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.
Jon Dyball joined the High Society Design Team as the Catalyst Designer in September 2010.
Jon comes to High Society with 20 years experience, across the clothing industry’s spectrum, from patternmaking and production thru design, in both men’s and women’s wear.
Jon’s career began in menswear, where he spent eleven years mastering fine tailoring. Eventually, with a need to expand his creative abilities, Jon delved head first into a new creative dimension, entering the “wonderful world of women’s wear”!
Jon’s unique “handwriting” is bright, playful and clever. Full of colour and texture, his work fits perfectly into the Catalyst ideal of an “adventurous and sparkling personality”.
Jon is in his late thirties and has two children, who, although they live with their mother Caroline, spend shared time with their father and have inherited not only his passion for life, but also his love of creativity.
Not to be grounded by life’s rules and regulations, Jon sees outside the square and happily explores the use of unconventional and unexpected design elements.
Jon is a very welcome addition to the HSL Design Team and his appointment has brought a freshness and highly creative skill base that will maintain HSL’s position as a frontrunner on the New Zealand fashion scene.