Mojo Maker Interview - Talented nicolangela designer shares her secrets for a mojo filled life
This week’s Mojo Maker is all about Nicole Williams, a highly talented and creative designer of Women’s occasion wear. Nicole’s understanding of what flatters the female form is a gift she was born with, however the thing that really stands out is that she is as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. Loving, down-to-earth, and caring, across every area of her life. Her mojo cup is full!
What else? A patient and understanding Mum who puts her children’s needs first. Charitable. Spiritual. A good listener. A good friend. I could go on…
I am lucky enough to own four of her beautiful and timeless dresses. Each dress fits beautifully, is flattering and makes me feel very special.
Here, Nicole shares her tips for choosing the perfect dress, staying true to yourself, going after your dreams, and keeping your mojo in full flow.
What is the mantra that you live and work by?
“Do what you Love, Love what you do"
What motivates and inspires you? What keeps your mojo flowing?
“Enabling people to be the best they can be.”
My mojo flows when I see joy in people. From the love in their eyes or the joy of an experience. I feel I contribute to people finding their mojo by seeing their joy and acknowledging it. I am a true believer in positive thoughts should be shared, thus when I think something is positive you will be certain to hear it.
For me, I am able to experience this first hand by creating clothing which makes women feel amazing about themselves. The way women look at themselves in the mirror when wearing my designs is such a gift.
Talk us through a typical day in the life of Nicole/Nicolangela.
My typical day involves:-
Waking with the sweet paw of my dog on my hand. Our gorgeous Samoyed wakes us every morning to let us know she loves us - and that she is hungry.
I rise, give her breakfast and pop the kettle on. My son Ethan (10) is already up, he doesn’t want to miss out on a moment of action (rather like his Dad Darren) as Keira (8) slowly eases into the day rather like her mumma.
We have breakfast and chat about our dreams and the day ahead of us.
Darren heads off to the office as we run out the door with a minute to spare, getting to school just in time for the bell to ring. We bid farewell with a kiss and a cuddle - I’m thrilled Ethan is still okay with affection from his Mummy - and we wish each other a great day.
I then take Mika for a run on the beach and mentally plan my day.
I head to work with a soy latte in hand and have quiet time for planning my day. I open the laptop and start “om’s for the office” - a necessity in our workplace as it helps to keep us calm, centered and productive. Our team then gets together to prioritise and plan for the day.
Depending on the time of year, my working day can entail any of the following: creating of a collection, model fittings, show rehearsals, photo shoots, range showings, client consultations, marketing, showroom merchandising, staff training, etc. The list is endless thus why planning is so important!
In the afternoon I pick the kids up from school and take them to activities. Once home I have domestic duties, including cooking the dinner. We have a family dinner with sharing, followed by a bedtime story and quiet time where the kids open up and ask for guidance.
I then catch up on work emails, social media, and end the day with a meditation.
Mika
What are four things that you do to nourish your body, mind and spirit?
Meditate - this gives me clarity and conscience.
Walk my dog at the dog beach or dog park. Seeing the dogs play, smile and interact with each other gives me so much joy. I love meeting their masters and sharing dog stories and simply just enjoying their time of being. Dogs teach you about living in the NOW.
Create - this nourishes my mind body and spirit. I stop, think, imagine and produce.
Inspire - sharing my experiences, thoughts, and love to myself and with others.
What's your guilty pleasure?
Chocolate Ice cream and red wine – preferably together!
Top mojo secrets you swear by?
Inspire
Create
Move
Meditate.
Besides designing beautiful collections, what else do you do to get your mojo flowing?
Get excited with the kids. I love to share dreams, aspirations and fantasy with my children - the wild eyed excitement children have is infectious.
Nicole & Kiera
You have two gorgeous children, who I can say from a personal note are well behaved, thoughtful and talented. Tell us more about your role as a mother and how this has helped shaped your life.
Being a mother and present for my children has become a priority in my life.
The marriage of my passion and love merged into a career for me in which I feel very blessed. However, the fast paced lane of fashion did not fuse well together with the longing to be present for my family. Owning and running retail stores whilst wholesaling the label nationally and internationally took its toll. I longed to be home and felt terribly guilty about all the airline tags with multiple country destinations on our children's strollers!
"I needed to find a way to make all of the loves in my life work with cohesion."
Today, my business is structured to be present for my children whilst being present for our customers. We have a successful online, wholesale, and personal styling concept which is automated online. Ordering, booking, and dispatch is all automated online, however supported by customers being offered the personalised service of one-on-one consultations with our stylists in our showrooms.
Our collections are all designed in a hands on way by myself and made in Melbourne enabling complete creative freedom and customised solutions.
Kiera & Ethan
You live in the inner city bayside area of Port Melbourne. What are some of your favourite things about living in this beachside suburb of Melbourne?
I love living so close to the city. We can hop on a tram and be in the centre of Melbourne in 10 minutes. We can enjoy all Melbourne has to offer and be part of it. I love living in a modern inner city suburb, it makes me feel part of the buzz of life even whilst in Mummy mode.
I can be sitting in our lounge room looking out the window watching all the groovers go by, and be inspired. Even being in my 40’s it enables me to stay relevant.
I had the privilege of knowing you when you first started making and designing clothes in the garage at the back of your parent’s house. You always knew what you wanted to do, you were destined to be a successful fashion designer. In fact, your career as a fashion designer has been as glittering as the gowns you have designed. Your mojo has been in full flow! What advice would you have for people who want to follow in your footsteps?
"Be your authentic self. I truly believe if your love is true it shows. It’s that authentic love that people will be drawn to and follow. Follow your dreams."
Was there a defining point in your career, and if so, how did it shape you as a fashion designer?
The defining point in my career was my move from Sydney to Melbourne (sorry Sydney). I felt Melbourne gave me creative freedom to create the label I wanted to create. The focus on arts and events in Melbourne, coupled with the climate, enabled me to create collections worthy of being worn.
What do you love about being self-employed? Can you tell us more about your business Nicolangela?
I can’t imagine not being self employed. I love that I can drop off the kids at school and take them to their activities after school. The only downfall is that being self employed is relentless, and after the kids go to bed it’s catch up time…emails, marketing, costing, social media, etc. The upside of this however is the lessons it teaches your children - to be present, to work hard, to prioritise.
You understand the female figure so well, appreciating that we come in all shapes and sizes, and designing dresses that flatter all body shapes. Tell us more about your collection and how our Mummy Mojo tribe can choose the best dress for them.
The most defining moment for a women’s style and confidence is to understand their shape and understand what makes them look their best. This coupled with confidence and a well cut and made dress can transform you.
Nic dress
I recently got your Goddess Convertible dress and it certainly lives up to your statement; one dress, one size, infinite possibilities. The one-size-fits-all style of dress fits my body like a glove and I love that I can wear it in a multiple of ways. Can you tell us more about this design and why it is so popular?
The Convertible dress evolved from the need of a dress to suit many shapes and sizes. We cater for women predominantly attending events and weddings.
The feedback we received from our clients was that they wanted to invest in a beautiful dress, however wanted to wear it more than once, sometimes to an event with the same people. This coupled with requirements of flattering, versatile, low maintenance, well travelled, works when my weight fluctuates gave me a wonderful challenge.
I started draping on my mannequin working with fabric and cuts on the female form. Once perfected on a size 10 mannequin I worked my way to a 12, 14, 16 and so on. I refined and refined some more until I felt giddy and then I realised I had designed something so special that I would like to wear and own. And there it was the Goddess was born.
Gorgie wrap dress
Over the past year, a core focus on your business has been the Nicolanagela Sample Pack. This is a perfect solution for mums -who often find it difficult to go shopping - as they can try on a variety of dress in the comfort of their own home. The unstructured sizing also makes it an ideal choice for new Mums whose bodies may have changed when they had children. Can you tell our Mummy Mojo tribe more about the Nicolanagela Sample Pack?
I’m sure, like me, they will want to sign up today!
The sample pack makes it easy to order a customised dress directly from home. We send to you the nicolangela gown of your choice, full fabric and colour options, a tape measure all packaged perfectly in a gift box delivered to your door.
What's great about the sample pack is that it allows you to try the gown in the privacy of your own home and decide on fabrics, colour choice, length and fit.
The sample pack is returned to us after a 10-day trial period and we make your garment for you specifically for your requirements within 4 weeks. It’s that easy!