Frankly My Dear is a testament to affordable luxury and impeccable style, consistently delighting us with their unique pieces. And consistently lightening our wallets when we visit Pacific Fair! Together Amber Schmidt and Sammi Stephens have crafted a jewellery brand that captures the essence of the Gold Coast and resonates with women who seek both style and substance in their accessories.

These two dynamic women have built an incredible business from the ground up, expertly juggling the demands of business and family life, while inspiring future women in business to take the plunge and believe in themselves. We were thrilled to chat with Amber and Sammi, the brilliant minds behind Frankly My Dear, to learn more about their journey, inspirations and life on the Gold Coast.

How long have you been Gold Coast locals? 
Amber: I moved here 20 years ago, I am originally from Sydney but grew up in Toowoomba so it was definitely a culture shock that was well and truly embraced.
Sammi: I moved here 17 years ago from the Central Coast for a lifestyle change.

What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
Amber: I love the beach lifestyle, I like that you can be sandy and salty all day and then go get dressed up for cocktails at night. It is the best of both worlds! Mostly I love being a Mermaid Beach local and never having to drive anywhere on weekends with the best food and beaches at my doorstep.
Sammi: The beaches, culture and food. I love raising my children here and them embracing the Burleigh lifestyle, riding our bikes to the beach and eating out in Burleigh. 

Tell us a little bit about yourselves.
Amber: I am one half of the owners of Frankly My Dear, I am a mum of 1 soon to be 2. I graduated from Bond University but always knew I had a love and passion for being in business for myself so when the opportunity came up to join my closest friend and build Frankly My Dear I jumped at it.

We have built this business for the last 10 years and had the most incredible time doing it! I hope to inspire future women in business to take the plunge and believe in themselves and also to show mums that you can juggle it all (even though it is definitely a juggle!). I am what we call the ‘brains’ of the business while my business partner is the creative genius, having the two of us with such different strengths is what has made this business so amazing.

Other than raising a family and a business my husband and I love to travel, always active based holidays where we can snowboard or he can surf. 

Sammi: I’ve always had a creative mind, I believe you’re either one of two, an academic or a creative. Unfortunately, the latter doesn’t always pay the bills so I hung up my fashion designer dreams after school and went into the corporate world. It was only once I fell pregnant with my first child Frankie that I was able to stop and rekindle my love for designing again.

Fast forward 10 years and we’ve gone from 3 best friends making jewellery in the dining room to a team of over 30 incredible women, two stores and big plans for building many more. In my personal life, I’m a mum to 4 amazing kids. We’re a blended family so I have two of my own and two stepchildren.

What inspired you to start Frankly My Dear?
Both Amber & Sammi: We wanted to create affordably priced high-quality jewellery to ensure that all women could spoil themselves. We both have a nickel allergy so we were unable to buy pieces from your standard costume jewellery stores, we wanted to fill that gap and provide a product that you could enjoy wearing every single day without breaking the bank that was still on trend.

We have kept this starting mission in our business through the 10 years of growth and even when opening our stores we ensured that our prices stayed affordable. There is nothing more we love than when people are pleasantly surprised about the price and do spoil themselves (especially mums). Walking around the Gold Coast now seeing countless people wearing our jewellery is just the most incredible feeling. 

Tell us about the process of creating your jewellery.
Sammi: Each design is born from a pencil sketch, a rough drawing that I’ll refine and convert to a 3D digital image. Once the imagery is complete the next process is molding & casting the samples and then we go into final production.

This process can take months to complete. Predicting styles and trends 6 months out is a bit tricky, to say the least however as we hand piece our jewellery in-house this gives me the flexibility of designing each piece in person.

Once all my final components arrive, this will consist of the pendants, chains, pearls and stones I’ll sit with these pieces and design the full collection over the coming month before the shoot. I draw inspiration sometimes from the location of our final shoot (especially if it’s overseas!), who the model is and even down to the outfits we select. It all plays an important role in the entire design process. 

As Gold Coast locals, how has the local culture and lifestyle influenced the style of Frankly My Dear?
Amber & Sammi: The style of Frankly My Dear is very versatile and on trend. Naturally being such an active location centred around a lot of water activity we created pieces that are sweat-proof and waterproof so that you don’t have to take your jewellery on and off all the time.

We love that Gold Coast ladies love to follow the trends and are bold with their style so we can get very creative within the collections to allow them to create the perfect style. 

What’s next for Frankly My Dear?
Sammi & Amber: Expansion! We took this year off opening our third physical store so that I (Amber) could enjoy having a baby but next year we are back to getting bigger and better! Soon we hope to have a Frankly My Dear in every state.

We also really enjoy growing the online store and creating an amazing team of women who stand behind the brand. 

What are your Gold Coast favourites?
Café: Amber: Double Barrel, Mermaid Waters, Sammi: Custard Canteen
Restaurant: Amber: Social Eating House, Sammi: Light Years
Bar: Amber: Granddad Jacks. Sammi: Precinct
Beach: Amber: Mermaid Beach. It’s my local, so you can’t beat the beach you can walk to, Sammi: North Burleigh

How do you choose to spend your days off?
Amber: With my family, we usually do the rounds of cafes in the Nobbys/Mermaid Beach area, we spend as much time at the beach as we can and then a perfect weekend would be some drinks and dinner with the girls. Being the mum of a 3 year old my weekends have changed quite dramatically, but it is a lot more wholesome.
Sammi: My partner and all 4 kids play basketball so the large majority of the week is filled with being a basketball mum, which I love!  When we’re not cheering on the sidelines the perfect day off would be a Burleigh to Talle headland walk, breakfast by the water and then a lazy day in the pool with a glass of bubbles and a feast cooking on the BBQ. 

With a passion for environmentally-friendly beauty and a commitment to promoting sustainable practices, Katie Eales created the skincare brand Sabbia Co., combining the power of natural ingredients with eco-conscious packaging and manufacturing. we chatted to Katie about her inspiration for creating Sabbia Co., and how she has seamlessly integrated sustainability into every aspect of her skincare line. Get ready to be inspired!

How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
10 years on and off, I moved to the Gold Coast when I was 18 for uni and then returned back to Palm Beach where I now live with my husband and son after traveling on and off for a few years.

What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
The lifestyle, I love how beautiful our beaches, creeks and hinterland is. I love that you can choose to have a slow-paced weekend but there’s enough happening to have a fun-filled weekend when you need.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I grew up in Port Douglas, in a half Italian / half Australian household. Growing up diving the Great Barrier Reef, camping under the stars and eating 90% homegrown was where I found my deep love and appreciation for the planet. I moved to the Gold Coast to study marketing straight after year 12, I then went on to travel throughout many Asian countries, Europe and the States.

In 2017 I met my now husband Dave, in 2018 we found ourselves on a remote beach in Sri Lanka and devastated over the amount of single-use personal items we were surrounded by. When we arrived home we decided to minimise all single-use items in our home. As we started to research and test reusable products we fell in love with many amazing sustainable swaps. Our mission was no longer to overhaul our home but everyone else’s.

And this is when Sabbia Co was born. An ethical brand with minimal impact on the environment, that creates unique facial kits out of sustainable, biodegradable, reusable and chemical free tools. Along with sustainably sourced and packaged skincare that is formulated by myself.

We launched in September 2019, with 3 products. Our hero ‘face it face kit’, cleanse kit and tone kit. 3 kits that remove makeup/zinc, cleanse and exfoliate with just water. This was essential for us as we love to travel and pack light.

As our community grew the need for sustainable skincare was a daily request, so for our first birthday, we launched sustainably sourced and packaged skincare. Something I had always dreamt of. Over the years I have studied Cosmetic Chemistry, Traditional Chinese Medicine (Gua Sha, Facial Massage, etc), and many other ‘alternative’ (as my Mum might say) practices.

In 2022 we brought our son Louie into the world, which has made our passion to protect our beautiful planet even stronger. We also launched our Refill / Recycle Program where customers can send back old products for recycling or keep their bottles and purchase refill sachets that can also be returned for recycling. I can visually see the difference we are making and the education we are sharing. We are now selling almost 90% refills to returning customers. Our return customer rate is currently sitting at 69% which means we have reduced our carbon emissions by over 75% per product.

Tell us about Sabbia Co.
Sabbia Co offers refillable sustainably sourced and packaged skincare which is made in Australia. Along with sustainable skin tools that include biodegradable sponges and reusable bamboo makeup-removing pads that replace up to 1,000 single-use makeup wipes annually. We are a multi award-winning brand that bridges the gap between scientific chemistry and natural plant medicine to create sustainable skincare that is results driven – with over 1000, 5 star reviews to prove it.

How did Sabbia Co. come about?
In 2018 we found ourselves on a remote beach in Sri Lanka and devastated over the amount of single-use personal items we were surrounded by. When we arrived home we decided to minimise all single-use items in our home. As we started to research and test reusable products we fell in love with many amazing sustainable swaps. Our mission was no longer to overhaul our home but everyone else’s.

Why is sustainability so important to you?
Growing up immersed in nature, whether it was the rainforest, outback, or ocean has definitely made me understand its beauty and purpose. I grew up on Kukuk Yalangi land and our school always had elders sharing bush and plant medicine which fascinated me. My parents and grandparents also always shared home remedies and the importance of eating from the land and seasonally. My childhood was so focused on what we put in we get out. As I started to move and travel I noticed that not everyone had that same understanding and respect for the planet. Both my husband and I want to do whatever we can to protect and preserve our planet for our children to have healthy and fulfilling lives.

What does a typical day in your life look like?
I start my day between 5 and 6am, Louie and I have breakfast, I tried to journal and meditate, and walked down to the beach for a play. He then has a short nap and I go through my emails and prioritise what I need to get done for the day. I love Pilates and am so thankful to have found a space that has crèche and then we head into the warehouse together or sometimes I can get to go solo and Louie hangs out with his grandparents. A lot of my day is based around our community. Helping with skin concerns, making content to educate on our products and working on new formulations. I also host a podcast – Authentic Verdict, which I record fortnightly. We head back down to the beach for an afternoon dip before starting Louie’s bedtime routine. Dave and I have dinner around 6.30pm, wind down with stretching and are usually in bed by 8.30pm.

What is your most popular product?
We have 3, the Matcha Clay Mask (which is currently on preorder for the 100th time! It’s impossible to keep up with the demand), Collagen C Serum and Mineral BB Cream.

What does the future have in store for Sabbia Co. products?
I am currently in the final stages of a cream cleanser and our community has requested a Vitamin A. We are also in the final stages of testing our mum and bub range.

What are your Gold Coast favourites…
Café/coffee spot: Espresso Moto is our local and the team are so beautiful.
Restaurant: Etsu, Glenelg Public House and Jimmy Wah’s
Bar or place for a drink: We love Balter, the vibe is always good or out the front of home, where we’ve met some beautiful families that we spend most weekends at the beach with.
Beach: Palm Beach, we’re lucky to live out the front of the reef break which makes for a very happy husband!

How do you choose to spend your days off?
I love walking to Talle Creek and catching up with friends, treating my body to a Suana at Freedom Float or something crafty, a big goal for this year is to get back into pottery.

We caught up with Katie Kolodinski, the Founder and Creative Director of Silk Laundry, an Australian womenswear label. Known for its elegant staples and timeless ’90s-inspired slip dresses, Silk Laundry mirrors Katie’s considered fashion philosophy. Katie talked to us about her Silk Laundry and her time living and working on the GC, including her years as a Metermaid.

Tell us a little bit about your time as a Gold Coast local.
I moved to the Gold Coast when I was 18 with $800 I had saved up and two suitcases. I won’t say it was easy, but I look back on my life and laugh at myself about many of the choices I made and the places I worked, to make it work.

When I first arrived, I worked at a steakhouse, then was fired because I couldn’t open a bottle of wine properly. After losing my job, I walked every day, all day from Southport (where I was living) to Mermaid Beach and back, trying to figure out my next step.

This led me to keep seeing Gold Coast Metermaids and wondering who they were and what they did. Finally, I gained the courage to ask if they had any job openings as I was desperate to make ends meet. I had an interview the following day, got the job, and ended up “metermaiding” for a couple of years. Which was fun, sometimes embarrassing, but it also gave me courage and strength and the opportunity to connect with so many different people.

I learned a lot about humans during this time. We were also given free lunch at several eateries and free rides on the Sling Shot so I never went hungry while wearing that gold bikini, nor was I ever bored.

For me, the GC was a huge learning curve. It was where I continued and completed my Psychology degree, where I learned to pour a beer, where I had my real first love and long-term relationship and subsequently my biggest breakup. It’s where I brought up my little pug until she passed at 13. It’s where I bought my first home and where Silk Laundry started with my husband. It’s also where my kids were born.

What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
The sunshine, beach walks, tropical fruits, lizards, Springbrook National Park, feeding the lorikeets at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and some of my oldest and best friends are all there. I love my loved ones there the most of all.

What inspired you to start Silk Laundry?
Silk Laundry began from a combination of personal experiences and a desire to create wardrobe staples missing from my closet that were both comfortable and pragmatic. As a teenager, I developed a penchant for customising old slips sourced from second-hand shops. However, at the time, I struggled to find slips made from natural fibres, as most were made from environmentally harmful materials like polyester or nylon. Frustrated with what was available – I decided to create my own.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?
My inspiration is drawn from a range of sources that reflect my personal values and experiences. Growing up in a family with Eastern European roots instilled a sense of practicality and an aversion to wastefulness. Living in diverse climates—from the blistering cold of Canada to the heat and humidity of Australia, also shaped my approach to clothing design and has inspired the pieces that I design for Silk Laundry; making them functional for a multitude of landscapes.

Travel, books, advocacy work, a deep love for storytelling and a range of other random sources inspire my approach to fashion. Whether it’s drawing inspiration from my teenage years in the ’90s or considering the environmental impact of agricultural farming through the work of J Henry Fair like in our upcoming collection, every decision I make is rooted in a desire to create clothing that sparks conversations about the world around us. Fashion can be a visual way of expressing important messages and advocating for causes close to my heart, which through Silk Laundry, I hope to communicate.

Tell us about the process of creating a Silk Laundry collection.
With every collection, I hope the piece that I am creating will stand the test of time beyond trend cycles.  This typically corresponds to classic silhouettes that can be worn on rotation, stand-alone and complement an already established wardrobe.

Storytelling is one of the other main components behind all of our collections. Each collection is deeply rooted in a range of themes about our world that translates to the prints, styles and colourways. Through Silk Laundry, I’m creating pieces that hopefully make individuals feel good but also items that spark conversations and encourage people to engage with the world around them.

What’s your proudest business moment?
I have many!

• The launch of Project 166 with my husband and our businesses. We have purchased a 1200-acre plot of land that has been destroyed by traditional farming and logging and we will be regenerating the land and planting trees. We will be planting 166,000 trees as our first big goal.
• Our Monarch Butterfly campaign where we have sent out milkweed seeds throughout North America to be planted to help the migration of the Monarch butterfly.
• Our biodegradable garment bags.
• I am proud of the groundwork I have done working with wildlife in South Africa. I am proud of the land regeneration project and charity, Project 166 that my husband and I started together.
• Our first charity slip where we were able to donate $25,000 to Planet Bee Foundation.
• Most of all, I am proud that every day I wake up, keep going and don’t quit.

What kind of person wears Silk Laundry?
I think a lot of different kinds of people wear Silk Laundry. We have professional corporate workers wearing our pieces, creatives like musicians and artists and more men are even gravitating towards the brand now. I think the common thread between our customers is an innate care about the world around us. They see Silk Laundry as meticulously crafted, comfortable and luxurious clothing, but also resonates with our ethos. Our community is comprised of conscientious people endowed with a deep curiosity and a thirst for understanding the intricacies of the world. Through Silk Laundry, I hope to create a space, both online and offline, that reflects our dynamic customer base and fosters openness. Through this, we can embrace new experiences with our community and work towards building a better future.

What’s next for Silk Laundry?
I’m excited to continue my journey of learning and advocacy in the field of conservation. My experiences with Project 166 and my involvement in wildlife conservation efforts have deepened my commitment to protecting our planet. I’m also excited about exploring fresh creative possibilities at Silk Laundry, whether that involves collaborations supporting significant causes or showcasing the talents of local artisans and creators. Ultimately, my vision for the future is to create a more conscious world through fashion and environmental initiatives. I want to leave a positive legacy for future generations and believe fashion can be a powerful vehicle for positive change.

What are your Gold Coast favourites?
Café: Good Day Coffee. I love the coffee, the toasties and their cookies are heaven.
Restaurant: So many places have changed recently that I don’t know anymore. But I do love going to Goccia Italian in Mermaid or Balboa in Palm Beach.
Bar: My home. I have an apartment with a private rooftop so I usually just invite my friends over. We get wines from Flor Grocer or Quince Cellar, some seafood from Tasman Star and just listen to music and play Mölkky
To do: Feeding the lorikeets at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s the ultimate 8am joy!
Beach: Palm Beach as it’s in front of my home and easy to bring my beach umbrella, but I also love going to Tallebudgera Creek where it’s calm, and Bilinga and Kirra are still so special to me.
Place to stay: My apartment in Palm Beach. It is filled with many personal objects and memories from my years in Australia and my travels abroad. We rent it out when we aren’t in Australia on Airbnb. If you ever want to stay there, come find me!