Speaker 1: Hi and welcome to the House of Blue Podcast. I'm
Speaker 1: your host, Veronica Theodoro. We have a great show planned
Speaker 1: for you today. This episode of House of Blue is
Speaker 1: sponsored by Carbi kitchen and bath.
Speaker 1: You may not know this about me. Given that I
Speaker 1: write so much about home and interior design, but clothes
Speaker 1: are my first love. And so I am thrilled to
Speaker 1: be able to welcome Audra Noise Herden into the studio today.
Speaker 1: Audra is the founder CEO and creative director of luxury
Speaker 1: fashion brand. Audra, many of you may have shopped for
Speaker 1: showroom on Clayton Road in Ladou, but for those of
Speaker 1: you who are hearing her name for the first time.
Speaker 1: Today's your lucky day. But before we get to our
Speaker 1: conversation with Audra and when I
Speaker 1: introduce you to someone else in the studio today, my
Speaker 1: intern Savannah Whittle. Hi, Savannah. Hi, Savannah is a senior
Speaker 1: at M IC DS and she's spending her winter term
Speaker 1: working with me. She's been such a huge help. Savannah.
Speaker 1: What's been your favorite part of working at Saint Louis magazine? Well,
Speaker 2: it's great to be in the
Speaker 2: studio today and getting to meet Audra. Um but everything
Speaker 2: else we've done to cover the design beat in Saint
Speaker 2: Louis has been an incredible learning experience. Be
Speaker 1: sure to look for Savannah's behind the scene, pictures and
Speaker 1: footage of today's podcast episode on our social media pages
Speaker 1: as well as her on the market reports at STL mag.com.
Speaker 1: So for a bit of background on our guest today,
Speaker 1: Audra moved to Saint Louis in 2017 as one of
Speaker 1: the six members of the Saint Louis Fashion Funds. Inaugural
Speaker 1: class of designers. The Fashion Fund is a local organization
Speaker 1: that's working to revitalize the fashion industry in Saint Louis.
Speaker 1: Saint Louis. At one point in our history was one
Speaker 1: of the country's leading fashion manufacturing cities. And so
Speaker 1: so the organization is really working to bring that back
Speaker 1: to our community. The fashion fun incidentally is celebrating its
Speaker 1: 10 year anniversary this year and to celebrate it's hosting
Speaker 1: a series of fashion events. So if you want to
Speaker 1: get to know more about the fashion, fun and the
Speaker 1: creative scene that is so strong and vibrant in Saint Louis,
Speaker 1: these would be great opportunities for you
Speaker 1: to get out there and get to know a little
Speaker 1: bit more about what's going on this month. The Fashion
Speaker 1: fund is hosting the Gent Menswear designer showcase at City
Speaker 1: Park on February 18th and the Collective Threads annual fashion
Speaker 1: show fundraiser at 21 C Hotel is being held on
Speaker 1: February 29th. I'll be sure to share links to these
Speaker 1: events and more in our show notes,
Speaker 1: we'll be right back
Speaker 1: whether you want a new kitchen, laundry room or children's nursery, carpet,
Speaker 1: kitchen and bath can handle it all from design and
Speaker 1: construction to interiors. Carb serves as a one stop shop
Speaker 1: for all the essentials needed to create spaces that are
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Speaker 1: schedule a free design consultation today by visiting carbi.com/project dash consultation.
Speaker 1: So now without further ado, let's get to our interview
Speaker 1: with Audra. Hi Audra. It's great to see you again too.
Speaker 1: Thanks for having me. I not only love your clothes
Speaker 1: but I'm actually wearing a pair of your front vent
Speaker 1: trousers today. Appreciate that. I'm peeking under the table, the
Speaker 1: green wool trousers, which fits so beautifully. So, thank you.
Speaker 1: Thank you for that. Um
Speaker 1: I want to start at the beginning. Um Tell us
Speaker 1: a little bit about your background and how you got
Speaker 1: into fashion. It's definitely been a gradual journey. I did
Speaker 1: not anticipate having a career in fashion when I was younger,
Speaker 1: though many, many believe that I did. Um I actually
Speaker 1: went
Speaker 1: to Savannah College of Art and Design with the intention
Speaker 1: of going into art therapy. And um I think through
Speaker 1: that through my freshman year, actually, it was my sister
Speaker 1: who nudged me to take intro to fashion. And at
Speaker 1: the same time simultaneously, I was exposed to the um
Speaker 1: you know, opportunity to apply for an internship at Ralph
Speaker 1: Lauren with their children's wear department. And that really was
Speaker 1: a pivotal moment for me. Um It was during that
Speaker 1: time at that internship, that kind of everything fell into place.
Speaker 1: I had great mentors. Um Just two women that I
Speaker 1: worked directly with that, that led that children's wear division
Speaker 1: that really exposed me to the various jobs within the industry.
Speaker 1: And really, that's when I decided to pursue a degree
Speaker 1: in fashion. I kind of never looked back. Um So
Speaker 1: I spent actually three summers at Ralph Lauren working my
Speaker 1: way up through um to the collection um team.
Speaker 1: And then also in my senior year, I was mentored
Speaker 1: and in, in school kind of internship with Zach Posen
Speaker 1: and through those like subsequent mentorships that really laid the
Speaker 1: opportunity for me to then be personally recommended by Andre
Speaker 1: Leon Talley, who recently passed away um to go work
Speaker 1: in
Speaker 1: Paris. And that also seemed like a dream, but I
Speaker 1: was able to garner some unique training and kind of
Speaker 1: a condensed couple years working at lamp under Albert and
Speaker 1: then at John Galliano and then ultimately launching my namesake
Speaker 1: brand during Paris Fashion Week, spring summer 2014 when I
Speaker 1: was 24.
Speaker 1: Um So it really, you know, was a culmination of,
Speaker 1: of kind of many opportunities that I was fortunate to
Speaker 1: have and be exposed to that led to it. How
Speaker 1: did you meet Andre Leon Tli? I'm just curious. Yeah.
Speaker 1: And it's fun because it actually came full circle then
Speaker 1: to ST Louis when he was here.
Speaker 1: But he was a supporter of SCAD. He was on
Speaker 1: the board of trustees and every year um came to
Speaker 1: the fashion show, he had took note of my collection,
Speaker 1: which was featured in the show and asked to meet
Speaker 1: with me and um really helped open those doors for
Speaker 1: me in Paris. And I applied for several internships And
Speaker 1: I like to share with students that I didn't get
Speaker 1: the internship right away at LA. I actually had to
Speaker 1: redo my portfolio redo a lot of work and reapplied
Speaker 1: and finally did then get the, they call it a
Speaker 1: ST I almost like an apprenticeship in Paris. And then
Speaker 1: I spent the next 4.5 years there. Incredible. Do you
Speaker 1: speak French? I do. But it's so rusty. I picked
Speaker 1: it up. I said when I first, my first day
Speaker 1: in Paris, I ran into Albert at the elevator and
Speaker 1: I spoke no French and I was so nervous. So
Speaker 1: from then on, I tried to learn as much as
Speaker 1: I could. And by the end of my time, there was, was, was,
Speaker 1: you know, fluent in French. Um But don't get much
Speaker 1: time to practice it here in ST Louis, right? No,
Speaker 1: I know my Children at one point were taking classes
Speaker 1: at the Alliance. That was nice. Maybe I need to
Speaker 1: go there.
Speaker 1: The possibility to say I know you're a busy woman.
Speaker 1: So what ultimately brought you to Saint Louis? Yeah, in 2017,
Speaker 1: so about three years into my business, I made the
Speaker 1: strategic decision to move my operations from New York at
Speaker 1: that time to ST Louis to join um the fashion
Speaker 1: funds inaugural class incubator. And then following that in 2019,
Speaker 1: I was really honored to receive the arts grant. And
Speaker 1: I think through, through those, I mean,
Speaker 1: the decision, you know, to, to plant my headquarters here
Speaker 1: in ST Louis. And honestly, it was such a leap
Speaker 1: of faith, coming to the Midwest people were, you know,
Speaker 1: shocked and I was as well. But honestly, it it
Speaker 1: has been such a supportive customer base and there is
Speaker 1: such an engaging and dynamic entrepreneurial environment and as well,
Speaker 1: I really inspired by like the vibrant manufacturing history here
Speaker 1: in ST Louis. And that's honestly fueled our growth being
Speaker 1: here
Speaker 1: for those who aren't familiar with the Audra shopping experience.
Speaker 1: Can you walk us through a little bit of that process?
Speaker 1: So our, our um atelier in LAO is a multi
Speaker 1: purpose space. So it serves as our headquarters for the
Speaker 1: brand's business and design operations, but it also hosts our
Speaker 1: retail showroom. Um So that means we're open weekdays and
Speaker 1: Saturdays to shop,
Speaker 1: we also do by appointment. Um And you're able, you know,
Speaker 1: when you come in, you're able to peel back the
Speaker 1: design curtain a little bit and step into our process.
Speaker 1: Um it's similar to how I worked at Long V,
Speaker 1: you know, we were upstairs on the 3rd and 4th floor,
Speaker 1: designing and creating and then we'd go down to the
Speaker 1: store to do the windows on the first floor. And
Speaker 1: so we don't have a vertical model, but we have
Speaker 1: a horizontal model right here in S
Speaker 1: Lewis. And I think it's, it's unique in the sense
Speaker 1: that sure you get to shop our newest arrivals. You
Speaker 1: also have the opportunity to do, made to measure and
Speaker 1: custom offerings with me and my team directly. We also
Speaker 1: do that in house tailoring to you. I also just
Speaker 1: wanna stress the advantages of women being able to talk
Speaker 1: with the designer
Speaker 1: and work with you on a bespoke garment if that's indeed,
Speaker 1: you know, what they want to do or have the
Speaker 1: opportunity to have their clothes tailored and fitted to their bodies.
Speaker 1: What a terrific um advantage that is for women. Can
Speaker 1: you talk a little bit about who your competitors are
Speaker 1: and how your work stands out? Yeah, of course. I mean, obviously,
Speaker 1: you know, the fashion industry is quite large and I
Speaker 1: think through the years, I've worked to identify what sets
Speaker 1: my brand apart in terms of our product, our marketing,
Speaker 1: our voice and how we sell. Um I would say
Speaker 1: that our customers also shop at Aris Cuccinelli, the re
Speaker 1: as well as some more emerging American based brands
Speaker 1: like Co or Adam Lippy's and the feedback I've received
Speaker 1: is that our customer chooses Audra because our clothing, it
Speaker 1: brings out the best in them. They say it's empowering
Speaker 1: and it's also really easy to wear. They feel comfortable
Speaker 1: that we deliver a product that is of the highest quality,
Speaker 1: you know, using Italian and European fabrics, making all everything
Speaker 1: in New York City, in the garment district,
Speaker 1: but at an approachable designer price point. So what that
Speaker 1: means is we're less than our competitors significantly utilizing some
Speaker 1: of the same mills, the same factories. And I think,
Speaker 1: you know, because of our marketing efforts and the way
Speaker 1: I try my best to enable and empower our team
Speaker 1: is that we're really rooted in our relationship with our customer.
Speaker 1: So we invite them to be part of the process
Speaker 1: through the Abil,
Speaker 1: but also through um those one on one relationships, through
Speaker 1: our emails, through our, our marketing efforts. And I would
Speaker 1: say finally, obviously it's a designer brand. So, you know,
Speaker 1: through the years, I've shaped, you know, my aesthetic to,
Speaker 1: to yield a very distinguishable design voice and that's, you know,
Speaker 1: rooted in a conversation between me and my late father
Speaker 1: who passed away when I was younger. So you see
Speaker 1: a drawing from menswear,
Speaker 1: um those heritage, you know, signature tailoring, um detailing and
Speaker 1: shirts and, and, and coats and jackets, but it's infusing
Speaker 1: a feminine voice and certainly through the years that feminine
Speaker 1: voice has changed, um you can sense you know, a
Speaker 1: whimsical moments when I was 24 and 26 and, and now,
Speaker 1: you know, being 35 that there's a little more maturity
Speaker 1: in that feminine voice,
Speaker 1: but I think that puts out a product that is
Speaker 1: set apart. Um, but it is still very functional in our,
Speaker 1: in our client's wardrobe for, for a longevity of wear. Absolutely.
Speaker 1: And in 2019, you made the transition from wholesale to
Speaker 1: that direct to consumer model that, that you're talking about.
Speaker 1: Um I'm curious to know who is the Adra customer
Speaker 1: and what has she taught you through your interactions with her?
Speaker 1: Going from, you know, a wholesale business to a direct
Speaker 1: to consumer model was kind of also a second leap
Speaker 1: of faith. Uh We had seen significant growth in our
Speaker 1: direct to consumer online in person through pop ups and
Speaker 1: trunk shows and really building out a robust client base.
Speaker 1: And I and I was excited about that. Um But
Speaker 1: I was also really humbled to be in these top
Speaker 1: wholesale stores across
Speaker 1: the country. But ultimately, what drove that decision was how
Speaker 1: can we best serve our customer and intentionally fill a
Speaker 1: gap in the market. And um I saw that through
Speaker 1: a unique price point opportunity of still wanting to make
Speaker 1: everything with that same quality fabric from Italy and France.
Speaker 1: Um still making sustainably and ethically at New York City,
Speaker 1: female owned factories at limited runs because our customer wants
Speaker 1: to be unique too and we don't want to waste
Speaker 1: on our end
Speaker 1: um product either. Um And we were able to strike
Speaker 1: that balance with the D to C model and also
Speaker 1: allows us to do monthly product releases versus seasonal. So
Speaker 1: I think really shaking up that kind of older um
Speaker 1: more standardized fashion model um was exciting to me and
Speaker 1: I thought, you know, would also um prove itself a
Speaker 1: good business model for our years in the future.
Speaker 1: Um Our customer, I would say she's very diverse and dynamic.
Speaker 1: So I can't really put her in, in one characteristic of,
Speaker 1: you know, one box, but I would say she's um
Speaker 1: she's creative. Um And she's culturally active and she's definitely
Speaker 1: intelligent and um every customer that I have had the
Speaker 1: pleasure to interact with has a distinct voice that she
Speaker 1: expresses through her clothing
Speaker 1: and I love hearing her feedback. Um her feedback may
Speaker 1: be on fit, it may be on her lifestyle. And
Speaker 1: then as I design and as I market that product and,
Speaker 1: and figure out our sales strategy, I keep that at
Speaker 1: the forefront of our minds and, and our team does
Speaker 1: as well. Um And I think our customer really desires
Speaker 1: a curated and personalized shopping experience.
Speaker 1: And like I mentioned before, she values that longevity in
Speaker 1: her wardrobe. So um I, I try to design always
Speaker 1: with those, with those many facets in mind. But I
Speaker 1: would say the real successes for me is when I
Speaker 1: see multiple customers giving us really positive feedback on a
Speaker 1: silhouette and then those are silhouettes that stay, stay in
Speaker 1: the line for many years to come like the pant
Speaker 1: you're wearing.
Speaker 1: And I think that's incredible, right? Because you're hearing from
Speaker 1: women who are wearing your clothes, they're saying this particular
Speaker 1: piece just works beautifully in my wardrobe and you're able
Speaker 1: to act on that and pivot right there and decide
Speaker 1: to keep it in the collection. So that's, that's really cool.
Speaker 1: What is it about clothes that is so empowering to women?
Speaker 1: I mean, we hear people say that all the time,
Speaker 1: but I'm curious from your point of view,
Speaker 1: how do you see that? Certainly, what I've experienced, um
Speaker 1: is that it is our voice before we have our voice.
Speaker 1: So for young women and for myself, you know, when
Speaker 1: I started discovering my own personal style in my teens
Speaker 1: and through my adult years, it was a, a way
Speaker 1: of self expression and voice before I kind of had
Speaker 1: the words for them. I think it's our first impression
Speaker 1: with someone. Um
Speaker 1: And I think it's also a protective shell, you know,
Speaker 1: when we're in scenarios that are maybe less comfortable. And
Speaker 1: so I think it's, you know, and I've received that
Speaker 1: feedback from, from my, my customers and friends and family
Speaker 1: as well. It's, you know, it's an empowering piece, meaning it,
Speaker 1: it's gonna give strength in those moments because I feel like, oh,
Speaker 1: this suit, you know, really represents who I am and
Speaker 1: it kind of lifts me up
Speaker 1: or it protects me, you know, because it's a sense
Speaker 1: of warmth and comfort because maybe there's a story behind
Speaker 1: how I purchased this garment or another moment I've worn
Speaker 1: this garment and I felt really good in or possibly,
Speaker 1: you know, it attracts someone from across the room to
Speaker 1: connect with me because they love that pant I'm wearing
Speaker 1: or that shirt I'm wearing. And then I'm able to
Speaker 1: build a relationship that I didn't prior.
Speaker 1: I love that. You say that because it's actually how
Speaker 1: I met my best friend when I was 12 years old.
Speaker 1: I love that. We bonded over a jacket that she
Speaker 1: was wearing and I saw it from across the room
Speaker 1: and I went up and I told her and we've
Speaker 1: been best friends ever since and she's actually the person
Speaker 1: who introduced me to my husband like 20 years later. So,
Speaker 1: um I hear you on that. Um And speaking of
Speaker 1: personal
Speaker 1: uh clothes and clothes that tell a story, um I
Speaker 1: understand that you custom made your wedding gown. Was it
Speaker 1: last year, last year and several others? Um What was
Speaker 1: that process like for you?
Speaker 1: Oh, it was so fun. You know, it had its
Speaker 1: stressful moments for sure as I think many weddings do.
Speaker 1: Um But I was so grateful for the opportunity to
Speaker 1: do this. Not only because it was like a gift,
Speaker 1: like a love gift I could share with my family
Speaker 1: and my friends
Speaker 1: were in the wedding making dresses for them because they've
Speaker 1: just been so kind and serving me in different seasons
Speaker 1: of my life. But it also let me experiment with
Speaker 1: new processes with my partners and my mills and kind
Speaker 1: of let their artists in hands shine, which was so fun.
Speaker 1: Um You know, for example, for my wedding dress, we
Speaker 1: did an embroidery with one of the lace smells I
Speaker 1: work with in Italy. And this embroidery created kind of
Speaker 1: a busier floral effect on the taffeta. And this was
Speaker 1: inspired by my mom's wedding dress and flowers that had
Speaker 1: kind of an emotional meaning to me. Um But then
Speaker 1: it was hand embroidered in, in, in New York. And
Speaker 1: so it went through these many stages and many different hands.
Speaker 1: Um And so the
Speaker 1: culmination was such a personal story to me personally, but
Speaker 1: also to my business as well. And it was so
Speaker 1: fun getting to know them. I think designing for my
Speaker 1: mom was probably one of the most challenging, but also
Speaker 1: the most beautiful because she, you know, graciously paid for
Speaker 1: our wedding and gifted us this beautiful day. And, you know,
Speaker 1: figuring out what would make her feel comfortable and beautiful
Speaker 1: on that day and um ensuring that
Speaker 1: she would shine the way I wanted her to and
Speaker 1: that was really special. And then, then we did the
Speaker 1: little flower girls as well. I worked with another local
Speaker 1: fashion designer, Rheta Jane. So, RTA did you know I've
Speaker 1: worked with Rhetta as a consultant, helped her a little
Speaker 1: bit launching her brand. So she actually did the patterns
Speaker 1: and it was my fabric and we were able to
Speaker 1: do the little flower grills as well. Tell me a
Speaker 1: little bit about your brick and mortar.
Speaker 1: Um I know that you opened that in 2020 right
Speaker 1: before or during the pandemic that must have been challenging
Speaker 1: to a certain degree. I'm wondering what some of those
Speaker 1: challenges were and was there a hidden upside to it?
Speaker 1: We moved from downtown Saint Louis where we had been
Speaker 1: for the 1st 2, 2.5 years to le do in
Speaker 1: September 2020. Certainly an interesting time. We had been looking
Speaker 1: for a
Speaker 1: for, for quite some time and then the perfect space
Speaker 1: really just like came to us. I'm so fortunate when
Speaker 1: we moved to ST Louis in 2017, we really began
Speaker 1: to build a very robust community in Saint Louis of
Speaker 1: customers of friends. Now, these customers are my friends and
Speaker 1: they're my supporters and they're my ambassadors. And um they
Speaker 1: really showed up for us during this, not only this
Speaker 1: opening but through that pandemic. Um and I think
Speaker 1: that allowed us to, to really thrive during those couple
Speaker 1: of years where I know many businesses did not. And
Speaker 1: I'm so grateful for that I think the Leo opening
Speaker 1: allowed us to do a personalized service. So we were
Speaker 1: able to do one on one appointments. We still offer that.
Speaker 1: And a lot of our customers really value that one
Speaker 1: on one time and certainly um create an experience that
Speaker 1: is unique and elevated to stand and kind of match
Speaker 1: with the clothing.
Speaker 1: And I think the biggest feedback and the biggest surprise
Speaker 1: is just how well the community embraced that certainly, um
Speaker 1: you know, a little more unique to this area and
Speaker 1: um just discovering more customers and having people still come
Speaker 1: in and discovering us and giving us positive feedback on
Speaker 1: being part of this community um has, has really been
Speaker 1: encouraging to me and um I just wanted to know
Speaker 1: that you do welcome walk ins. So someone who's, you know, shopping,
Speaker 1: let's say, um in
Speaker 1: who do in that particular part of town and seize
Speaker 1: your store, they're welcome to walk right in. There's no
Speaker 1: appointment necessary. Yeah, we um I thank you for highlighting that. Yeah,
Speaker 1: we have so we love to serve our customers in
Speaker 1: a variety of ways. So you can shop online on
Speaker 1: our website and that has most of our newest arrivals
Speaker 1: and our core styles and best sellers there. Um And certainly,
Speaker 1: um we, we love people who discover us online as well.
Speaker 1: And then we have our ready to air line available in,
Speaker 1: in the ST Louis showroom. Um So all those newest
Speaker 1: arrivals will be there in person for people to try
Speaker 1: on and walk away with that day. We also have
Speaker 1: our made to measure and our custom offering and those
Speaker 1: certainly we can do it through walk ins. But if
Speaker 1: you prefer and want to guarantee that I'm with you
Speaker 1: during that appointment, then you can also book an appointment
Speaker 1: with me even off hours and after work as well.
Speaker 1: Would you ever consider
Speaker 1: and to other cities? Yeah, I mean that that is
Speaker 1: ultimately the goal we're continuously growing our digital presence and
Speaker 1: kind of national distribution. Um I look at other cities
Speaker 1: where I can emulate the Saint Louis success, where we
Speaker 1: already have a presence, that presence might be from a
Speaker 1: customer base that we've built online or customer base through
Speaker 1: previous wholesalers. And then we look to engage them with
Speaker 1: pop ups and trunk shows and eventually, you know, those
Speaker 1: would be the locations of
Speaker 1: our, our next, you know, brick and mortars. You know,
Speaker 1: I've been working pretty closely with a young high school student,
Speaker 1: you know, and thinking about younger women and how they
Speaker 1: build their wardrobes. What advice would you have for them?
Speaker 1: I know we hear a lot about buying quality over quantity,
Speaker 1: but I'm curious what, what you would say to a
Speaker 1: young woman who's looking to
Speaker 1: build a wardrobe. I think my best pieces of advice
Speaker 1: are first purchase your foundational elements and keep those neutral
Speaker 1: because those are gonna be your investment pieces and they're
Speaker 1: timeless and they'll go back to all the different trends
Speaker 1: and colors and prints in your wardrobe. I always encourage
Speaker 1: young and mature customers to stay true to what they
Speaker 1: feel best in. If a trend doesn't match who you
Speaker 1: think you are, then skip it and pass on it.
Speaker 1: Um I also encourage to tap into trends in, in
Speaker 1: little ways and kind of and balance it. Meaning
Speaker 1: if a particular color is trending, like red is all over,
Speaker 1: you know, uh the Golden Globes, you know, maybe add
Speaker 1: it in with a pair of shoes or a scarf
Speaker 1: or one sweater, but mix that back in with your
Speaker 1: neutral foundations or vice versa. If a prince in maybe,
Speaker 1: you know, get that.
Speaker 1: But in a really classic shirting silhouette, you're balancing those
Speaker 1: trends with timelessness that you never kind of feeling like
Speaker 1: you're too trendy and kind of too fast fashion. Exactly. Exactly.
Speaker 1: And I know you're celebrating 10 years of the brand
Speaker 1: this Spring.
Speaker 1: Anything that you want to share with us about how
Speaker 1: you might be celebrating or what your next collection might,
Speaker 1: uh look like. Yeah, I, I can't believe it's been
Speaker 1: that long. It's, it's really exciting and really humbling that
Speaker 1: I've been able to do what I love and build
Speaker 1: this business for 10 years, I think. Spring summer
Speaker 1: 2024 I'm really excited about. Um, you'll see some specialty
Speaker 1: pieces um that are drawing from my archive drawing from
Speaker 1: those 10 years of best sellers and kind of special
Speaker 1: techniques that will be limited edition. And then um you'll
Speaker 1: also see me kind of re invent some of those
Speaker 1: heritage pieces as well and bring new life to them.
Speaker 1: And I think uh certainly we're going to have a
Speaker 1: big celebration here in Saint Louis and we hope the
Speaker 1: community will come out and celebrate with us. And um
Speaker 1: you know, this is our home and we're really excited
Speaker 1: to be here um and some new product releases as well.
Speaker 1: So new categories and that's always exciting
Speaker 1: to me as a designer to expand into, you know,
Speaker 1: to further expand our vegan leather and, and, and we're
Speaker 1: working into knitwear. And so those are all exciting things
Speaker 1: coming for the year. Fun can't wait. And now for
Speaker 1: some rapid fire questions,
Speaker 1: what's the most rewarding part of your job? It's easy
Speaker 1: hearing how my customers feel their best selves in Audra
Speaker 1: and sometimes even getting photos along with those messages.
Speaker 1: What aspect of your job do you wish you could
Speaker 1: outsource to someone else? Easy as well, the finances,
Speaker 1: where do you turn or what do you do? Uh
Speaker 1: When you need creative inspiration, typically this is a long
Speaker 1: quiet walk or sitting in my garden and reflecting inward
Speaker 1: um on an emotional journey or a season of transformation
Speaker 1: and then figuring out how to marry that with customer feedback.
Speaker 1: What's your favorite fashion magazine? Purple, purple magazine. What is
Speaker 1: the most important lesson that you learned from your time
Speaker 1: working at Longwan
Speaker 1: at Long V? I feel Albert really taught me how
Speaker 1: to be intentional design for women of different ages and
Speaker 1: different shapes, whether that's through the cuts or the way
Speaker 1: the fabric drapes or the details to ensure it can
Speaker 1: you know, really dress an array of women. What artist
Speaker 1: or designer inspires you the most, Misha Prada and Donna Karan.
Speaker 1: What is the most out there bespoke item that you've
Speaker 1: designed for a client?
Speaker 1: Thankfully, I have not had any too crazy bespoke um
Speaker 1: project requests. I would say my my most outlandish would
Speaker 1: be dressing, you know, celebrities for the red carpet and
Speaker 1: are kind of,
Speaker 1: you know, for me, the biggest moment was when Kim
Speaker 1: Kardashian wore our dress, you know, and that was in 2017,
Speaker 1: incredible moment. I'm sure. Um if someone were to buy
Speaker 1: just one item from Audra, what would it be? It
Speaker 1: would be our best selling pant, which is the pin
Speaker 1: tuck crop trouser in black. I actually need that pant,
Speaker 1: by the way, that's a thought at the showroom. I
Speaker 1: told Savannah
Speaker 1: what well known model most accurately represents the ultra brand.
Speaker 1: Um I had to think about this one because there's
Speaker 1: so many I like, but I think it would be
Speaker 1: Saskia do, bro.
Speaker 1: If you could choose one woman in Saint Louis to dress,
Speaker 1: who would it be? You know, I, I feel like
Speaker 1: I already dressed her and there are so many of her.
Speaker 1: I have such a wide array of customers and they're very,
Speaker 1: like I said previously, they're very diverse and I think
Speaker 1: they're remarkable and I'm really humbled that I get to
Speaker 1: dress them. And how do you spend a perfect weekend
Speaker 1: evening in Saint Louis? And what would you wear?
Speaker 1: Well, certainly it wouldn't be this month in the cold,
Speaker 1: but it would be dinner on my backyard patio with
Speaker 1: fresh veggies from my garden. And I'd probably be wearing
Speaker 1: one of my favorite dresses, which is, which is from
Speaker 1: my spring summer 2020 collection. It's the Patrick Prairie dress.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much, Audra. Thank you.
Speaker 1: And now it's time for these views.
Speaker 1: On a more personal note, I recently returned from a
Speaker 1: trip to Bogota Colombia. The capital sits at nearly 9000
Speaker 1: ft above sea level and it's surrounded by the Majestic
Speaker 1: Andean Mountains. So as you can imagine, nature is part
Speaker 1: of everyday life there. And so much of the local
Speaker 1: creative scene takes its inspiration from the environment.
Speaker 1: Now, I'm a fairly eco minded person, but spending time
Speaker 1: in South America made me double down on my commitment
Speaker 1: to not only spend more time in nature but learn
Speaker 1: about the environment. I'm starting by resurrecting a former tradition
Speaker 1: of mine of buying a weekly bouquet of flowers for
Speaker 1: the house.
Speaker 1: I don't know what it is about having fresh flowers
Speaker 1: in my living room, but it just adds something to
Speaker 1: my everyday and hopefully makes our lives just a little
Speaker 1: bit better.
Speaker 1: I used to do this more regularly. Uh, I don't know,
Speaker 1: maybe five years ago, but I stopped for whatever reason
Speaker 1: I would visit a new floral shop every week and
Speaker 1: give myself a budget to buy whatever looked the most
Speaker 1: beautiful to me at the time. I'll be sure to
Speaker 1: post a few of my favorite local flower shops in
Speaker 1: the show notes because I know that there's a special
Speaker 1: holiday coming up soon
Speaker 1: later this month. I'm also taking an afternoon to visit
Speaker 1: the orchid show at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. The annual
Speaker 1: event is here until February 25th. And if you love
Speaker 1: flowers as I do, this is something that you won't
Speaker 1: want to miss. It's our chance to see hundreds of
Speaker 1: varieties of orchids on display. And speaking of flowers, Joanne
Speaker 1: Lee is this year
Speaker 1: featured speaker at ST Louis Art Museums, art and bloom.
Speaker 1: Beginning the weekend of March 1st, Joanne is the founder
Speaker 1: and artistic director of a P bio floral design and
Speaker 1: photography studio in New York City.
Speaker 1: She's been commissioned to work on campaigns for companies such
Speaker 1: as Sephora com C and of course, she's been hired
Speaker 1: to do the flowers for weddings and events around the world.
Speaker 1: I can't wait to hear her talk about her practice
Speaker 1: and demonstrate her creative process
Speaker 1: leading up to art and bloom. The museum is offering
Speaker 1: drop in tours on Friday and Saturdays called Flower Power.
Speaker 1: Attendees get to explore the museum galleries and learn about
Speaker 1: how we experience floral motifs through art. I can't wait
Speaker 1: to go.
Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to the House of Lu podcast.
Speaker 1: Our episodes drop on the first Wednesday of every month.
Speaker 1: Be sure to follow us and share the episode with
Speaker 1: your friends. Be in touch. Subscribe to our design and
Speaker 1: home newsletter at STL
Speaker 1: mag.com/newsletters and follow us at ST Louis mag on Instagram
Speaker 1: and you can follow me at ZT look book. We'll
Speaker 1: see you next time and just remember there's so much
Speaker 1: to see in Saint Louis if you know where to look.