WE-AR Family
Hi WE-AR family! I’m Lily. I have recently joined the Ponsonby team in Auckland, New Zealand. In my so-far short journey at WE-AR I have seen how connected everyone is. My family has been intertwined with the WE-AR community for years now and it feels good being inside the brand and understanding more about how we are actively building connection in our community from here in the store.
Growing up I always knew that I wanted to be involved in the fashion / creative industry, but hadn’t yet figured out where I would fit into it all. Here at WE-AR Jyoti fosters a loving environment within her business which is giving me opportunities to grow, develop and experiment. For example; my younger brother Tommy and I pinched some of the new season cashmere pieces to shoot this moody early Spring beach scene.
I have dabbled in photography since I was 13; mainly taking pictures of nature scenes. This is one of my first times experimenting with fashion photography. Of course I still managed to include nature in this shoot! I felt the cashmere colours paired beautifully with the natural environment around (as do all of the clothing at WE-AR). My brother and I had heaps of fun on this shoot just playing around with the new cosy pieces.
My family’s WE-AR journey all started with a yoga class my mum went to back in 2013. A woman wearing a unique pair of leggings from a brand she had never seen before led my mum to the WE-AR store. Ever since then it has been her favourite place to shop with an easy conscience; she particularly loves how beautiful and comfortable the clothes feel on her.
My older brother George started doing yoga when he was 14 years old and has never looked back. Fortunately WE-AR creates great yoga wear for men too. Now at 24 he has dedicated his life to the yogi way, spending his time travelling the world with the Heart of Yoga community and volunteering his time to teach yoga, wearing almost exclusively WE-AR clothes.
My Dad recently went to Bali to participate in the Heart of Yoga training with my brother. Synchronistically the community of Heart of Yoga goes way back to the beginnings of WE-AR.
My journey with WE-AR started at age 16 with a couple of days of work experience in high school. Coming full circle, now I am full time with the brand. Having studied sustainable fashion and feeling very strongly about the impact the fashion industry has on the planet, and the people making your clothes, WE-AR was a no-brainer place for me to work. It aligns so perfectly with my code of ethics while producing some of the most beautifully made, beautiful to look at, practical and comfortable garments.
My younger brother Tommy (the fab model) also works in Ponsonby so is regularly coming in to say hi to the team and even brings us yummy treats for our meetings.
WE-AR is so important because of its dedication to sustainability and ethics across all aspects of the supply chain. Investing in good materials and paying fair wages across all stages of the process is a basic principle that should be implemented into all business models. WE-AR is ahead of most businesses in this aspect and not only that but its sense of community and family is a very big part of the business and what makes it special. Having started as a way to live harmoniously with life and business in Bali, the foundations of WE-AR are built on the morals of support and love. My family has been woven in with WE-AR for a very long time now, each one of us having a love for yoga, fashion and people. Just like the WE-AR mantra intended, we are all one and we are all linked together.
I am so grateful to be a part of the team, working and learning with Jyoti and the rest of the WE-AR family
- Lily xx