WORN BY
Brogan Hembrow
Brogan Hembrow is a fashion e-commerce consultant based in New York, originally from Australia. Her personal style reflects a considered mix of laid-back sensibility and the energy of the city she now calls home. We caught up with Brogan on life in New York, building a creative career, and the REBE pieces she’s wearing on repeat.
Photography by Holly Sarah Burgess
How would you describe your style right now — and has it evolved since moving to New York?
My style is a paradox - by day it's quite oversized and easy, my uniform is a relaxed tee with a tailored trouser or denim, usually with a coat or blazer that still feels undone. By night I go the other way entirely, into feminine shapes and always a (very) high heel. I'm either very tomboy or very femme and rarely in between, and New York has given me permission to be both. I take a lot of cues from menswear when it comes to layering, and I usually live in black with texture or an interesting shape. This city celebrates a strong personal sense of style, you step outside and everyone is so completely themselves that it only pushes you further into your own.
Having moved from Australia to New York, what elements of Australian style have you carried with you?
Comfort and confidence is everything in Australian style and it is very much grounded in the lifestyle and weather - relaxed, undone with a little devil-may-care attitude. You’ll still find me in flip flops all summer or showing a bit of skin in a sheer dress with an oversized coat thrown over the top. And I will never leave the house without sunglasses! Rain hail or shine.
Which REBE pieces are you loving, and how do you wear them?
REBE is everything I love in one place and masters monochromatic like nobody else - refined and polished but with a tomboy ease and a bit of sexiness to it. I am absolutely loving sheer pieces or denim paired back with a simple white tank or an oversized long tee - that is the whole NYC formula for me. The Freddy Jean in white is on constant rotation, it is the perfect relaxed fit and is truly the ultimate wardrobe foundation piece.
Tell us about life in New York — what does a really good day in the city look like for you?
It starts slow, which is a luxury I've built on purpose. I always start with a morning with headphones and walk around my neighbourhood with a coffee before anyone needs anything from me. I’ll usually head to yoga or there's always a new exhibition, gallery or retail space nearby so I'll wander in before my work day starts. Because I work evenings with my Australian clients, my mornings are my time to enjoy the city but on weekends I will be downtown with friends having a martini or going to a show. New York at its best gives you complete solitude and complete chaos in the same day, and I've learned to love both.
What are your New York recommendations you’d give to a friend visiting — the places you always return to?
For dinner: Borgo, Estela, Waverly Inn, Kiki’s. For drinks: Swan Room, Tigre, The Nines, Le Dive. For coffee or matcha: Silence Please and my favourite little Vinyl cafe Tai-kii on Clinton Street. For shopping: TheRealReal on Wooster St or P.Principle in Lower East Side for the best vintage. Art galleries are endless - for anyone in town I always tell them to follow @thirstygallerina on instagram for gallery openings and events.
What are you working on at the moment, and what’s exciting you creatively?
I've had my consultancy for a year now, which still feels slightly surreal. I am lucky enough to work across multiple categories and brands, all at different stages, whether that be fashion, furniture or fragrance. What draws me in is always the same: a brand with a clear point of view, founders who understand their industry, their customer, and exactly how their vision meets that opportunity. My job is to take that vision and build the strategy behind it to grow. I'm working on a few incredible start up projects right now, which I am so excited to bring to market.
