In the first of a series of articles, we go behind the scenes with StyleAID to bring you some of the stories of the creative and talented group of people who make this event happen. This month Zoe Carter heard from the dynamic driving forces behind StyleAID – event manager Mark Reid and stylist Aly May as they reminisced on StyleAID and the working relationship necessary to pull it off.
OiP: Can you talk about your first show working together?
Aly: We’ve worked together 10 years, but not really ‘together’ together until 8 years ago. My first involvement was getting a phone call about 6 weeks out of the event, when the committee decided that they needed a stylist. It was horrible. It was such a big gig with such a short amount of prep. I walked away thinking if I’m going to be involved with this again, I want to be a part of it. I was fortunate then to be invited onto the committee.
Mark: We were at the Hyatt and all of us were getting changed in the kitchen area in the back because hair and makeup were in those rooms. The chefs were screaming at the waiting staff to get everything out and Aly was trying to get the models organized.
OiP: Has it evolved?
Aly: There have been improvements!
Mark: But new challenges every year because there is that expectation that we have to make that next year even better. We would all get bored if we did the same thing every year.
Aly: Of course if we had money… but the challenge is doing it purely on a volunteer basis and getting other people to come on board with such a passion that they don’t mind. Luckily, it has a good reputation because the core people involved do have such a passion.
Mark: We have some of the best design talent in West Australia, and thought surely we can do a show that showcases just this talent. Bringing in emerging designers was a breath of fresh air. It gives the audience a chance to see an innovative bit of design.
We have managed to evolve and become a family. So, while it does shift and people come for a period of time and leave it, there is a core at the centre that feels like family. If I am having a hard day I know I can ring Aly. We know we can be there for each other and support one another through it. At the end, you just go ‘Fuck, what have we created once again?’
Honestly we are in a relationship for 3 months leading up to the event. Both of our partners really don’t see us. You get so consumed by it that every waking moment is about StyleAID. It is just my focus.
Aly: We are very fortunate that we have [partners] John and Trevor because without their support it wouldn’t exist either…
…I can’t imagine giving it up. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without it. Obviously I have other work. I have to earn money. However, once it gets 2 or 3 months out, nothing else will stand in the way. It will take over my life. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing well. I don’t do anything half-heartedly.
Mark: Aly is like that. 150% of her soul goes into everything she does. One reason StyleAID has been so successful is the evolutionary processes, a lot of that has come from Aly. That has enabled us to raise money for charity. At the end of the day, that’s our goal, and it constantly has to be met. Aly has the ability to put this show on the catwalk with no budget. And she does it every year whether it is goldfish in bloody see-through handbags or boys tipping Pellegrino down their Bonds singlets. She has the vision to make it look like the million dollar shot. People think we spend fortunes, but we don’t. We have people like Aly who create this incredible spectacle for people. People here are happy because we make money to fund programs.
Aly: I do try to keep that in my head. I am reminded every year of what the event is here for. It is important to be to be reminded. When I get to X amount of years, I will look back and my life will have been punctuated by StyleAID. It isn’t until I talk about it like this that I realize just how significant it is in my life.
OiP: What are you excited about for this year’s StyleAID?
Aly: Getting it organized. The whole creative concept has usually arrived in my head by early October. I’m really looking forward to seeing my vision and actually doing it. It always gets watered down, but I look forward to achieving a good result. I have this huge mountain to climb and a lot of things to do, but the sense of achievement for me is unbelievable. I don’t really see the show. I’m not really interested in it. I work in the front, but I’m so focused I don’t absorb it as entertainment. The satisfaction is not in seeing the show, but in achieving it. My goal now is getting to 8 o’clock on August 10th. Once I’ve gotten to that point I’ve done my job. The next exciting thing is finding how much money we made and if everyone loved it.
Mark: For me all those things plus the fact that this is the first year we can afford a stage.
