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8th Aug 2019
Husband and wife team Lara and Matt Fells founded St. Agni in 2014, but it wasn’t until 2018, when the brand released a collection of woven leather shoes, that it reached cult status. The brand has a complete apparel offering, but it’s often their iconic shoes that come to mind, which are even adored by Australian actor Margot Robbie. “It’s so humbling to see Margot wearing our designs!” co-founder Lara Fells told Vogue. “She is such an inspiring, independent woman and I love watching her.”
Now, the brand’s apparel offering is about to steal the focus, with St. Agni launching a complete clothing collection on Moda Operandi, consisting of 33 items – and yes, five new footwear styles. It’s an incredible coup for the couple, who started the label with zero investors and a $10,000 credit card.
St. Agni is currently offered at Harvey Nichols, Bloomingdales and even Brisbane’s own James Street but the brand still operates out of Byron Bay, where the couple still reside. “Byron Bay offers a quintessential Australian lifestyle, this relaxed way of living influences everything we create and the way we run our business,” Fells describes. “We are so lucky to be immersed in this network of creatives – it’s such an inspiring place to live. There is certainly a unique energy in Byron that fuels the entrepreneur.” Here, we quiz Fells on how they launched their own label, sustainability and what’s next for St. Agni.
Tell me about how the brand came about and also the significance of the name.
“My husband Matt and I started St. Agni in 2014 which we initially worked on the side of our full time jobs. It was in 2016 we finally took the plunge and decided to make this our main priority. Agni is my nona’s name, she immigrated to Australia from Greece in the1970s. She is a true saint to everyone who knows her, and so inspiring, so it was only natural to name this venture after her.”
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Your shoes are handmade, tell us about the process.
“There are a variety of reasons why I love the handmade process. The art and creation, the love that goes into each pair and the personal element that is involved with creating something from scratch is really special. I love that we are supporting so many craftsmen in their craft and keeping this beautiful process alive amongst their community. Handmade is a slow process, each item is a unique display of craftsmanship and when you buy handmade, you are buying a commitment of authenticity, a guarantee that no other piece will ever be the same.”
The woven leather loafers specifically have a cult following, how are these made?
“The original woven style was inspired by the traditional Indian Kolhapuri Bunto’s. We wanted to create a design based on a contemporary take of this classic style shoe and make them accessible for the modern woman. Our knitted leather styles are an extension of this, I love working with leather and exploring different techniques that are not commonly used to create footwear. When people first see the knitted styles they don’t believe they are leather, as it’s a very unique material to knit with. The leather is cut into fine strips and spun into cord, then naturally dyed and dried in the sun. Once the cord is supple we bind it together with a manually operated loom and finish the ends by hand. The sole is cut by hand and then all the elements are assembled together and checked and packed.”
Is sustainability a focus for you?
“We always try to ask the right questions and we are conscious to work with natural fabrics and dyes where possible and try to avoid all synthetic fabrics. The factories we work with are SA800 approved. The leather we source is mostly a by-product from the meat industry and also sourced within the manufacturing country. Where possible Matt and myself visit the factories and meet the makers. We are moving towards having our packaging 100 per cent biodegradable or recyclable. I wouldn’t be comfortable saying we are sustainable “full stop”, but happy to chat openly about the things we are doing to be sustainable and our goals for the future!”
When did you first launch clothing and why was this the next step?
“We initially launched clothing for our boutique, I loved the idea of creating a full St. Agni experience. Once again it was something we started very small and let the category grow organically – we are launching the clothing globally in February 2020 which is really exciting! We are also thrilled to have our Summer 19/20 collection Paint it Beige featured on the Moda Operandi Trunk Show in August!
Denim is a key piece for the St. Agni girl, It’s something I have wanted to do for a long time but also know denim is a bit of a science and not something you want to get wrong – everything needs to be perfect! We were lucky enough to work with a denim technician in Melbourne who has worked with some of Australia’s best denim retailers and also produced them in Melbourne. I’m so happy with the results.”