Jessie is founder and designer of leather goods label Yu Mei.

Yu Mei is devoted to the creation of understated luxury. Each bag design is born from the ethos that simplicity is complexity resolved, built for purpose to carry with ease.

Based in Wellington, New Zealand, Yu Mei’s mission is to create quality products that will weather your journey with you. Established by Jessie in 2015, the Yu Mei brand is now available in over 36 retailers across Australasia, and in August 2019 Yu Mei opened the doors of its first retail flagship store.

Yu Mei is known for minimal design aesthetics with a strong focus on utility, by women for women - carrying with you everything you actually need in a day. Yu Mei aims to inspire and engage forward-thinking women who understand refined, utilitarian aesthetics and commitment to a high-quality product that stands the test of time.

The freedom of self expression available through freestyle skiing is what grabbed me from a young age. Free skiing is a sport in which personal style and technical athleticism collide. My personal focus has always been on style, the way a trick looks, how it feels. I believe it is performance art at the highest level.

This quote from Charles Bukowski's “Style” sums up my life’s pursuit.

“Style is the answer to everything. A fresh way to approach a dull or dangerous thing.

To do a dull thing with style is preferable to doing a dangerous thing without it. To do a dangerous thing with style is what I call art”.

As Exec. Producer at one of NZ’s thriving production houses, Toby’s love for producing is rooted in his passion for story-telling. He sees design as the functional & creative process required to bring any story to life. Working in a role heavily based on solving problems, he believes it's good design that sets the foundations for creativity to flourish.

In 2014, alongside business partner Tim Pierce, Toby co-founded Two Bearded Men (recently evolved into The Beards) and has gone on to partner with both national and global clients such as Heineken, ANZ, Ford and many more, to produce commercial projects of all scales, for all platforms, within NZ and across the globe.

Toby’s producer credits include award winning short film The Hunted, ten part documentary mini-series House Talk and EP credit for NZ on Air funded web series, Southern Lens, which is currently in production on season 2 having produced over 40 episodes since inception.

As a young child I remember being infatuated and utterly obsessed with why things sounded the way they do. Why did the wind sing to me through the tiniest of cracks? Why did the trees whisper to each other with a gentle breath? Why did the ocean's thunderous drums stir a vibrant fear, yet calm me into a pure state of tranquility?

It became a lifelong addiction. I had to find out where this all came from, how it could be controlled, and how it could be tamed. I started writing music, aspiring to capture those same emotions the wind and sea had gifted to me so many years back. I studied other people, and tried to see how they had sown together these feelings, how they presented certain emotions within their music. Using what ever instrument came to hand, and with the convictions found in my veins, I started to compose.

I've been a musician for 20 years, and an audio engineer for 8. I love all types of music and anything to do with sound. I equally love movies and visual art, and anything that provokes a question.

“Music is the mediator between the life of the senses and the life of the spirit.”

Ironically always setting the bar high, Jen stands at a mere 5ft tall, has an eagle-eye for detail dedicates most of her time to the unattainable pursuit of perfection.

After completing her study in Manchester, she worked as a designer for a few leading creative agencies in the UK before moving to New Zealand and settling in Wanaka.

With 9 years’ experience working across the print and digital world in both freelance and in-house roles, Jen is passionate about designing with meaningful simplicity and truly believes that effective design lies in the power of process.

Kags is a California native who moved to New Zealand ten years ago to fulfill his dream of starting a business in a new place. He founded his digital agency called Dream Config, which has been operating for over 9 years.

As a digital advisor and confidant to business throughout NZ, Australia and America, he applies a lens of objectivity, expertise and understanding, to help a wide range of clients reach their true potential across the digital landscape. Highlights have included being recognised as a Best Awards finalist for small scale website and public good awards, moving to Wanaka earlier this year and establishing a small business networking group for entrepreneurs.