The Smart and the City series is sponsored by Clinique Smart Custom-Repair Serum
Samantha Wills’ incredible career has seen her namesake bohemian jewelry brand establish an international cult following. From Port Macquarie to The Big Apple, find out how self-taught Samantha (pictured, far right) cracked the city that never sleeps.
RESCU: Tell us about your business and how it started.
Samantha Wills: I started designing jewellery when I first moved to Sydney (from my hometown of Port Macquarie), when I was 20 years old. I was selling my homemade designs at Bondi Beach markets and working full time in retail through the week. A friend offered me a spot on a showroom wall at Fashion Week for $500, I took the spot hoping to make the cost back & ended up writing $17,000 worth of orders. We are now stocked in leading retailers around the world and I work between our offices in New York City and Sydney.
RESCU: What made you take the leap to move to New York?
Samantha Wills: We were getting a lot of celebrity placements in the USA, which was triggering retail interest. I felt it important to have someone on the ground here guiding the brand. We were in a fortunate position that we didn’t have to attack this market aggressively, but able to research where we would be positioned here, we are pursuing the US market to set the tone of the brand globally.
RESCU: What did you do differently in New York to what you did in Australia for your business to be successful?
Samantha Wills: It is very naïve to think you can take a successful Australian business and simply replicate it in the USA. Even though we both speak English, we speak very different languages and you have to learn and adapt to that.
There are so many great American designers; trying to break in as a foreign designer takes a lot of extra work and commitment to the market by spending time, money and energy.
RESCU: Have you had to face any real obstacles since moving here and if so how did you overcome them?
Samantha Wills: Everyday! New York City is a HUSTLE. Anyone who tells you any differently is lying. You hustle for everything here – because if you don’t someone else will be. We had to really edit the collection here, what works in the Australian market often doesn’t necessarily resonate in New York. You work double days, because you work your New York day, then the Australian office wakes up and you start a new day all over again at 5pm.
RESCU: How did you use your business and or interpersonal skills to get ahead in NY?
Samantha Wills: I think in New York, there is a fine art to being aggressive, yet personable. If you can remain humble and self aware in that process, then that is a winning combination.
RESCU: Do you dress differently now that you live in the city?
Samantha Wills: A lot of people ask me this! I don’t think I do. Only in the wintertime, when I have to pile on everything I own to stay warm! But I remain pretty true to my style wherever I am.
RESCU: How have you modified your beauty and grooming routine since moving to NY?
Samantha Wills: Since living here, I have definitely toned down how much makeup I use – which has also changed the way I use it in Australia also. There is a real understated beauty here, nothing too overly styled. Understated chic is key.
RESCU: Can you share your most important business learning since living here?
Samantha Wills: Be respectful of the market you are merging in. You need to leave the attitude of “this is the way we do it” at the airport. Listen to what the market or buyers are saying and adapt, all while remaining true to your brand aesthetic.
RESCU: Where do you get the best coffee/tea/ chai?
Samantha Wills: I get my coffee at Kava in Meatpacking or Toby’s Estate on 5th Ave.
RESCU: Best place for a work out?
Samantha Wills: Flybarre at the Flatiron centre, or a run along the Hudson River… or a bike ride uptown around the park!
RESCU: Can you share a ‘pinch me’ moment in your career since moving to NY?
Samantha Wills: There has been so many – I am so grateful to be here and it’s all still very surreal. Having our product on the SATC move was pretty incredible, and seeing it all sparkling in the Bloomingdales showcase on 59th street was pretty incredible also!
RESCU: What’s the smartest piece of advice would you give to anyone who wants to move to the big apple?
Samantha Wills: New York is a cruel mistress – she will throw everything at you to test if you have what it takes to be here, everything from Visas to apartments, job search and funds…. But if you can persist through all of that, the reward of being here is truly magical. New York, it puts a spell on you.
Photo credit: Davon Chandler
Hair and styling: Original & Mineral Salon NYC
Location credit: The Plaza Hotel, New York City
