Kelly Coe is fashion designer and owner of the Augustine International label. Kelly lives in Auckland with husband Nathan and two daughters, Indiana Myla and Demi Hanaya. Annemarie Quill caught up with Kelly for clues to what inspires her.
The inspiration behind my label is women who want to look amazing, different, beautiful and sexy. Not wallflowers, not women who wear only black, but women with a little bit of spunk and zest for life. Colourful women with a smile on their faces."
Kelly spent most of her childhood in Tauranga and attended Otumoetai College. After a stint at Nike NZ, she cut her teeth as brand manager at High Society in Auckland, before branching out on her own.
She launched Augustine International in 2008 in Auckland, and the following year opened her first flagship store in the Mount.
"The Mount has some great boutiques. You can get most New Zealand designer labels now in the Bay, which is great. "There really are a lot of very stylish women around. It is a more relaxed style and we find that our most popular styles in the Mount store are a lot different to those of our Newmarket store. It's a stylish take on relaxed beach wear."
"The name Augustine comes from the fact that myself, my mum, my granddad and one of my best friends were all born in August. I also loved the name for a baby boy, but have since had two girls. We went with Augustine as it was more feminine that August on its own."
Kelly says there is no typical customer as she aims to design for a wide variety of women.
"When I am designing a full collection I sit and think: 'Would my friend wear this? Would I wear that? Is there something in here my mum and her friends would wear?'
"I also think about different occasions. I aim to tick all the boxes of something to wear to a wedding, to a party, to lunch with the girls, to the office, to go to the supermarket in.
"If I can cross off all those things then I have a good range."
Kelly's collections are worn by a variety of ages. "We have customers from 20s through to 50s and 60s. It's all about how you wear a piece. To a 20-year-old, a silk tunic will be a dress, but to a 40-year-old it's a top to wear with skinny jeans. I do get told by my staff that we have a lot of yummy mummies shopping in our stores, looking for something glam to wear out or a fab top to wear to lunch with friends."
For inspiration, Kelly looks at everyday women in the street and at celebrities on the red carpet.
"I admit I do watch the Kardashians - that Kourtney does know how to dress." Other cultures also inspire her.
"I love the mix of colours that African women wear with their necklaces and jewels, or how the petite women of Japan pull together edgy oversized pieces on their tiny frames. I love boho - it's effortlessly chic. I also love the colours of carnivals and festivals with all their multicoloured flags and gypsy buses with hand-painted flowers."
Colour is what most rocks Kelly's world.
"I am inspired by anything or anyone colourful, a woman wearing colour in a sea of black makes me smile."
Calling all fashionistas
Think you can wear a cut above the rest? Prizes of $1600 worth of Augustine International vouchers for the three best dressed ladies at the Flavours in the Bay Festival. Register by emailing your name, address, phone number and age to events@bayofplentytimes.co.nz by March 2. Read more...