Robyn joined HSL in 1964, married Bill Hall (then MD) in 1973 and took over the daily running of the business in 1989. Robyn was appointed Managing Director in 1990 and since then has developed a company culture focused on innovative fashion design supported by outstanding customer service. Robyn is passionate about the business of fashion and is immensely proud of the continued success of the widely recognized brands – Catalyst, Chocolat, Mosaic and Obi.
Samantha joined HSL as CFO in February 2009. Prior to this Sam held the position of Financial Director and Executive Board Member for a group of 16 companies, over a period of 6 years. Sam’s experience includes financial and human resource management on strategic, tactical and operational levels and has also served on the Executive and Risk Committees of various distribution, manufacturing and services companies. Sam is a certified Chartered Accountant.
Jane joined the business in 2002 to create the first Chocolat collection for Winter 2003. An award winning designer with success both here and internationally; Jane has won several Benson and Hedges awards, including the After Five section and the Wool Award. Her label was also showcased by the Benson and Hedges Show. She represented New Zealand in a spectacular show of international designers, all chosen to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the world’s first branded textile, “Viyella” held at The Goldsmith’s Hall in London in the late 80’s. Jane’s label “Betsy Ruff” strutted the catwalk amongst Dior, Versace and Ralph Lauren to name but a few. “....it was surreal...sitting there amongst the icons of fashion, in a great hall, dripping with gold leaf and chandeliers......I was completely overwhelmed....”
Jane’s inspiration stems from “anywhere and everywhere...”. She is a graduate of Wellington Polytechnic’s School of Design and an avid collector of books on the arts, literature and history of fashion, and her wide knowledge and understanding of fashion’s journey is quietly shared in the collections she creates for Chocolat. Jane’s extensive career includes eight years with her own store “Betsy Ruff”, with which she was one of the first designers to recognise the fantastic potential of Ponsonby Road, in Auckland.
Kat is the latest addition to the design team, joining High Society in 2008 as the Mosaic designer. Kat graduated in Fashion Design from Wellington Polytechnic in 1996, having been a finalist in the Smoke Free Fashion Awards 1996, NZ Wearable Arts Awards 1995, 1996 and Wools of NZ Young Designer Awards in 1995. With a passion for the performing arts and film costume, Kat immersed herself in the arts for 5 years before stepping into mainstream apparel, in 2001. More recently she was a finalist in the Trash to Fashion Awards 2002.
Drawing upon the aesthetics of vintage clothing, popular culture, graphic art, public art and installation - and combining these with inspiration derived from the structures and patterns of nature - Kat delivers collections combining individuality and appropriateness. Clean, crisp, tailored lines that maintain wearability.
Obi is designed by Mary-Ellen Prendergast. She has been with High Society since 2001 and has been Obi’s principal designer since 2006. Mary-Ellen graduated in Fashion Design from Wellington Polytechnic in 1996, and that year was a finalist in the NZ Benson & Hedges Fashion Award for avant-garde and New Zealand wool designers. After working for leading New Zealand designers, Mary-Ellen headed to London where she broadened her skills in a successful commercial design company. She returned to New Zealand in 2000 and after further study in film at Auckland University she joined High Society.
In recent years Mary-Ellen has begun to infuse Obi with her own unique and passionate style, under-pinned by her two key sources of inspiration – New Zealand landscape and culture. Our distinctive landscape evokes a certain calm aura and provides an endless palette to draw from. Mary-Ellen loves nothing more than to delve in our burgeoning arts scene and especially admires the innovative and challenging productions of smaller theatre companies. She is increasingly influenced by New Zealand artists and has recently begun collaborations with glassblowers and painters..