Tessuti, after years in Three Lamps, was looking for a new space. Ali McIntosh, Tessuti’s owner, put her friendship with Ingrid Starnes into action and decided to open a store together, with a window display by landscape designer Xanthe White…
Tessuti & Ingrid Starnes Official Opening
4 August 2011
The official opening of new collaborative store by Tessuti and Ingrid Starnes was held on Thursday night in a renovated old building on the corner of Jervois and Albany Rd in up-market Auckland suburb, Herne Bay.
Tessuti, having spent many years in the area of Three Lamps, was looking for a new space. Ali McIntosh and Harriet Sandstad of Tessuti put their friendship with Simon Pound and Ingrid of Ingrid Starnes into action and decided to collaborate and open a store together. Ingrid and Simon, who looks after the business side of things for the fashion label, had spent time in Australia and noticed that the business model for homewares and fashion really worked. So they and Tessuti looked for the perfect space – and were very lucky to find the heritage building in Herne Bay to head into together.
The store contains all the lovely items which customers will be familiar with – European candles and lotions, beautifully bound cooking and interiors books, a range of jewellery and various homewares.
Then of course you have the option of Ingrid Starnes’ beautiful collection which at the moment is full of lovely pastel colours in delicate pieces in chiffon and cottons.
Ali and Harriet from Tessuti are extremely excited about the future of the store and see it as a great opportunity. “We love each other’s products, love the area, and we feed off each other,” they said.
Another unique collaboration for the store is the window display by landscape designer Xanthe White.
Xanthe, who has won awards for showing at the Chelsea Flower Show and is an author and columnist enjoys mixing her work with other areas of design and is also working with Ingrid on some ideas for NZ Fashion Week.
Below: guests at the launch.
If you are interested in visiting this new store they are based at 224 Jervois Road, Herne Bay otherwise you can find more detail on www.tessuti.co.nz or www.ingridstarnes.com
Story and photographs by Stacey Gillies @ www.fashionfairground.co.nz
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