SHOP FEATURE
GAME-CHANGERS Introducing the free-thinkers and clever finds shifting gear on the way we shop. BY LAURA COLLINS
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A-list Skin (For Less)
Flower Power Players
The front row was reserved for fashion’s most influential, and hot runway pieces were snapped up faster than you could say It-list.
A lush spa experience – and the pampered, plumped-up skin that goes with it – was a once-a-year splurge (if you were lucky).
A thoughtful delivery meant an oversized bunch of blossoms – at a figure that’d send your bank account into a spin.
A convenient hit of canned energy came with a handful of chemical colours and numbers to boot… and a crash a few hours later.
We stream runway shows, Insta-like backstage pics, get the media’s reaction in 140 characters or less, and jump on the list for first release.
There’s a five-star-spaworthy line of skincare — and it checks in at a pint-sized portion of the price of a fancy facial treatment.
Simple, striking bouquets dropped to your door for a price ($25) that’ll have you treating yourself as often as you treat your loved ones.
Switching out your morning coffee for an energy drink won’t result in disapproving glares from your fellow commuters.
The accessibility of social media gives new designers the kick-start they need. Like designer Leroy Nguyen, whose first shoppable range debuted at MBFWA this year. Proactive and armed with smartphones, admirers were able to jump on his Twitter feed (@Leroy_ Nguyen) straight away for behind-the-scenes content. Why it works? “Social media helps consumers feel connected to a label,” says Nguyen.
Cue Sanctuary Spa, from the famed beauty haven in London’s Covent Garden. Get this – the products are the same as those lavished on A-list clientele. “I wasn’t expecting Sanctuary Spa to be of the standard I’ve experienced,” says top facialist Jocelyn Petroni, who’s just started working with the brand. Her fave: Therapists Secret Facial Oil ($29.99). Ours? The Facial in a Box, which makes staying in a whole lot of girlie fun.
When four Sydney women heard their guy friends were getting in trouble from their other halves for splurging on elaborate arrangements, they took action, forming Little Flowers. The mobile florist sources one flower type direct from the grower’s market daily determined by seasonality – and prettiness. “Delivering flowers for less means we’ve seen a change in the people who order them,” says LF’s Sarah Regan. They’re currently in Sydney’s CBD and east.
Health-conscious types have cottoned on to the energy-drink market gap. Take StrangeLove by Stafford Fox and James Bruce – they’re keen to change how we get our buzz. “We wanted a product that was good for you, gave you a pep-up on a Sunday morning and wasn’t full of s#*tty chemicals,” says Bruce. Their first, the Organic Energy Elixir, tastes like ginger beer and provides a caffeine-style kick from natural sources.
Fast-ganics
Brightening Facial in a Box, $29.99, from priceline.com.au.
StrangeLove Organic Energy Elixir, $4.50, strangelove.com.au.
Bouquet, $25, Little Flowers, littleflowers.com.au.
Top, $939 (6-12), Leroy Nguyen, leroynguyen.com.
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STILL-LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY: KELLY HAMMOND.
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