DEREK HENDERSON FOR STOLEN GIRLFRIENDS CLUB

Kia ora Derek. You have worked with Stolen before, and it’s obvious that you are well and truly part of the SGC family, but I’m not sure where it all started.

How did your relationship with the brand begin?

I think the first collaboration was when SGC had just started up; I remember this young bunch of surfers taking on the fashion industry and I was like here we go, this is going to be interesting.

Can you tell us the back stories of some of the images featured in this collection? Even just one that has an interesting story?

I like to go on road trips around NZ when I can, I don't live in NZ so it doesn’t happen that often. The image of the horse and foal was taken near the lighthouse on the East Cape. I always enjoy going there, the drive from Te Araroa is spectacular and there are very few people. I often park the car up and take a skinny dip on one of the many beautiful beaches all on my own.

 

 

How would you describe your relationship with the locations/ scenes you shoot (especially the ones featured in the collection). Are you capturing passing-through type moments, or do these locations hold significance to you?

 They are just observations i make of places i go to, often they are fleeting and i see them from the car and stop and go back and take a photo. There's something I enjoy very much about just getting in a car and going for a drive. Some places I return to, they seem to have a hold on me.

 

How do you feel about seeing someone walking down a street wearing one of your works?

It's not normally how you would see your images, for the most they are in magazines, galleries, books. I like it because it feels like it's giving life back to something that's normally seen as static. Marc does a great job of transforming those images. It's not how I see them so I like that he does that.

I know he did a range with some of my Hydrangea images that I hadn't shown in the past. I remember going to the store in New Market at the opening and this older lady walked in wearing an outfit that was top to toe of my Hydrangea images, it blew me away seeing like that on someone.

 

There are some great brands in New Zealand right now. What do you like about Stolen and their vibe/ vision?

 It has a punk feel about it, it's different and feels vibrant. Marc’s not scared to try things and he has a unique vision.