MOTHERS DAY: Trent & Marewa

A mother's love for her son is like no other and this is no exception for the beautiful Marewa and Trent.

For nearly two years, Trent has been a part of The Shelter & taylor family and is currently working as our Design and Workroom Assistant. His magnetic personality and gender-bending sense of style that pushes boundaries is a priceless asset to both the brand and the team. Marewa and Trent have an effortless style so we recently sat down with them both for a catch-up and to learn a little bit more about their mother-son dynamic.

Trent wears the MM6 Maintain Dress in Camel, the MM6 Lycra One Piece, the Symetria Undertone Pants and his own shoes. Marewa wears the Sweatshirting Singularity Jacket, the Disparity Shirt, the Subvert Shorts and the Front Runner Sneakers.

Tell us a little about yourself?

Marewa: I currently reside in Hamilton during the working week and travel to our farm/bach on the west coast in the small coastal township of Marokopa to spend my weekends!

What inspires you the most about each other?

Marewa: Trent’s beautiful nature inside and out. He is both simple yet complex and it is all wrapped up in one splendorous bundle. A soul that everyone finds truly hard not to love and very lucky to have met.

Trent: My mother is quite unapologetic and she does things with conviction which isn’t something that comes completely naturally to me. This confidence and sense of authenticity is something I admire and have always looked up to.

Trent wears the MM6 Maintain Dress in Camel, the MM6 Lycra One Piece, the Symetria Undertone Pants and his own shoes. Marewa wears the Sweatshirting Singularity Jacket, the Long Sleeve Network Tunic (coming soon), the Subvert Shorts and the Front Runner Sneakers.

What is one of your happiest memories as a family?

Marewa: My happiest memories/moments with my family are when we are home together cooking a meal, music playing, fire roaring, tv blasting in the background and all chatting about our daily encounters and future plans with a wine in one hand.

Trent: Any moment of togetherness with my family is a happy one for me. Whether that is just with my mother, father and sister or my aunts, uncles and cousins. My family, close and extended, are a touchstone for me as they represent something unconditional that is deeply comforting.

Trent wears the Calyx Coat from Uma Wang, the Grandiflora Dress from Jimmy D, and his own shoes. Marewa wears the Cropt Direct Pant and the Lantern Top from Issey Miyake and the Easy Piece Heeld Boot from Puro.

How would you describe your signature style?

Marewa: Pieces that are a little bold but simple. If the colour/feel of the fabric is right for me, I am 90% sold instantly. Having the right footwear is a must to complement my outfit.

Trent: I find that I’m quite drawn to pieces of clothing that have some unconventional element, whether that be silhouette or fabrication or colour. This often makes it difficult to build a cohesive wardrobe but it’s an enjoyable challenge accommodating pieces of clothing that make you rethink how you would conventionally dress - I think ultimately they create better outfits.

Trent wears the Calyx Coat from Uma Wang, the Grandiflora Dress from Jimmy D, and his own shoes. Marewa wears the Cropt Direct Pant and the Lantern Top from Issey Miyake and the Easy Piece Heeled Boot from Puro.

What do you love about each other style?

Marewa: Trent’s natural ability to style something simple or different into an amazing outfit no matter what it is. He instantly knows what works or not and then owns it.

Trent: She definitely prioritises comfort when it comes to her dressing. However, I’ve always loved how she pairs a more casual piece with her quite ornate and formal jewellery that she wears every day. It instils an air of consideration and formality that I try to emulate in my own personal style.

Trent wears the Ricco Top from Studio B3, the Convene Tunic, Conclusion Coat, the Subvert Short from taylor and his own boots. Marewa wears the Round Collar Shirt in Oatmeal from Thyen, Washed Station Pant and Extension Tank from taylor.

Can you expand on your career, and how you approach dressing for work?

Marewa: Running five different entities under our umbrella ranging from manufacturing ornate fibrous plaster products, interior plastering company, commercial and residential properties and a dry stock farm my approach to dressing for work is very varied. From heels to gumboots pretty much sums it up - I have often been caught out and have received strange looks from staff and customers.

Trent: My working wardrobe really comes down to how I’m feeling that day, I really have to love my outfit otherwise I feel quite off for the day if I don’t have confidence in what I’m wearing. Sometimes this eventuates in wearing not the most practical piece to be cutting samples all day long!

What are we most likely to find you doing on the weekend, and how does your casual style differ on your days off?

Marewa: Relaxing at our bach and indulging in a long sleep in, mixed with some Netflix surfing after a full-on working week in the city. When the rest of the family have vacated the house to attend to farm duties or gone hunting & fishing and I’m home alone, I love throwing on my shorts, sweater, jandals and sunglasses and enjoying some me-time.

Trent: A truly divine weekend experience is to walk to Cazador Deli near my house and get an almond croissant and long black to take home and eat in bed!!

My casual style is a lot more nostalgic I find. I often wear old sweatshirts and t-shirts I’ve stolen from my father and grandfather. I love the way they age and patina over time you can’t really buy that same sort of experience when buying new clothing.

Trent wears the Collarless Shirt, Stand Collar Shirt and Apron Pants from Thyen. Marewa wears the Alina Dress from Uma Wang and the Easy Piece Heeld Boot from Puro.

Tell us about a seminal or memorable moment in your career so far, and how it’s lead to where you are today.

Marewa: Being the first woman ever employed in the early ’90s as Production/Branch Manager for a well-known home building company throughout NZ. Achieving this position was very memorable and little did I know back then how hard it would be to venture into a man’s world. The challenges required a lot of soul searching to figure ways around acceptance for your knowledge, capabilities and devotion to successfully grow the branch with your team, to benefit all.

The learning curves learnt over that 9 year period set me in good stead to where I am now. I found the biggest reward was always the relationships you developed with people that count on you the most, this resulted in personal and company success.

Trent: Creating my graduate collection for university was quite seminal as it was such a rigorous and challenging experience that showed me what I was able to achieve. That undertaking instilled confidence and validation not only in my work but also in myself.

Trent wears the Collarless Shirt, Stand Collar Shirt and Apron Pants from Thyen. Marewa wears the Alina Dress from Uma Wang and the Easy Piece Heeled Boot from Puro.

Outside of work, what are you passionate about?

Trent: Over the past year I’ve been drawn into the world of interior design and home objects, most likely because of the friendship I’ve fostered with Ade and Nat from In Black. It felt like quite a natural shift from fashion as my taste and aesthetics are very similar in both realms.

Marewa: Right now, it is making decisions around building our new home at Marokopa. It has been a dream for the last 5 years but finally, I am walking the talk and getting things underway. I have had strict instructions from Trent to not purchase any home furnishings until I have had his approval. Thanks Ade and Nat!!

Trent wears the Collarless Shirt, Stand Collar Shirt and Apron Pants from Thyen. Marewa wears the Alina Dress from Uma Wang and the Easy Piece Heeld Boot from Puro.

What pieces are you loving from The Shelter that you just have to have?

Marewa: Comfort is a very big element for me when it comes to dressing. When trying pieces on for our photoshoot I found the Issey Miyake 132 5. range to be the perfect combination of comfort and aesthetics. They were wearable yet the pleated structures ensured they looked considered and thoughtful.

Trent: Thyen’s overshirts are truly covetable pieces. Watching them come into the workroom in small drops to be processed in their muted tones and impeccable details has really swept me up. Having owned Thyen pieces myself for many years - I think I acquired my first piece at 16 - I still find myself wearing them today which is a testament to their quality and timelessness.