Murray Crane Photo: Supplied
You’ll almost always catch Murray Crane in tailored clothing. Perhaps a puffer jacket on Sunday mornings while walking his dog but certainly never a sloganed t-shirt.
The fashion designer is celebrating 25 years of the label Crane Brothers and to mark the occasion, the company is teaming up with The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi to launch a Laureate Award for design. Gifted biennially, the $30,000 grant will acknowledge design as an art form. The 10-year commitment will consider design across a range of disciplines including industrial, product, architectural, and interior design. It’ll also include sustainable innovation.
Speaking to Culture 101’s Perlina Lau, Murray Crane says art has always been a part of his life. For him, these are “his people”.
He’s collaborated with artists on installations over the years and in his flagship High Street store in central Auckland, Crane has pieces by Gordon Walters and Billy Apple on display.
“Art was always at the forefront of our lives, in our discussions. My father’s siblings were all artistic.”
Crane’s grandfather and great-grandfather were both commercial artists. It’s no surprise then that he pursued a creative career.
Despite growing up in a small rural farming town, in Canterbury, Crane has always been drawn to suits from a young age. As a teenager he would wear suits he bought from op shops during mufti-days at Geraldine High School.
"There was some burning desire inside me to buck against the trend. I didn’t want to be like anyone else. I wasn’t particularly good at all the things you needed to be good at going to a small district high school in the middle of a rural community. So, if you haven’t found your voice, you tend to do it through self-expression.”
It was also a way to avoid getting dressed by his mother, so on trips to Timaru or Ōtautahi Christchurch, Crane would trawl through shops looking for clothes.
Two-and-a-half decades in business hasn’t been without drama. An electrical fire at the first shop, nine months after opening, forced the store to close for one year; the brothers had a falling out and Murray kicked his brother out of the business - they have since reconciled.
He has been described as demanding and difficult to work for.
“I’ve always tried to be straightforward about how I do things. I guess it’s that passion that carries you through.”
Fashion design and retail in New Zealand is a demanding and a small market “never without its challenges”.
Crane says you need to be single-minded which could also translate to being “pig-headed or intolerant.”
“But I’m all those things and none of them at the same time. I’m always aspiring to be better.”
So, when it comes to fashion, what do men want? And, specifically Kiwi men?
“I would say most men don’t know what they want - which creates an incredible amount of anxiety.”
Part of establishing a relationship and trust with his clients is being honest about what and what doesn’t look good on them, he says. The internet has been both a blessing and a curse. People, he notes, now have access to unlimited curated images of what they could wear. But if you don’t know what looks good on you, it can be overwhelming and misleading.
Crane has despaired over the downward spiral of formality - particularly in the workplace but says thankfully, there’s movement towards dressing more professionally again.
“Men should dress slightly more classic as they get older. It’s a bit like driving the right car.”
You’re always going to look good in tailoring, well-fitting clothes made from good fabrics and there comes a time in your life when you should no longer wear a t-shirt with a slogan on it.”
But Kiwis pride themselves on being relaxed, casual and approachable. It’s part of the charm.
“That’s the issue here in New Zealand,” he replies. “We are a very relaxed nation by default. There are a lot of reasons why you should be focused on what you’re wearing. It’s about personal brand, the way other people see you, confidence, how you interact with other people.
“Whether you like it or not, subliminally, people judge us by how we look. For better or for worse - based on colour and based on the way clothes fit.”
Crane says it’s not about being a fashion plate and having shoes in 15 different colours, it’s a basic understanding of what colours and what styles work for you as an individual.
“Especially in traditional services like law, accounting and recruitment - the presentation is a big part of how you progress as a person and how your career progresses.”
So would Murray Crane change anything about New Zealand fashion?
“I wouldn’t change anything. We are who we are. I’m lucky enough there are enough people out there who like what I like and shop with me. You’ve got to have variety. You’ve got to have the bad to appreciate the good.”
