The Designer Interview: Kate Davis-Steer from AUR OCEÀ

In an ever-growing, saturated market of Australian resort wear labels, it is easy for new brands to get lost amongst the noise, but given increasingly frequent mercury-busting days, perhaps these resort wear labels are needed now more than ever. Furthermore, Australian’s do resort dressing so well, exporting our laid-back heat-wave wear to global customers.

Enter: AUR OCEÀ.

Kate Davis-Steer feels comfortable designing resort wear and swimwear. Twenty-plus years in the industry imbues Davis-Steer’s designs with a refined confidence. Plus, there is no doubt that living on Australia’s beach-laden coast has given the designer an advantage when editing collections for hot weather, but it’s her unwavering commitment to meticulous fit and form that sets AUR OCEÀ apart.

Pronounced “ore-oh-see-ah” and named after the Latin word for ‘golden’ and the Spanish word for ‘ocean’, AUR OCEÀ is an ode to Davis-Steer’s enduring love of the ocean and the Australian outdoor lifestyle, assimilated with a European summer aesthetic. The young Australian label delivers collections characterised by hand-drawn prints, comfortable designs, and thoughtful production, resulting in women’s resort clothing and swimwear that blends confident femininity with sun-conscious practicality.

Davis-Steer’s breezy silhouettes have a Dionysian freshness that embodies endless, sun-bleached days spent under the golden sun. Championing an ageless, sustainable, and size inclusive appeal–Davis-Steer designs the label’s swimwear through the lens of shapewear–highlighting the fact that AUR OCEÀ is committed to innovation and thoughtful design.

Below, in conversation with The Forme, Kate Davis-Steer discusses her career pivot to resort wear, each season’s design process, and what is coming up next for AUR OCEÀ.

We are delighted to welcome AUR OCEÀ to The Forme and are eager to learn more about you and your design process. Where did the urge to transition from a career in interior design and styling to resort and swimwear come from? Did the inspiration come from a response to a specific moment in time, life experience or rumination?

“When my daughter was young I found I was spending a lot of time at the beach where I became aware of the need for sun protection not only for my daughter but for myself. However, I found the available options for women were fairly lack lustre and relatively scarce with the only options based on masculine surf style rashies in either black or navy. Following conversations with friends I identified there was a shared desire for more feminine and chic sun protective swimwear. I started with designing a piece I would want to wear and my first foray into fashion began! Initially focussing on sun conscious swimwear I eventually expanded our collections to include overswim and resort wear as a response to feedback from our customers. Every Sunday throughout Summer I would take my pieces to local markets to meet and sell to our customers. This was a valuable training ground as you get immediate and honest feedback. You also have the opportunity to see the fit of your garments on bodies of various shapes and sizes which allowed me to hone our fit and form. These humble beginnings laid the foundation for a very customer focussed and led label and helped me realise my vision for elevated, eco-conscious luxury swim and resort wear that is also equally inclusive, accessible and ageless, culminating in the launch of AUR OCEÀ."

How does your design process begin each season? Where do you look for inspiration?

“My design process is an ongoing and organic thing, I am constantly taking in information and drawing inspiration from so many different sources. Really it can come from anywhere, it’s just an innate part of who I am I think. When I see something that inspires me I bank it either in my head or physically on my phone or computer. I can be as equally inspired by haute couture as I am by a vintage piece or by colours, textures and patterns I see in architecture or within nature. It’s not of particular relevance to me what the source is, rather it is more about details that resonate and stay with me, that I then bring into my work and informs my design process. So when I sit down to start a collection it is the culmination of these fascinations and sometimes people that have inspired me. I then take all of this which is in my consciousness and a theme becomes clear. From the story foundations I develop the feel, mood and design elements I want within the collection and form my colour palette building the collection out from there.”

AUR OCEÀ is represented as “an effortless blend of feminine sophistication, romance and playfulness.” What does this vision mean to you and how is it reflected in your designs?

“There are so many things, for me, that are captured within this phrase. To be feminine isn’t the old construct it was. I see femininity as being beyond the stereotypical representations of pink, bows and florals for example, although there are these elements within our collections they are also balanced by other qualities of what it means to be feminine such as strength, empowerment and confidence. There is a level of sophistication that the modern woman wants and values that is also built into our aesthetic. As women we have a lot of pressure to look and present a certain way in the world, so I love the idea of bringing romance and playfulness into our collections, allowing women to curate their wardrobes in a way that brings them joy and empowers them to explore their individuality and own unique style."

Looking across the 2024 Spring/Summer collection, how do you want people to feel when they wear pieces from AUR OCEÀ?

“My driving force, and the thing that I most love about what I do, are those moments when I get to see the pure happiness and confidence our pieces bring to our customers. I am meticulous with fit and invest a great deal of time on ensuring our cuts look great on women of all shapes and sizes. Something I am insistent upon when developing new styles is that the protos are fitted on a range of women and not just a ‘fit model’ size 8. I want to empower women to feel like the very best version of themselves in AUR OCEÀ with pieces that bring sunshine and moments of joy to their everyday."

Situated on Australia’s east coast, it feels like AUR OCEÀ confidently embraces the effortless, laisser aller attitude associated with our nation’s beach-laden coast. To what extent is your design perspective influenced by living in Australia?

“It definitely has a big impact on the AUR OCEÀ aesthetic for sure. I feel lucky to be in such close proximity to some of the best beaches in the world. Being by the ocean has played a major role in my life with at least two trips annually spent somewhere by the beach. I think for many of us the ocean/beach is associated with vacationing and long, languid summer days where we are at our most relaxed and joyous! It’s that feeling I want to bring into the everyday with pieces that transition seamlessly from beach to city. Whilst the practicality and wearability of my pieces are influenced by our beach culture, my design perspective I would say is more influenced by Europe and it’s chic beach club lifestyle."

What are your favourite styles from the newest collection that you wear on repeat?

“I love a dress for summer and one that I can dress down for day and elevate for night so the SONTUOSA Tiered Maxi Dress and BUTA Wrap Maxi will be on constant rotation along with the NOTAE Billow Sleeve Dress which I am obsessed with. I also love a set so the BIANCA Lace Trim Blouse and Pant is something I know I will wear over and over this season. My other favourite piece from this collection is the FIORDALISO Keyhole One Piece, it’s so versatile, apart from it being a swim piece I will also wear it as a bodysuit with the BIANCA Lace Trim Pant and BOTANICO Bomber Jacket."

The Forme and AUR OCEÀ providentially share many similarities in terms of our ethos around wearability and empowering women through their style choices. Can you speak to how AUR OCEÀ’s “collections empower women to embrace their individuality and explore self-expression?”

“I love to build collections where we’re offering our customers a wide variety of ‘pair with’ options which allows and empowers them to embrace their individuality by building looks that are uniquely theirs. We don’t want to dictate to our customers how they should be wearing AUR OCEÀ, but rather allow them to choose this for themselves thereby exploring their own unique self-expression.”

What’s next for AUR OCEÀ?

“Apart from launching our debut collection in Australia this month, which is super exciting, we have also formed some partnerships with a number of international retailers who will be stocking AUR OCEÀ from October, in New York, Florida, Hawaii, Bora Bora, and Dubai to name just a few.”

“Following on from our debut collection we have just finished working on our next range which is scheduled for release in February 2025. The new collection builds on from the last with some beautiful new silhouettes along with a gorgeous prints and solid palette that I can’t wait to share!”