Samantha Wills
By Ines Mendoza
An Interview with Samantha Wills
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Samantha Wills
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They say success in Hollywood comes
down to skill and talent - however, we all know deep down inside that
at the end of the day, it's all about who you know.
But it seems
that our latest Aussie export and soon to be superstar,
designer
Samantha Wills, is bucking that trend. Not only has she got some
powerful friends (everyone from Oprah to The
Hilton Sisters)
but she also has the skills - not only designing her own line of
accessories, but now taking on the role as 'the face' of the company as
well.
The story of Samantha Wills is a short, yet explosive one.
It's a tale of a young girl with a lot of talent (and the right
friends), who is set to become one of the biggest Australian exports
since Vegemite.
Samantha Wills was just 21 when she began to make waves in the fashion
industry with her array of unique brand of jewellery.
Wills initially began her career in Radio
and TV and radio, after completing her study at the highly respected
acting school
NIDA as well as The Max Rowley Media Academy.
However
it was the creation of the 'Samantha Wills' label in
2003 that really made waves. Wills style was discovered while she was
working as a retail assistant, selling her varied wares
at weekend
markets. A friend offered her an opportunity to make her mark on
Mercedes Australian
Fashion Week (pulling some strings to get her a space). Renting a $500
space on the showroom wall, Samantha walked
away with a reported $17,000 worth of orders.
Since that fateful
day, Samantha Wills jewellery has been displayed across the country,
most recently featuring at Australia Week in LA, where she was awarded
the "Best Jewellery & Fashion Product Designed &
Manufactured
in Australia".
The exposure in the US has led to her products been worn by some of the
biggest in the business, including Nicky
Hilton, Jamelia, Jennifer
Hawkins, Nicole Ritchie
& Delta Goodrem. But the biggest coo of all comes from the news
that Wills is set to take the US by storm thanks to a little help from
media giant Oprah Winfrey, who first heard about the Aussie designer
after Nicole Richie wore a
signature Wills necklace while she was a guest on the show.
The now 25 year-old jewellery designer is in
talks to appear on The
Oprah Winfrey Show. Wills
is set to travel to the States for the taping of an episode of Oprah
that will showcase young businesswomen from around the world (no doubt
there will be a ridiculous amount of cheering from the audience).
If
that isn't enough, Samantha now operates out of her two-storey showroom
in Alexandria in Sydney. Her label is now stocked in top boutiques
internationally, and her designs strut down the runway at MAFW every
year - not bad for a girl who started back at the local markets amidst
hard boiled lollies and poorly crafted woolen jumpers.
Keep an eye on this girl, her star is ready to rise.
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Samantha
Wills is now the face of her own company
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A
selection of Samantha Wills' jewllerey range has become a hit in
Hollywood
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