I’m always on the look-out for new colours. One of my insights into originally starting the brand was that each season I seemed to want a whole new lipstick wardrobe, and it was a pain going to each and every brand I liked hunting down the perfect colours each season, not to mention that most of the brands I liked were $30+ for each lippie! Back then too when I first starting working on Suzy there weren’t as many amazing boutique makeup brands as there are now and it was pre-instagram so it was definitely harder to find colours and hunt down quirky international brands! I thought it would be amazing if there could be one brand that had a wardrobe I could buy each season with all the colours I was looking for, that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. And that’s really how I came up with the idea of our Shanghai Suzy wardrobes each season! And that’s still how we are inspired to create our colours. I’ll see an editorial or a trend or a pic on instagram, fall in love with a look and know that it’s a colour everyone will be chasing – so I make it part of the next range. Of course it’s not just me now and I listen to customers and consumers and I love hearing feedback and what people want! I’m down at our little pop-up shop at Rose Street Artist’s Market in Fitzroy (in Melbourne) all the time and I love meeting customers and hearing suggestions!
In terms of the design process, our product development (from brief, to formulating, to samples to approval) each season is roughly 3 months for the whole range. This overlaps with our packaging manufacturing which also takes about 3 months – by the time we fill our packaging, label it up and get it here in Melbourne we’re looking at about a 6 month turn-around time. So we’re always, always working on new colours! Which is my favourite part of this crazy lipstick business
You’ve just recently launched your latest winter wardrobe collection, what inspired your colour collection with this one?
I’m obsessed with Kylie Jenner. I wanted a Kylie-esque dusty, edgy semi-matte pink as an everyday staple (Miss Tanielle Desert Rose) and a super moisturising soft pink for a lighter, less harsh look (Miss Cassandra Peony). I also wanted a caramel-based nude, I’m loving 90’s browns at the moment - so Miss Kat 90’s Cappuccino was lovingly created. Lips get super dry in Winter so it’s all about taking extra care - we lightened our matte formula for the season to make it really comfy, yet still very pigmented and rich. We’re seeing a lot of very cool, classic reds this Winter and so we collaborated with one of our stockists in South Melbourne, Victorine, to create Miss Victorine Classic Red, inspired by strong, artistic women who know what they want. Miss Nina Sparkling Coral was inspired by a young lady in Sydney, a pop of sparkly sunshine to brighten a dull Winter day. Miss Veronica Sparkling Plum was inspired by our friend Veronica at VeganBeauty.com.au – vampy with sparkly undertones – a perfect naughty and nice combo for Winter. Miss Sanja Fuchsia is a re-run from our first season, a colour I created with and for one of my girlfriends Sanja, it was so popular and it’s such a fantastic pink for this Winter, sophisticated yet fun. I created Mrs French Winter Maroon for my own wedding reception in March, I wanted a rich, maroon colour like beautiful deep shiraz, it reminds me of a perfect Winter night by the fire with a glass of red