everyone shine brighter and I can't wait to see you hopefully soon in Australia. Thank you, Chantel. Aloha, lots of love from all of us in Hawaii. Bye-bye. See you, Savvy Chicks. We'll see you next time.