Samantha Wills

My name is Di Cant and I am delighted to be joining you here at Treasury Casino & Hotel for what has been the most breathtaking parade we have seen this year.

Congratulations Samantha on the stunning collection we have seen here tonight. WOW!

May we go back to the beginning, where and when did you discover this passion for such unique exquisite jewellery?

I was always drawn to the creative, to telling a story through an expressive form & jewellery just happened to be the medium. When I first started, it was about creating huge pieces, just for the love of creating, there became demand & interest in them, so the challenge was then to find a way to make the concept commercial in a way that it could be a viable business.

Did you have any formal education in this? - like a design course in creating such jewellery?

I don’t have a formal education in jewellery construction; I worked purely off the desire to create. I knew what I wanted to create, but given my lack of training, I didn’t know HOW to create traditionally, so the freedom of no training, I think, allowed me to see this craft with no limits of what was ‘suppose’ to go to together or not.

The Sex and The City connection- how fabulous was that - how did it all come about and what effect has it had on sales in the USA for you?

This was certainly a very exciting time for the brand. A stylist working with Patricia Field saw the collection & held some pieces in the wardrobe department. They held them there for months & you have no idea if you are in or not. Then one day, we received a card in the post for Patricia which was the green light that we had product in the film. For us, as a brand, of course the exposure of being on the silver screen is amazing, but the most exciting thing was that never before, or not since SATC has there been such a power house brand to affiliate with fashion. It put brands on a global stage & for us to be affiliated in that realm was the real coup for us.

Speaking of celebrity - will you whisper a couple of names of famous girls who have worn your jewellery?

We are very lucky and humbled to have a celebrity following that includes; Eva Mendez, Drew Barrymore, Kate Bosworth, Jessica Biel, Rihanna & Jennifer Lopez wear SW. We are very selective on the celebrities we dress, they have to really resonate with our brand messages. As an example, I can safely say you will not see SW on people like Kim Kardashian, as I am against everything that she has created with her personal brand, what she does is not empowering to women at all & it not something we want our brand affiliated with.

Being fashion but different to most fashion - do you do two collections each year - is it that seasonal?

We have a total of 5 collections that we drop each year- spring/summer, high summer, autumn/winter, tran seasonal & most recently bridal.

Samantha, what inspires you most? Is it the history of jewels, Old Movies, or is it more about what is in being designed in fashion clothes and accessories?

I am inspired by various sources. I am lucky enough to travel often for work so I experience some of the world’s most exciting and hidden treasures. With our most recent AW 12 collection- In Residence- I designed the collection while temporarily living at the Chateau Marmont. Here I was inspired by its old school charm and the Hollywood scandals hidden between the walls.

I bought a  Christian Lacroix CROSS in 1988 and I still wear it now -- you know the one - like a stained glass window - would you agree that when a woman owns a divine piece it can be a 'KEEPER" forever to bring out and where it whether it is fashion or not?

I definitely believe in keepers. Whether it is because of a sentimental value or reminder of a special time in life, jewellery has the ability to evoke certain emotions, whether it be fine or costume, it is an item that will often mean as much 20 years down the road as the day you received it.

I think most of the girls here tonight are thinking -'  I  want some of that '-- where do we buy it and how much approximately would one pay for say a cuff or pair of earrings?

Our prices vary depending on the piece and its materials, we have an entry price point of around $70 & pricing for our main line goes up to around $500 for a statement neck piece.

The first time I really saw Samantha Wills was at the qualia boutique on Hamilton Island - where can we buy some of these pieces in Brisbane.

Qualia is actually where Oprah purchased her first SAMANTHA WILLS piece, which was another surreal moment! We are stocked in David Jones nationally and various boutiques all over Brisbane including Olive Home, Denim Co & Verge.

Do you have stand alone boutiques or this on the agenda?

We are all about providing a SAMANTHA WILLS customer experience and we would love to bring our brand into an environment to our customers in a pop up store form- so this is definitely on the cards in the near future.

Thank you for sharing your  brilliant collection with us here at Identity ...............Brisbane loves you Samantha Wills

Thanks to the models and Samantha