MY COUNTRY CHILDHOOD
THE DESIGNER FONDLY RECALLS SUMMER HOLIDAYS SPENT AT THEME PARKS AND BEACHES ALONG NSW’S MID-NORTH COAST.
Former jewellery designer Samantha Wills grew up beachside on NSW’S mid-north coast.
SAMANTHA WILLS was 11 and living in Port Macquarie when her mother enrolled her in a beading class at a craft shop. It was there, she says, that she learnt the basics of jewellery making. Eleven years later, after moving to Sydney in 2002, she launched her eponymous jewellery label and her bohemian luxe designs became much sought after, as well as spotted on celebrities such as actress Eva Mendes and singer Taylor Swift. Born in Newcastle in 1981, Samantha was two when she moved with her parents Ron, a sales rep, and Patsy, a clothing boutique owner, to Port Macquarie on the mid-north coast of NSW. An only child, she says she wanted siblings so badly she would pray every night for an older brother — until one night her mother overheard her prayers. “The next day we had a very serious conversation about where babies come from and how the ship had sailed on the possibility of me having an older brother,” says the 37-year-old. Growing up on the coast, life was about going to the beach and some of her favourite childhood memories include two of the local attractions, Peppermint Park, a water slide and roller rink park, and theme park Fantasy Glades, where she later worked (both now closed). “If you got to visit both in one school holidays it was a jackpot,” she says. Through high school Samantha made jewellery for friends’ birthdays and had a “little side business in the schoolyard. Living in a small town, I just didn’t realise that being a jewellery designer was an actual career. I think growing up you just knew what was around you and it seemed that making jewellery was a hobby not a job,” she says. That changed when Samantha moved to Sydney. She was working in retail when a knee injury meant she had to spend two months at home recuperating. She passed the time making jewellery and then, on a friend’s suggestion, started selling it at Bondi Markets. By the end of 2003, still working in retail and making jewellery in the evenings, she’d built a strong following at the market when a distributor who was also a stallholder saw her designs and offered her a space on his showroom wall at Australian Fashion Week. The space cost her $500. “I think I had $509 in the bank at the time. I took the spot hoping I would get one or two orders… by the end of the four days I had written $17,000 worth. I quit my retail job the next day and dedicated everything I had to building a brand people wanted to be a part of.” Her designs were soon in demand — a pair of Samantha’s earrings appeared in one of the Sex and the City movies thanks to stylist Patricia Field. In 2010, she moved to New York and still divides her time between there and Sydney. In January, after 15 years, her jewellery business closed its doors — a difficult decision says Samantha. She’s now focusing on the Samantha Wills Foundation, a platform where she shares the lessons she has learnt through running a business. Port Macquarie is still a part of her life. “My mum and dad actually just sold the house. They had it for 28 years and this year decided to tour Australia in their caravan. I’m excited for them! My grandmother, who turns 94 this year, still lives there, so I will still visit often to see her.” For more information, visit samanthawills.com and follow @samanthawills on Instagram.