Inspired by a love of travel, passion and exotic locations LoKoa is a Gold Coast, Australia based fashion label that specializes in stylish bohemian handmade bags and accessories. Created by friends Brie Shinn and Alex Longstaff (pictured below) LoKoa has been featured in the pages of OK! Magazine, Instyle and more! Brie was kind enough to take time out from her busy schedule to have a chat about all things LoKoa.

How would you describe your personal style?
Both of us follow the rule ‘wear what is comfortable, wear what you love’ and that is something we want to promote with LoKoa. Being from the Gold Coast, we are definitely influenced by the breezy beach vibe. Both of us lean toward a relaxed chic style. Our personal styles are certainly reflected in our designs for LoKoa. Alex falls more in a bohemian style, she rocks a lot of tie-dye. I prefer to bustle around in bright, simple pieces with bursts of colour.

Is fashion always something that you’ve always had an interest in?
Yes we have absolutely. It’s important to present yourself well, and fashion is a way to reflect who you are without even saying a word. You know, it might just be that particular bangle or pair of shoes that you rock that adds that bit of style, both of us are conscious of the importance of staying true to your own style. Especially living on the Gold Coast, where there is an obvious focus on looking your best, it can be difficult to find something that sets you apart. This is what happened with LoKoa, we found ourselves taking it further to design our own pieces.

What motivates you to do what you do?
We bought so many ‘Set For Life’ scratchies and never won. A trip to Vegas was going to be too costly so we had to make our fortune another way. Just kidding! We love being hit with inspiration in all sorts of locations, the more we find it, the more we need to create. Because of that we have this beautiful unique opportunity to connect with people and watch them get excited over our pieces. It’s motivating to see people taking what we create and then integrating that into their own styles. We keep thinking how we started small, connecting with friends and family and now we have them telling us when they spot complete strangers working LoKoa pieces. The possibilities are endless.

LoKoa is a two women operation, how did you ladies first meet?
Alex and I met about four years at reggae festival through mutual friends. Now we’re business partners and roommates as well.

Tell me about the beginnings of LoKoa.
Talking over coffee about the local fashion scene we discovered that we shared a vision of our ideal leather handbag. We both wanted something unique, stylish and a bit bohemian. I had a bag made up for my own personal collection (the Lotus bag – pictured below) after being inspired by the culture from my travels through Brazil, Argentina and also Bali. Everyone was wild for it when I brought it back, so I had some more samples made up. They sold out within a week, Alex came on board officially and we expanded the LoKoa range. With the addition of shoes, wallets and now clothing, our business has accelerated and we couldn’t be more thrilled.

What is the origins of the name: LoKoa?
The name LoKoa really encompasses our love of travel, and exotic locations. We began creating our own dream bags, but quickly realised that every woman has that free spirit in her that wants to explore and express herself in a way unique to her. Not every woman has the luxury of an exotic escape, so our range of richly coloured bags and accessories aims to make that bohemian spirit more accessible to everyone.

What kind of lady would wear LoKoa?
The LoKoa buyer is a woman who stands out, has a taste for quality and wants to carry a bit of bohemian magic with her every day. She is a free spirit and isn’t afraid to express herself. We don’t like to think of it as appealing to a particular market, like youth or the fashion forward. With LoKoa, we want to encourage women of all ages and backgrounds, with all sorts of personal styles to experiment with fashion. From teenagers to the more mature buyer, wearing a LoKoa product is about evoking that free spirit within.

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Tags: Alex Longstaff, Blake Lively, bohemian luxe, Brie Shinn, gold coast designers, handmade handbags, Jennifer Hawkins, LoKoa, Lost in Paradise, Lotus bag, Miranda Kerr, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley