Amelia Romeo had only existed for two months when something completely surreal happened.
Rita Ora wore one of my designs.
I knew it was mine because I had personally handed the bandeau to her.
How did the founder of a tiny new brand from the Gold Coast end up face-to-face with Rita Ora, placing an Amelia Romeo piece directly into her hands?
Well… that is a completely different story—one I promise I’ll tell you one day. ✦
I still remember the moment the photographs appeared. My son was finally in bed, I was relaxing and watching a movie when—bam—the photo appeared in my feed.
I looked at it twice. Not because I wasn’t sure it was my design, but because I couldn’t believe she had actually chosen to wear it.
She styled the Amelia Romeo Signature Bandeau underneath a sheer dress, exactly as I had imagined the piece being worn: confidently, unexpectedly and with a little glamour.
There was only one tiny detail: when the photograph went live, Amelia Romeo wasn’t tagged.
So there wasn’t a sudden explosion of followers. No overnight flood of orders. No magical celebrity moment that instantly changed everything.
It was mostly just me staring at my screen, wanting to tell everyone, “That’s mine! I gave that to her!”
Slightly painful? Yes. Still completely surreal? Absolutely.
At the time, I was doing everything myself: working on the designs, creating content, packing orders and trying to convince people that a tiny new brand deserved their attention.
Seeing Rita wearing the piece felt like a very big moment for a very small brand—even if most people looking at the photograph had absolutely no idea where the bandeau came from.
A moment I’ll always be grateful for.
With love,
Stef x
