Pictures: Emily Chalk, Stephan & Nakita.
As she prepares to welcome her first child and step into motherhood this winter, Kiwi fashion designer Caitlin Crisp is excited about embracing a new phase of life – one she and husband Andrew Vincent have dreamed of for a long time.
“It’s not just a new chapter – it’s a whole new book!” she grins, a hand resting on her growing bump.
As you’d expect from the much-loved Christchurch-raised designer, 29, the wardrobe for her much-awaited baby boy is filling fast with precious tiny outfits.
Laughs Caitlin, “There are two very distinct sections. My husband has filled his side with his old baby clothes and things he’s bought, which are covered with pictures of helicopters and boats. Then my side has traditional, European-style clothing, like knitted woollen tights, bonnets and plenty of smocking.”
But the couple was totally on the same page when it came to decorating the nursery in their Auckland home. Excited dad-to-be Andrew – “Handy Andy”, quips Caitlin – hung cute wallpaper, changed the lighting and put the furniture together, including a nursing chair and rug his interior-designer mum helped pick out.
“All we need now is our baby boy!” smiles Caitlin.
The couple are enjoying preparing for their son’s arrival in July after a challenging journey to parenthood, including operations to address her polycystic ovaries and a miscarriage soon after their honeymoon in Europe last year.
Thankfully, the couple conceived again shortly afterwards. However, the loss brought them even closer together and made them realise just how ready they were to be parents.
Whānau means everything to them as they both come from close-knit families.
The pair met almost five years ago, during the America’s Cup in Auckland. Caitlin had packed her crossword book for a day out on the water watching the racing, while Andrew, 31, was driving the boat she’d been invited on. They soon found common interests – and an interest in each other.
“We clicked straightaway,” shares Caitlin. “I texted my friend from the boat to ask if he was single. We have lots of friends in common but had never crossed paths before. He was in the right place to meet someone and so was I. We’ve been hand in hand since.”
Andrew – a property development manager with a love of sailing, motorsport and flying helicopters – proposed in front of friends on Waiheke Island. They married last February in the garden of his childhood home in Karaka, surrounded by loved ones. Caitlin wore a stunning “princessy” custom Caitlin Crisp wedding gown, of course!
“It was perfect,” she recalls. “Both of us grew up in homes where our parents have stayed since we were two, so getting married at one of them just felt right.”
The duo has spent a lot of their child-free chapter DIYing, adventuring, travelling and being in or on the water, including a stint sailing a boat from Fiji to Vanuatu. But they’re looking forward to a quieter life this winter, enjoying their newborn. Caitlin’s parents Karen and Phil are even looking to move to Auckland for the first few months.
“This will be the first grandchild on both sides, so everyone’s very excited!” says Caitlin. “I’m so close with my mum, Mama Crisp, so I’m looking forward to having her here to share this experience.”
Caitlin calls her mother every morning on the way to her Ponsonby showroom and recent conversations have revolved around what work life will be like once bub arrives.
“Caitlin Crisp [the label] is like my first baby,” she says. “I love working, so I’m struggling to figure out how that will look once I’m a mother. My mum juggled our household along with her full-time job as a pharmacy and medical centre owner when I was growing up. She’s set a great example for me and knows how I’m feeling.
“At the end of our daily chat, as I park up at work, she says, ‘Tell the baby I say hi. Remember you’re a mum now. Keep things light today.’ As a mother and mentor, she’s everything to me.”
In the world of New Zealand fashion, Caitlin’s name has been quietly building up momentum for several years. She describes her clothing as “classic with a feminine twist”, easy-to-wear pieces with delicate frills, bows and textured details.
With a flagship store on Ponsonby Road – “my friends used to joke about me being the next Karen Walker and now I’m across the road from her!” – and a fiercely loyal customer base, Caitlin can’t believe she’s living her childhood dream.
With her maternal grandma a talented seamstress and her paternal grandpa a tailor, she’s been sewing since she was 12, when an aunt taught her how to read a dress pattern and gifted her a sewing machine.
Soon she was making and selling scrunchies and bows at school for $2 each, setting trends among her classmates. In technology class, her projects stood out. While others made basic pyjama shorts, she would appliqué designs on hers. She added feathers to hems and experimented with technical fabrics.
She even made a ball dress for one of her mates, which her group of girlfriends still talks about today. “It was just in me,” smiles Caitlin. “I was always sewing and creating. I spent more time at the sewing machine than sketching.”
She further honed her skills when she went to boarding school in Auckland in her teen years. Homesick and needing distraction, a sympathetic teacher left the sewing room door open for Caitlin after class finished. She’d spend hours in there.
At just 17, Caitlin launched a menswear label, selling to a handful of stores. Realising she needed to deepen her industry knowledge, she studied fashion formally in Christchurch, before moving to Auckland and working in retail to get a better understanding of business.
Caitlin’s big break came when she appeared as the youngest contestant on Project Runway New Zealand, just missing out on the semifinals. That exposure led to a slot at New Zealand Fashion Week’s Next Gen Show, which introduced her designs to an international audience. She put her first mini collection into production in 2019 and the Caitlin Crisp label has grown steadily ever since.
Of all these milestones, seeing her own mother wear her designs is the most special to Caitlin.
“I love it,” she says. “I design for my younger self, who would’ve aspired to buy it, and for who I am now. And for my future self, which is Mum. If we love it, I know other women will too.”
Caitlin’s not sure yet how much time she’ll be able to devote to her fashion label once motherhood begins. Regardless, she’s content to take things as they come.
“I’m just so excited about creating a family!” she enthuses. “I know being parents is incredibly challenging, but it’s something we’ve both wanted. We can’t wait to meet him.”
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