FEEL THE AUÓRA
When and where did you first begin?
We both worked together in the fair trade textile industry, with one half-leading product design and the other managing marketing. Before we decided to take a leap and establish auór. It was a natural evolution. We both have a genuine love of slow fashion and quality handmade products.
From the moment we met ideas started flowing around and everything from clothing to jewellery design was mentioned, but we landed on designing and producing minimalistic handcrafted eyewear. We’ve been lucky to bring our shared aesthetic to life, we set out to make what we wanted for ourselves, for others, and so auór began.
Where does your design inspiration come from?
Researching designs from both contemporary and historical sources, then it is literally hand drawing, working up a design until we are at a point when we start collaborating with the production team in Italy.
Throughout the design process, our focus is on striking the right balance between functionality and wearability, while keeping our eyewear interesting.
Describe your brand in 3 words.
Feminine, socially responsible and timeless.
What is the most difficult aspect of running your own label?
Time. We both still maintain jobs in the art and design industry. Kristen has a little boy, Remy, which keeps her busy.
It’s a juggling act sometimes but a labor of love for the both of us. There’s nothing more rewarding than driving your own brand and creativity.
Which part of the creative process do you enjoy the most (and least)?
We love sourcing inspiration in general. We are constantly sharing and bouncing ideas around on a daily basis from all sorts of avenues. The film, theatre, art, historical references as well as travel. We like to keep an eye on what people are wearing and what’s evolving in different places. The brands and people we love right now include Maryam Nassir Zadeh, Staud, Kathleen Whittaker, Paloma Wool, Ovna Ovich and Pennysage.
I don’t think there’s a single aspect of the creative process that we don’t enjoy. We thrive on it.
Do you have a mentor?
We don’t have a mentor as such but Maryam Nassir Zadeh is a designer who we both admire and draw inspiration from immensely. We adore her colour palettes, feminine silhouettes and her honest and genuine way of communicating her brand.
How long did your latest collection take to create?
From start to finish it’s around six months from the evolution of the design, to prototyping and testing. We like to make sure every aspect of our eyewear is perfect and worn personally by us before we send them to market.
We take particular care with our materials and work solely with Italian cellulose acetate producers Mazzuchelli, a family-run company from northern Italy. Our lenses are also Italian, and the hinges are made in Germany. Quality is really important to us.
What are your future plans?
We have two new shapes on the horizon, which we can’t wait to share in the coming months. Beyond that, we are looking forward to building our eyewear range more extensively and exploring the many creative ideas we have locked away. We’d eventually love to make auór our full-time job.
Which pieces do you think everyone should have in their wardrobe?
Paloma Tort. It really is the best possible staple frame and goes with literally everything. It’s classic, minimal and feminine and it can really dress an outfit up or be paired with a casual look effortlessly.
What attracted you The Clothing Lounge?
The fact that you encourage people to have better shopping habits and your commitment to support independent fashion designers from all over the world. We are both from Australia, so being able to share auór globally is just so exciting for both of us. All of our products are made in short runs, which support the slow fashion movement. Together we work with our makers in a transparent supply chain and support fair practice. So The Clothing Lounge is the perfect fit for us.
Discover more about Auór:
