Sabenette

Meet the wahine behind online concept store Naatyu. As a photographer, curator, art director and all round creative wunderkind, Ana is the creative force behind some of the most distinctive and eye-gasmic creations Auckland’s small business world has to offer. We chat with Ana about her business journey, and upcoming pop up in the Saben store.

Discover the inspiration behind our newest boutique, Saben Newmarket, situated at 1 Teed Street.

When I started Saben in my 20’s, out of my parent’s garage, I never imagined how far we would come. I say ‘we’ because it is only the support of my family and the many people around me, and our incredible customers that we are here today.

Meet powerhouse entrepreneur Mimi Gilmour-Buckley. She's spinning many plates at once, founding Burger Burger, Mates Agency and most recently launching a Kickstarter campaign for new skincare brand I AM MI, which hopes to build resilience by teaching you evidence-based habits to fold into your daily routine. 

We are inspired by Mimi's optimism, and resolve to find a silver lining in every challenge. We hope you enjoy reading this interview with Mimi, filled with wisdom from her journey through motherhood so far.

Since capturing our Mother‘s Day campaign, Sophie has been through some immensely personal challenges after suffering from a cerebellar stroke.

By her side throughout, is the steadfast support of her husband Matt. He, alongside girls Esme and Mackenzie, make up Sophie‘s world. We chat about how much she needs her village, right now.

Meet Pou, this years community casting call winner. Pou is kind, gentle and it's obvious her love for her children knows no bounds. We talk about overcoming challenging relationships, finding the yin to your yang and what values she hopes to instil in her children Jeremiah, Aaliyah and Wolf.

From the outset it's easy to see Skye is an empathetic mother who encourages her daughter Albie to discover the world around her with kindness and independence. Skye's background in journalism means she is equipped to articulate the profound personal growth she's experienced since joining the mum club. 

Meet Jordyn, founder of ‘Kiwi Birth Tales’ a podcast and Instagram account dedicated to sharing (and showing) the many diverse experiences of giving birth, and the postpartum journey.

Jordyn candidly shares her own experiences of motherhood with her community – she shares her journey with boys Jai and Ali. From stories of c-sections to starting her little ones on solids.

We are excited to introduce long time friend of Saben, Sunny and her mini-me daughter, Jesse.

6 going on 16, Jesse is always by her mama’s side. You’ll see Sunny & Jesse on their Instagram account, out and about around Auckland, adding to their ever stylish mini and me wardrobes.

We caught up with Sunny about the never ending rollercoaster that is motherhood and what advice she has for mums about to embark on their own journey into Motherhood

Brigitte is one of those women who lights up a room the moment she enters it. There is a light that radiates from within; that enviable combination of fun and cool was a match made in heaven when she started out on her career as a journalist for TV3.

Now a mother to Delilah and Violette, Brigitte shares the devastating loss of their son, a baby boy named Jude who was still born at six months into her second pregnancy. We are grateful to Brigitte for sharing her story with us and bringing light to a topic which is not talked about enough.

Meet Natalie, a.k.a 'Wonder Woman' in our eyes. She is a long-time Saben fan who knows well how important having a village around you is when raising kids.

Having her first son Cooper at age 18, she now has 3 boys of her own and a daughter, Lulu, who she had via surrogacy for Christian and Mark. We had a soulful and candid convo about the challenges of raising kids as a solo mum and the unwavering love she has for her boys.

Saejung is a business owner and mum to little Nico. When she was just 22, she started ‘Oh Rent me’ a designer dress rental platform.

Originally from South Korea, Saejung’s family immigrated to New Zealand when she was just seven. Now a full-time mother and entrepreneur, we asked Saejung how she is finding the often-elusive balance of motherhood and business owner, alongside her mum Sonia who is embracing her new role as first time Grandma to little Nico.

A long-time friend of Saben, Carolyn is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. Her effervescent nature and sparkling optimism radiates from the inside out. Carolyn candidly opens up about her journey from being happily married to perimenopause as quick as you can say ‘your time’s up’. Not being one to admit defeat, her positivity and resolve resulted in the best 40^th birthday present she could have hoped for. Her story will encourage those on a similar journey.

 

Aaliyah radiates a warmth and friendliness people gravitate towards. After meeting her just once, you'll feel like you've made a forever friend.

Underneath her warmth is a woman who has navigated the challenges of first time motherhood, diagnosed with post partum depression and anxiety, she candidly shares her journey and hopes for little Leo with us.

Find the rascally Easter bunny hiding among our handbags online and be in to WIN a $500 Saben spend! The more places you find, the more chances there are to win.

This year you'll have the opportunity to meet the little rascal in real life!

Meet 'Investie Besties' Sonya and Sim. The founders of @girlsthatinvest. This inspiring duo have been pals since high school. A couple of years ago, they started a conversation around money, finances and becoming investment savvy (not the usual convo you associate with Millennials and Gen Z). We chat with the girls about all things money, including which handbag to invest in!

We took some time out with Roanne, creative director and head designer at luxury leather accessories brand, Saben to discover the inspiration behind and favourite new season silhouettes and seasonal colours from her latest collection ‘The Great Outdoors’.

Meet Sue of Floral stylist, the creative hands behind the rainbow dried floral installation celebrating Pride in our Ponsonby and Newmarket windows. We ask Sue how she keeps her creative juices flowing, her career highlights so far and what it means to her to be a part of the LGBTQIA community. 

If your getting married in New Zealand, you've either heard of Trish Peng or seen one of her gowns. Nestled just a few minutes away from the Saben Ponsonby store is Trish Peng's design studio and sister brand Yours Truly whose bridal boutique now stocks our 'To have and To Hold' ceremonial collection...

After 3 months of closed doors, the move to the new traffic light system means Ashleigh and her team at The Facialist are back on the tools. We caught up with Ashleigh at our shiny new Teed St boutique to chat about the highs, the lows and what she's looking forward to now. P.s. There's an exclusive treat for Saben fans too...

Introducing the 'Sarah' handbag a limited-edition collaboration with Samsung, designed as the perfect fashion accessory for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3. The Sarah is available exclusively as a gift with purchase with the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 device, available to purchase on the Samsung website while stocks last.

Meet Samantha, Founder of Wild Hearts, a curated platform for all things weddings, alongside their events hosting Wedding fairs across the country which are modern, contemporary and stylish. (no ugly, stark lighting tradeshows here). We sit down with Samantha to hear about her journey and how she went from planning her own wedding, to working in the industry! 

Meet Greta, Founder and Editor of Together Journal, a modern wedding and lifestyle magazine for anyone with a romantic bone in their body, or just a love of beautiful things. Not everyone is courageous enough to start a media brand and print magazine, which is exactly why we wanted to profile Greta in our Women in Business series. We hope you enjoy reading about how the magazine came about, and the women who have inspired her along the way.

It is such a privilege to introduce Lisa King, a woman who needs very little introduction. If you don’t know her name, you’ll know one of the businesses she co-founded called Eat My Lunch. We were excited to find our more about Lisa's latest entrepreneurial venture, AF drinks, and even celebrate international Gin and Tonic Day - Sober AF.

Every love story is unique and this one is no different. When Greta Kenyon editor of TJ asked Roanne to design the perfect wedding day accessory, Roanne knew she would say yes. Meet Gigi, the ultimate event piece to take you from the aisle to the afterparty.

In the middle of Kingsland village you will find KENSAL flower shop. On entry you'll meet the smile of owner Liv or her right hand women Kate. The shop is filled with flowers that look like they've just been cut from some dreamy English cottage garden. We chat with Liv to find out how she braves 4am starts and of course to find out her favourite pieces from the new collection.

We sat down with Roanne, Saben’s founder + designer to learn more about our latest foray into footwear, the Sunday Sneaker. Saben's first ever leather sneaker is made with the same classic, durable and stylish functionality as our cult classic handbags. These smart casual sneakers will take you from work-to-weekend, Monday to Sunday.

Carmel is unpretentious, down to earth and effortlessly cool. When we meet her at Turua Gallery she is nonchalant about her recent sold out show, instead, in true artist form she can see only what she would change about each painting. We were intrigued to find out more about the artist and mother behind the paintings. We hope you enjoy this Q+A with Carmel.

Nestled in the beautiful suburb of St Heliers you will find Turua Gallery, a relaxed and intimate space showcasing a curated collection of contemporary New Zealand art. In July we visited the gallery to photograph our latest collection Wild Garden against the backdrop of sold out show 'In Contrast' by artist Carmel Van der Hoeven.

For Saben founder and designer Roanne Jacobson, each season is an opportunity to create a new collection of leather handbags, wallets and accessories inspired by seasonal hues. We sit down with Roanne to discuss the inspiration behind the Wild Garden Collection.