How I Got Here: St. Agni’s Head of Design on the art of being assertive
image via @stagnistudio/instagram
as told to daisy henry
“We work with such talented creatives who effortlessly capture the essence of the brand… I still get such a buzz out of it!”
Have you ever stalked someone on LinkedIn and wondered how on earth they managed to land that wildly impressive job? While the internet and social media might have us believe that our ideal job is a mere pipe dream, the individuals who have these jobs were, believe it or not, in the same position once, fantasising over someone else’s seemingly unattainable job.
But behind the awe-inspiring titles and the fancy work events lies a heck of a lot of hard work. So what lessons have been learnt and what skills have proved invaluable in getting them from daydreaming about success to actually being at the top of their industry?
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Welcome to How I Got Here, where we talk to women who are killing it in their respective fields about how they landed their awe-inspiring jobs, exploring the peaks and pits, the failures and the wins, and most importantly the knowledge, advice and practical tips they’ve gleaned along the way.
This week we hear from Kylie Monk, the Head of Design at St. Agni. Known for it’s monochrome tones, woven leather accessories and dynamic silhouettes, Kylie has been part of the team responsible for catapulting the Australian label to cult-like status.
Before starting her current role, Kylie started off working in-house at small, local labels as a design assistant before landing a position at Cue as a Senior Designer. From there, she transitioned to the label’s Head of Design where she worked for 10 years. Following Covid and in search of a lifestyle change, Kylie and her family relocated to Byron Bay from Sydney and she joined the team at St. Agni.
Her current role involves both creativity and strategy – from sketching and sourcing fabrics, to monitoring customer demand and sales data. However, Kylie emphasises that creating a successful womenswear collection takes a village. “It’s such an honour to work alongside people who are as passionate about what they do as I am,” she says.
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Fashion Journal: Hi Kylie! Tell us a little about who you are and what you do.
Kylie: My title at St. Agni is Head of Design, as part of this role I oversee and contribute to seasonal collections, working closely with our creative director and co-founder, Lara Fells. Lara sets the overall tone and direction, while I collaborate with the team to expand and refine her vision, bringing fresh ideas that enhance each season’s unique narrative.
With my experience, I balance creativity with a business-driven approach, monitoring collection size, analysing our category offering and responding to both customer demand and our intuitive direction. I also lead the sourcing of new fabrics, ensuring innovation and quality align with our brand’s aesthetic.
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Take us back to when you were first starting out. Did you study to get into your chosen field, or did you start with an internship and climb the ladder?
I’ve been immersed and working in the fashion industry for 17 years now. I first studied at East Sydney TAFE under Nicholas Huxley and worked for a few brands in the early years as a design assistant before working my way up to senior designer within four years.
Working for a variety of companies from smaller designer labels to larger more established brands gave me such valuable and differing insights into how fashion companies operate. From here, I landed a job at Cue as a Senior Designer before transitioning to a Head of Design position, where I stayed for just shy of 10 years.
After navigating Covid in Sydney, my small growing family and I were seeking a lifestyle change and the position at St. Agni perfectly aligned with our timing. I had always been so impressed with everything the brand was doing, always watching on from afar with admiration, so I truly couldn’t believe how lucky I was for the opportunity to join the team.
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Have you faced any challenges or hurdles in getting to where you are now?
One of the biggest hurdles I’ve faced in my career to date has been becoming a mother. It forced me to learn the art of work-life balance, especially in the early days of returning from leave, which was a completely foreign concept to me until that time.
On reflection it’s been a beautiful blessing, as I have learnt to channel my time and energy in a much more productive way. I am always striving to be more present for whichever task I’m working on, whether that be parenting or designing a collection.
What do you want people to know about your role?
Working as a designer is more than just designing collections. In honesty, sketching and designing is a small part of my role. The actual skill lies somewhere between analysing sales data and remaining open and intuitive to follow new directions, while perfectly balancing the right amount of experimentation and offering core pieces that the customer has come to already love.
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What’s the best part about being a fashion designer?
One of the most fulfilling parts of my role is the people I work with. It’s such an honour to work alongside people who are as passionate about what they do as I am, not to mention the wealth of knowledge and skills they bring. I’m constantly in awe of the team and everything the brand has been able to achieve.
Another highlight for me is seeing my designs come to life through our visual storytelling. We work with such talented creatives who effortlessly capture the essence of the brand… I still get such a buzz out of it!
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What would surprise people about your role?
I feel people would be most surprised about how much of a collaboration it is to create a successful collection. By this I mean the work doesn’t stop once the design team has wrapped a collection. We then shoot, create a look book and pass the collection over to our marketing and wholesale teams who are tasked at getting the collection out into the world and in all the right places to gain the traction it needs to have retail success.
This process is so important and in this ever-evolving retail climate it’s a very different dynamic to how it was even 10 years ago.
What skills have served you well in the fashion industry?
Always remaining open minded to people’s opinions but still having a firm idea of what you feel is right. It’s a skill I’m always revisiting and refining. Learning not to take things personally is also a great skill, which of course takes plenty of practice, especially when you’re passionate about what you do and find it hard to detach.
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What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a role like yours one day?
My greatest piece of advice would be to have a good attitude and be a kind person – this can get you a long way in your career. Always being open and willing to assist in different departments, especially in the early days, will only benefit you in the long run as you continue to develop as a designer with all the skills and knowledge you learn from other areas in the business, like production or marketing.
Another thing to remember in your career is there may be setbacks and rejections along the way and that’s okay. Sometimes these are actually for the best and the opportunity of your dreams could be just around the corner.
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What about a practical tip?
I believe the success of a brand lies with authenticity. When creative vision comes from a place of honesty and intuitive connection that’s where the magic happens!
Write a list of your dream design jobs and put in the time, work on mini-collections that are tailored to the specific company you’re interested in and send them off, because you never know whose eyes it might get in front of. The worst that could happen is that you have more work for your portfolio.
Find more from St. Agni here.
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