Total firecracker Kelly Hinton is part of the powers behind fashion business and online community Shine On. We connected with Kelly when Saben joined the pool of brands on offer in store and it is a treat to feature her in our women in business portrait series. Kelly knows what’s up. With a knack for picking the pieces you need to know about; we chat about style, summer essentials, Shine On and building the perfect wardrobe…
Tell us a bit about your journey before Shine On, where you worked, your kiddies and family life.
I have worked in and out of the fashion industry since I was 18 starting in retail and working my way up the chain with the end goal always being a buyer. I have two kiddies Jack who is nearly 12 and Sophia who is 4 and I am married to Charlie we have been married for 11 years now and have known each other since we were 15!! Ahhh that makes me feel old haha!!
And joining the Shine On team
I have worked at Shine On for nearly 2 years now, I met with Fee and Gene before the store opened and when there was only 4 staff members there are over 40 of us now. I knew this was the company I wanted to work for, I had been off with Sophia for 2 years and was eager to get back to work but really wanted it to be the right job I wanted to be back in the fashion industry. Im so grateful for Fee and Gene for taking me on and I haven't looked back!
What does working for Shine On mean to you?
Working here is seriously like working with a big group of best friends actually its like working with my family. The team here are amazing every single one of them. As well as working with amazing people I have an amazing job I feel like with our amazing social media platforms we get to really empower woman and make them feel great in the clothes we choose. Nothing makes me more happy to see a fellow Woman in an outfit that I have styled and feeling great about herself, day made!
You are often the face of new products via social and Shine On TV. How important is it Shine On that the customers experience an element of “normal” (over unattainable images of beauty?)
I think in this day and with the amount we see daily on social media in the fashion industry its super important for our customers to see "real" I am a Mum of two I hardly get to the gym and I love chocolate and that's me, I still love wearing nice clothes and feeling good in them and I want to show that to our customers. You wont see tiny squares filled will airbrushed, styled shots you will always see real people. I also think its nice for our customers to be able to put a face to a name and I love being able to engage with them on a daily basis.
We love your edit on our collection, each time you do an order how much of it is your picks knowing what’s hot and on trend vs. customer demand??
I LOVE Saben, my friends call me the crazy bag lady. I reckon I would have upwards of 30 bags I just love bags always have. How I choose my range from Saben is a mix of trends vs function. I choose a range that caters for a variety of Women, I think about what would work for a working woman, a Mum, a younger woman and so on and I make sure I have all basis covered. Plus you cant go wrong with a Saben bag they are all amazing!! X
Your personal favourite pieces from Saben Summer? (and why)
My all time Fav smaller bag would be the Tillys big Sis I am actually blown away with this bag, Its so chic and while its a smaller cross body style the amount of space and storage in it is magic. It makes me feel so organised while I am out cause I know I have everything I need right there! Then my fav larger bag would be the Luna I absolutely love this bag the first thing I noticed when I saw this bag was the cool stitching on the straps, I love how I can put my whole life in this bag and there is still room! Sometimes when I am using my Tilly and I don't want to have to change bags but need something bigger I just pop my Tilly inside my Luna and I am good to go!
What pieces are quintessential to our summer wardrobe?
Oh this is a tough one haha, I think as long as you have your capsule wardrobe down then everything else is a bonus. But a few things that I could not live without in my wardrobe would be a great pair of jeans, white tees, leather Jacket and a pretty floral dress plus 50 pairs of shoes haha....did I mention I am also a crazy shoe Lady!?
More on style – for Summer what key trends are you seeing come through in a MASSIVE way
I am seeing leopard coming through in a big way, and pretty floral dresses and kimonos. We have some beautiful summer items dropping now and we are always updating our whats new section daily so there is always something fresh and exciting here at Shine On.
New styles landing daily here...https://shineon.co.nz/collections/new-items
For more from Kelly and the Shine On team visit https://shineon.co.nz/ and for your daily does of inspo join them on Instagram @shineon.co.nz https://www.instagram.com/shineon.co.nz/
Kelly wears Luna Tote, the perfect understated stunner to switch between work-mode and mum-mode with stylish ease. Shop the Shine On edit below:
