Enter stage right Kellee Cruse, a tall, twenty-something, willowy brunette. No, she’s not looking to vie for the title of Miss Teen South Carolina; instead, as the designer of cult-worthy accessories line, Santós Wish, she believes in saving the world through jewellery, one charm at a time.

Santós Wish is couture with a conscience: Cruse ensures that a percentage from all of her profits return to a charity working in the third world country where the Santós Wish concept was originally born. Mission Mexico is a charity caring for children who have been abused, abandoned or who are living in extreme poverty, the funds going directly to a Mexican Orphanage in Tapachula. So – not only do Santós Wish charms bring good luck to their wearers, but they give hope to many  underprivileged children in Mexico.

The label started when Cruse received a gift via airmail from Mexico of a traditional necklace.

“It was sent by a spiritual friend it was a necklace featuring Saint charms carrying wishes of love, protection, strength and courage; it was the most beautiful and thoughtful gift I had ever received.” The same gift inspired Cruse to pack her bags for Mexico, where she was keen to see where something that had given her so much joy had come from.

“I discovered that Mexicans held a strong belief in their Santós  (saints) and that saints had been looking after their believers for centuries, interestingly saints were also popular with the fashion forward Mexicans and spiritual believers alike. I wanted to share these trinkets with my friends, family and introduce this concept to Australians to make them feel as appreciated by this gift as I did.”

Originally hailing from Melbourne but having resided in Sydney for the past 10 years Cruse now calls Melbourne and Sydney home and travels between the two cities.

Now in its third year of trading, Santós Wish is already a force to be reckoned with in the international arena. Among the label’s fans Cruse counts names like Paris Hilton, Tara Reid, Bono and his bandmates, Sophie Monk, the Kings of Leon, and Peter Morrissey.

“We’ve just come so far, so fast,” says Cruse. “People’s responses have been amazing, they have embraced it, and they love it.”

They love it so much that news of the label has spread like wildfire, and Cruse receives many calls on a daily basis from people keen to get hold of their own faraway lucky charm. 

Previously earning her bread and butter in PR and Marketing, Santós Wish initially started as a part-time affair.

“I’ve only just started a fair balance between my PR consultancy and Santós Wish” admits Cruse. “Up until this year, we were operating Santós Wish on one cylinder. Now it’s all systems go; it’s now that I feel like the sky is the limit. This whole concept started with pure passion, and love and belief in what I was doing.”

With her grandfather, an artist; her grandmother, a jewellery designer, it seems that Cruse’s destiny was predetermined by blood.

“When I was a child you couldn’t keep me out of my grandmother’s treasure trove of jewellery,” she laughs.  “Painting and creating jewellery and clothing was something of a school holiday pastime with my grandparents,” says Cruse. “I’ve always been creative marketing and promotions requires that in a different way to design, but I’m so lucky as now I’m able dream up and create beautiful objects too.”

Of her decision to move to be more hands on with Santós Wish, she is pleased, “Fashion and design was my dream, and I’m living it.”

When asked if she ever expected the label to succeed in the way that it did today, Cruse is humble: “I didn’t really know what lay ahead, but it’s so true if you are passionate and strongly believe in what you’re doing, chances are it will succeed! Some days it’s a little overwhelming, how quickly word has spread but other days I think ‘yes, I was right’ – people really understand the beauty I saw in the Santós Wish concept, they loved the edgy jewellery that had meaning.”

Her latest collection, Elaborados (meaning ‘elaborate’ in Spanish) marks a coming of age for Santós Wish. Cruse’s first collection, Originals, featured simple beading and bracelets for those who wanted Santós as a momento; a signature of hope, and a reminder of good things to come. Materials used in both the Originals and the collection that followed, Muchacha’s, were subtle and traditional: dominated by silver and glass, olive wood, polished stones, and soft-hued coloured glass.

This new collection is, by Cruse’s own admission, “quite bold” and has been embraced by designers like Lisa Ho, who now stocks the Elaborados range nationally in her stores. True to its Spanish title, this range features a collection that holds firm to the belief that ‘more is more’ – long chains, intricately beaded necklaces, and longer leather wrap bracelets, all with charms a plenty.

“Each Elaborados piece is named after a unique characteristic it possesses the Trenza design translates plait and Piedro stone,” explains Cruse. True the Santós  spirit, each piece carries a special sentiment for its wearer. It is the first time that Cruse has worked in gold and making this step required indepth research.

“As far as medallions go,” laughs Cruse, “I’m an expert.” She freely admits that she isn’t creating something that someone hasn’t done before; but just presenting traditional charms in a new way. “I’m doing it in a way that no one has done before,” she clarifies.

“This range is a global effort,” she says. “The materials I have used are sourced from France, Mexico, Indonesia, and India.” It is this combination of carefully selected materials and keeping an Hispanic essence that give Santós Wish a distinctive edge.

But, as with all fashion-forward labels, there are bound to be followers, and a few copycats have sprung up in Cruse’s hometown. While some may consider imitation to be the highest form of flattery, Cruse takes it in a different (although still gracious) regard.

“At first, I was a little taken aback, it was an over zealous customer that went too far, but every cloud has its silver lining.” The incident also showed her the loyalty of both her suppliers and her loyal customers in the comparatively small Australian market, all of which held firm to Santós Wish.

Cruse also never claimed to be the first to sell religious symbols, “I simply wanted to share my beautiful Mexican experience along with this concept in such a way that spiritual, local fashion lovers would be inspired.” (Each Santós features St. Maria of Guadalupe, the patroness of Mexico, and an inscription of the meaning behind the piece, be it luck, love, or something more.)  
 
“The reality was that my label was two years ahead, and attempting to copy my strategy and design concepts, I concluded; how much of a threat can someone that unimaginative be? I just dug my heels in harder, and when you get to a certain point, you know you’re OK.”

‘OK’ may very well be the understatement of the year. There are big things indeed on the horizon for Cruse and her label, so stay tuned to Savvy Style for updates.

“Next year is Santós Wish’s year,” says Cruse of the time ahead. “I can feel it. Big things are starting to happen, wheels that were turning are now spinning.”


See the Santós Wish range, and help make the world a better place.

Much love to...

Dan Parkinson for the photography; Bar Indigo in Double Bay for letting Savvy Style loose in your killer cafe, and for the best coffee in Sydney (#612.9363.5966.); Kim Veverka of Magnet PR for your sensational styling, and of course, the insatiably gorgeous Kellee Cruse.