Tash’s Five Minutes With Mezi

I had the pleasure of sitting down with the delightful sister-duo behind Mezi, Adva Punin and Tal Manning about all things style.

Tell us a little bit about how the label began?

We grew up surrounded by gorgeous accessories and fashion all with the exotic Moroccan influence that was a sentimental part of our childhood. This element is now recognised as the Mezi aesthetics. We have produced jewellery for as long as we can remember and made the decision to start the Mezi label in 2005 to share our love for gorgeous accessories with elements that inspire us and our passion for what we do.

Could you tell us a little about your career path before the label was conceived? What were your experiences breaking into a notoriously tough industry?

Adva’s background lies in graphic design, she loved the balance of the creative and business elements the industry presented and was able to take a fantastic portfolio of skills to the Mezi business. Tal was a buyer and merchandiser for leading Australian Boutiques, cementing her love for all that fashion has to offer. When you do what you are passionate for the hard work and persistence comes naturally. It is the mentality of hard work, passion and success that pays of for us and has got us where we are today.

What informed the name Mezi?

Our mother was and always is a huge inspiration to us. She is a strong business woman, great mother, best friend and always our best source of confidence.  We named our label ‘Mezi’ after her so we are always reminded of what is important in life.

What is it like working as sisters?

Working with your sister is great, there is a level of strength that your sister offers that no one can replace. We know we are both working towards the same goal and that every decision we make is with that in mind.

Tell us a little about the latest collection, what inspired you and who the girl is?

The collection is titled ‘Kaleidoscope’ and explores colour transcending over the Mezi AW13 collection. It’s all about deep blues, dahlia tones, snake inspired chains and stone encrusted statement pieces. We were inspired by our love of travelling to exotic places, our Moroccan heritage and searching for up and coming trends across the globe. The Mezi girl is not afraid to stand out from the crowd, she likes all that is luxurious, she is on trend – yet stylish and sophisticated in her own right.

Key pieces for the upcoming season?

Rose gold, glass lapis stones, the ear cuff, statement necklaces and the official launch of our luxurious leather goods; timeless bags, wallets and belts created from opulent leathers.

Who or what inspires your own style?

Our mother’s effortless everyday glamour is what we take great inspiration from when designing a collection. She is glamorous, feminine, polished and her strong personality and drive exudes through her stylish ways. Laura Hutton is our personal style muse, her outstanding career as a model and actress is very aspirational. She is graceful, effortless and a natural beauty. Mezi is all about accessories that can take you from day to night. We design with that in mind and have now developed a brand that is recognised for its wearable, effortless and statement pieces that will be part of your wardrobe for many seasons to follow.

Blogging is obviously an amazing new phenomenon. Any favourite bloggers?

We love the Man Repeller and Gary Pepper Vintage – her style is timeless and she is transforming into an amazing power woman.

As successful businesswomen, you are fantastic inspiration to us and our readers. What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs?

Surround yourself with strong people that can offer you knowledge and experience. There is nothing better than learning from people’s experiences, mistakes and successes.

Lastly, if you could have breakfast with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be and why?

Audrey Hepburn – a true style icon and beautiful woman.