Shona Joy’s path ahead with e-commerce and sustainability
Renowned for its bohemian silhouettes and hand-designed prints, Shona Joy's pieces are stocked by the likes of global department stores David Jones, Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdale’s.
We spoke to founder Shona Joy Thatcher about the brand’s journey over the past two decades, how they pivoted to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic, and their path forward with e-commerce and sustainability.
From the early days of market stalls to today’s global marketplace, what has been Shona Joy’s growth journey within and beyond Australia?
We started the Shona Joy brand in 2000 with market stalls at Bondi Beach and Paddington. Back then, many Australian designers were carving their way and using the markets as a platform to test their aesthetic. Shona Joy got its first big break at Belinda Seper’s 'Corner Shop' in Sydney, launching a capsule collection of hand-printed tees. From there, the brand quickly built momentum with a growing list of premium retailers carrying the label both locally and abroad.
The Shona Joy brand became a market leader in the bridesmaid space, with our original focus on evening wear dresses, however, over the past five years, the growth in our e-commerce business has allowed us to really come into our own. Our use of natural fibers and the growth in our resort category has seen the evolution and elevation of the brand — offering aspirational day and night looks that reference key international trends, while remaining consistent to our uniquely modern, yet bohemian and feminine aesthetic.
What role has e-commerce and logistics played in this international growth?
Growing the direct-to-consumer side of our business with our online stores has been empowering for financial reasons, but more importantly to allow us to connect directly to our customer. We now have a truer understanding of who she is, what she loves, where she wears our brand, and where we want to go with the brand. Social media has allowed and opened up conversations — it’s exciting to hear directly from her — and equally to learn where we have gone wrong, and how we can be better.