There is no slowing down for New Zealand-raised, Singapore-based Tessa Bailey-Lont, who holds the title of creative director and founder for her fashion brand Lontessa and has been seen making appearances at fashion shows all over the world with her brand.
Her journey into fashion started as a young child when Bailey-Lont would find fabrics for her grandmother, who once worked at Swandri, to help her bring her ideas of beautiful garments to life. Her grandmother would then go on to teach her to sew, knit and crochet which enabled her to begin to learn how to create her own garments.
From there, she attended the Massey University Design School, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design and learned many key skills in fashion.
“It wasn't until I attended fashion school that I fully began to understand garment construction and felt confident in creating garments from scratch. Since then, I am continuously learning,” Bailey-Lont explained.
The design features for her brand grab a lot of influence from her Maori heritage. Being from Waitara, while also spending time in Hamilton and Wellington, Bailey-Lont found beauty in the native New Zealand landscapes, which also inspired her keen engagement with using sustainable materials.
Her focus is to create her own community of people with like-minded views on sustainability, style and service. She also hopes that people can feel comfortable about bringing back items for repairs or adjustments in order to create treasured garments that will stand the test of time.
Beyond her key collections that honour many things like biodiversity, natural beauty and power, Lontessa is also pleased to offer made-to-order and ready-to-wear services along with an intimate apparel line.
“At Lontessa, we have the honour of being able to create custom garments for creative professionals and unique items for events which I absolutely love,” she said.
When she is not putting all her energy into her brand, Bailey-Lont continues to enjoy hands-on and technical activities like flying helicopters or taking aerial classes. But at the end of the day, she still values slower-paced days like going to the beach or heading out for brunch with friends and family.
Future goals for Bailey-Lont consist of wanting to grow into a Haute Couture brand. Along with having the chance to help design the uniform for Air New Zealand employees and even one day get her own table at the Met Gala.
