Designer Profiles

ROMANCING THE STONE:

A Chat with Samantha Wills

by TAYLOR ROBERTS

Jewelry designer Samantha Wills has had great success since debuting her pieces in 2004 at Australian Fashion week. Her glamorous, yet effortlessly cool aesthetic is what draws wearers in, and her creations have been displayed on some of the most stylish A-list celebrities and featured in the prestigious pages of Vogue, Harpers Bazaar and Instyle to name a few. Hailed by the New York Times as a “Break Out Star” in 2011, we were lucky enough to ask Samantha a few questions about her line and her fashion must haves for the season before previewing her 2013 collections tonight at the Crosby Hotel.

RWH: Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started creating jewelry.

SW: I started selling handmade jewelry as a hobby at Bondi Beach Markets in Australia when I was 21. I was invited to showcase at Australian Fashion Week, hoping to make the cost of the stand back (AU$500). I was totally shocked to write (AU)$17,000 worth of order over the week! I quit my retail job the following day and have been a jewelry designer ever since!

RWH: When designing, do you have a muse or certain type of girl in mind wearing your jewelry?

SW: My muse is definitely the woman who wears Samantha Wills. She is creative. She is strong. She is adventurous, and marches to the beat of her own drum, charting a life of extraordinary moments. She is my muse.

RWH: If you had to recommend one investment piece, what would it be?

SW: The piece I wear most is with a doubt the SAFARI NIGHTS ring—it has the elements of a more traditional cocktail ring, but I think it makes a very versatile piece, can be worn to a black tie event or with skinny leg jeans and a blazer.

RWH: Do you have a favorite piece that you’ve designed?

SW: I guess I would have to say the SAFARI NIGHTS ring as I wear it the most! But that changes, depending on the season and what I am feeling style wise. I am the type of person that loves a song, and plays it on repeat till it is worn out, then simply overnight, I am on to something else on repeat!

RWH: What are some of your favorite trends in fashion right now?

SW: I love the concept of bohemian luxury. You know, mixing designer with high street–sequins in the daytime. I apply this to our designs by mixing non-traditional materials for example; silk with wood, stones with crystal, I love juxtapositions in fashion and interiors.

RWH: Was there one “magic moment” when you saw someone wearing your designs that most resonates with you?

SW: Every time a celebrity wears a piece of SW I still get the same feeling I did when the very first celebrity wore the brand! It is very surreal to have your designs on a global stage. I guess the most surreal was having SAMANTHA WILLS earrings placed in the Sex & The City film. Not only to see them on the big screen, but to be affiliated with such a powerful brand (SATC). Never before nor since has there been such a powerhouse brand for fashion brands to be affiliated with.

Visit Samantha online at samanthawills.com and check out our full feature with her in the Holiday issue of RWH.