Sydney Social 101 was utterly privileged to be invited aboard ‘The Colette’ to celebrate five years of Colette by Colette Hayman.
The twilight cruise set sail from Woolloomooloo at 5pm and we sailed around the Harbour as we enjoyed stunning views, tasty cocktails and canapés and amazing company. We have the pleasure of chatting to Colette and she is as lovely as she is inspiring!
The lovely lady herself
If there is one thing Colette Hayman understands it’s our innate, unconscious tribal desire and passion for adornment as a way of reflecting our personalities.
Some of the incredible pieces
As creator of the colette by colette hayman brand with 134 stand-alone stores internationally (pretty impressive hey?!) — her eponymous accessories brand has made cool affordable.
Colette recognised and filled a gap in the market in 2010 when she opened the first of her unique shopping concept stores in Sydney – created to empower women so they no longer had to compromise on style and quality. By rethinking expensive designer handbags and accessory styling with the brand essence, “Catwalk Infused. Street Style Approved.” the style savvy brand enables women of all ages and fashion preferences to treat themselves to the latest catwalk and pop culture trends.
As a young married couple originally from Durban, South Africa, Colette and Mark Hayman created their first joint venture – a popular retail fashion brand aimed at the younger market. A few years later they moved to the UK where they managed and owned a number of French Connection franchised stores. Together they make a formidable team of creative talent and flair with sharp business acumen.
“If fashion is affordable then women won’t feel guilty about regularly updating their wardrobe with the latest accessories,” says Colette, who along with Mark also founded the enormously successful Diva fast jewellery concept stores. They sold the business at its peak in 2007 thinking they might relax and take a well-earned break but within no time were restless and started planning their next retail venture.
“I have been passionate about fashion for as long as I can remember. I love the way it transforms my mood when I feel good in an outfit. People say: ‘love the skin you’re in’ I say ‘love the look you’re in’.
“We offer our customers an experience as soon as they enter one of our stores. We have such a diverse offering that, as not only stylists to the fashion novice but also the trend savvy woman, we can give them the tools to be who they truly are or desire to be.
“My role as Creative Director allows me to develop and articulate key trends for our seasonal collections. I do regular buying trips with my team to maintain an international perspective and ensure I am driving the overarching creative vision of the business. My inspiration comes from everything from designer and emerging trends, what’s happening on the streets, blogs, technology or art. The minute there is a trend we will have it in our stores. We have to stay one step ahead and I have a fabulous team who help me do that.”
Experiencing similar rapid growth to that of Diva, but in more challenging financial times, the colette by colette hayman brand has now expanded to New Zealand, the UAE, South Africa and Singapore.
It’s Colette Hayman’s passion for everything in her life that is the key to her success. As adoring parents of Chloe, Bianca and 23-year-old Natasha, who works for the brand as a buyer and trend forecaster, along with their four grandchildren, this dynamic couple have nurtured a very close-knit family. Life is balanced with lots of family time by the sea in their luxurious home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, days out on Sydney Harbour on their yacht or regular breaks at their holiday home on Hamilton Island.
“To be successful at anything you have to give it 100 per cent. I am my harshest critic, I continuously challenge my team with ‘how can we do it better’?’” says Colette. “Mark and I still work together all day and then at night in front of the TV where I will write my trend reports or maybe work on a handbag design. We are lucky that we love what we do.
Pretty sweet view hey?!
“You don’t have to spend a fortune to look fabulous. Accessories serve so many purposes. They make a statement about who you are, can transform an outfit to look totally different and give you the opportunity to develop your own look and sense of style.
“We care about the detail so we always push ourselves to provide the best product, the best experience and the best service. New is exciting and if it’s happening right now – you can trust we will be onto it.”
Sydney Social 101 had the most amazing time aboard ‘The Colette’ and even got to take away some samples of the new collection! Lucky!!
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