Fancy Seeing You Here | Antonia
Introducing, the wonderful Antonia of Mark Antonia. Our Cleopatra in cream, she’s a pioneer of the dried floral revival, Egyptian history buff, good crazy cat lady and lover of all things pink.
You’re wearing the Quietly Confident Wall Flower in Cream, don’t you just love it? Tell us why you love it.
What is your favourite dried flower, what does it mean to you and why do you love it?
My favourite dried flower is the hydrangea, because I can use it so much - as a full bloom or a lot of the time I cut the individual flowers especially for my ikebana styled dried arrangements. It’s also really great to paint so I can use the hydrangea so much more creatively when it’s dried and endeavour to make something completely unique for every client and customer. Hydrangeas are also my best friend Hannah’s favourite flower and Madonna’s loathed flower -that’s even enough!
What’s your talent you don’t get paid for?
Historical facts, I’m a history buff. If I wasn’t the Antonia of Mark Antonia, I would be an Egyptologist. Really I would be - ask me anything Egypt, I am slightly confident I would know the answer or at least bluff my way through and make up a believable answer lol. But on a tangent, our business name is a wee nod to ancient Egypt, as Mark Antony had a daughter called Antonia - there’s more to our business name than people think, not just us being lazy and just using our names!
The worst thing you’ve ever worn? And don’t even try to justify it.
My senior summer school uniform was created by a local designer in Christchurch (that I shall not name) who made everyone look like a 1920’s low slung bag of gingham potatoes. Argh awful, the most awful of all!
Who is your favourite fellow girl boss?
Hmmm, that’s hard. There are so many talented boss girls. I love the girl bosses that I directly work with the most because we all seem to have similar ideas and aesthetics, however I love boy bosses equally.
Shall I list some of my favourite gal bosses? Ok, I love working with Juliette Hogan and her main girl Chantelle, they are so frickin’ on top of everything and I love wearing Juliette’s clothes. I love Claire Hammon from Meadowlark, she’s so creatively brilliant and keeps me well-jewelled and pearled up.
I love and admire what Jordan and Anouck have created with the Caker, they have worked so hard and achieved so much. Oh my gosh there are too many talented ladies! I could go on and on! Mark is an amazing boy boss too, ahem when he’s not bossing me around. But also, Alice you are a star boss....
and on that complimentary note we say xie xie (thanks!) to our lovely friend Antonia!
x
Check out Mark Antonia for handmade bespoke dried floral arrangements, candles, prints and incredible furniture made by Antonia and her hubs Mark (when we start the hej hej menswear line he will be our first profile!). Two beautiful individuals creating objects to last and be treasured.
Photos by Nicole Brannen.
and one more photo for the road...we couldn't leave Louis out.
