Who Is St. Agni? The Byron Bay Label of Lara and Matt Fells
Who Is St. Agni? The Byron Bay Label of Lara and Matt Fells
St. Agni is an independent Australian design studio founded in Byron Bay in 2014 by Lara and Matt Fells, and it is still headquartered there. The label started with footwear, added accessories and then clothing, and is now best known for leather thong sandals, minimal leather shoes and the woven leather totes covered in our guide to St. Agni bags. The name comes from family: the brand is named after Lara Fells’ grandmother, Agni.
Key Facts
- Founded: 2014, in Byron Bay, New South Wales, by Lara and Matt Fells.
- Headquarters: Byron Bay, the founding town, according to the brand.
- Name: named after Lara Fells’ grandmother, Agni.
- Retail: five Australian boutiques, according to the brand’s site (October 2026), plus over 90 retailers worldwide.
- First category: footwear, followed by accessories and then ready-to-wear.
- Signature woven bags: first developed in 2023, per the brand’s signature bags page.
Where Is St. Agni From?
St. Agni is from Byron Bay, the coastal town in northern New South Wales. The brand’s own about page calls it “an independent, Australian design studio, founded in Byron Bay”, and it says the studio remains headquartered there. That matters because a few profiles and social headers mention Melbourne. Melbourne has a boutique. Byron Bay is the base.
Australia is still the brand’s largest market by a wide margin. Search demand for the name is heaviest in Australia, then the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, with steady interest from New Zealand, France and Germany. Late 2026 is the start of the Australian summer, which is when the brand’s leather thongs and linen pieces get the most wear at home.
The founders
Lara and Matt Fells founded St. Agni together and still run it. The brand describes itself as independent, and there is no public record of an outside investor. Beyond that, we will not speculate about ownership. If you want the short answer to “who owns St. Agni?”, it is this: the label was founded by and is run by Lara and Matt Fells, and it describes itself as independent.
The name
The name is personal. St. Agni is named after Lara Fells’ grandmother, Agni. You will see it written as St. Agni, St Agni and Saint Agni; all three refer to the same label.
What Is St. Agni Known For?
Ask an Australian and the answer is usually shoes. Footwear came first, and the flat leather thong became the label’s calling card. The Everyday Thong in Parchment is the current version: tapered leather straps, a rounded toe, a sheepskin insole and a 1.4cm heel. Ask someone outside Australia and they are more likely to name a woven tote.
The woven bags are newer than many people assume. The brand’s signature bags page says they “were first developed in 2023”. They have quickly become the core of the accessories range. The Slim Woven Tote in Black has a woven leather body, a cotton twill lining, a double top handle and a divided middle compartment. The smaller Woven Mini Tote in Black closes with a magnetic fastening and hangs from a slender shoulder strap.
| Category | What defines it | Example at Coveti |
|---|---|---|
| Footwear | Flat leather thongs, flip flops, bow ballet flats, low wedges | Everyday Thong, Bow Ballet Flat |
| Bags | Woven leather totes, soft suede shapes, crescent crossbodies | Slim Woven Tote, Woven Mini Tote |
| Ready-to-wear | Silk slip and halter dresses, 90s-cut pants, merino knits, leather jackets | Silk Handkerchief Halter Dress |
| Accessories | Wide and asymmetric belts, bio circular acetate sunglasses, cotton socks | Clasico Sunglasses |
The clothing
Clothing arrived after shoes and accessories, and it now makes up most of the range. The look is pared back: clean necklines, long lines, natural fibres and a palette built on black, ivory, coffee and stone. The Silk Handkerchief Halter Dress in Stone is a good example, cut slim in 100 per cent silk with a halter neckline and a 7/8 length. St. Agni ready-to-wear runs from XXS to XL in most styles, and the brand uses Australian sizing, which matches UK sizing.
How St. Agni Grew
The early years were small and footwear-led. The brand’s “very first manufacturer is located in Indonesia”, according to its approach page, and production has since spread across several countries. Almost all of the pieces Coveti stocks are made in China, India, Vietnam and Italy, with sunglasses made in Hong Kong. The brand does not describe itself as made in Australia, and neither should anyone else.
Retail followed. The brand’s site lists five Australian boutiques, in Armadale (Melbourne), Paddington and Bondi Beach (Sydney), Byron Bay and Fortitude Valley (Brisbane). It also lists an online store that ships worldwide and over 90 retailers. There is no St. Agni store in the United States, so shoppers there buy online. Our guide to where to buy St. Agni covers the options.
Seen on
The label has picked up press attention through the clothes people were photographed wearing. During the April 2026 Australia tour, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was photographed wearing a St. Agni suede bomber and column skirt in khaki on a visit to the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum, as reported by Marie Claire Australia. Coveti stocks the Suede Utility Cocoon Bomber in Khaki and the Suede Column Skirt in Khaki. Grazia has also reported Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid wearing the label. None of this implies an endorsement; these are simply clothes people bought and wore.
Where St. Agni Sits Among Australian Labels
St. Agni belongs to the quieter end of Australian fashion. It shares little with the bright resort prints many people associate with the country. The closer comparison is the European minimalists. Shoppers who like Toteme and The Row tend to find St. Agni easy to read: neutral colour, soft leather, cuts that last more than one season. Our profile of Toteme makes a useful side-by-side read, and our list of Australian fashion brands places St. Agni among its home peers.
The difference is climate. A label designed in a subtropical beach town makes a lot of sandals, linen and lightweight silk. Even its leather jackets are cut relaxed, with room to layer over a tank. That gives the range an easy, warm-weather feel that the Scandinavian labels do not quite have, and it is a large part of why the brand fits the quiet luxury conversation without looking severe.
Materials and approach
The brand publishes a materials and sourcing page that refers to LWG-rated tanneries for leather, RWS wool, GOTS organic cotton and a 1% for the Planet pledge. We cover what each of those means, and what the brand does not claim, in our St. Agni sustainability guide. If you are weighing up a first purchase, is St. Agni worth it? looks at construction and value style by style.
Shopping St. Agni at Coveti
Coveti carries more than 500 St. Agni pieces across bags, shoes, accessories and ready-to-wear. If you are starting from scratch, the most useful first buys are the ones the brand built itself on: a flat leather thong, a woven tote and a single silk dress. The Bow Ballet Flat in Black is another easy entry point, with a low scooped vamp, a leather bow and a 0.6cm heel. Shoes at Coveti run EU 35 to 42 in whole sizes.
Editor’s note: the full range, filtered by category, is on the St. Agni brand page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded St. Agni?
St. Agni was founded in 2014 by Lara and Matt Fells in Byron Bay, Australia. The couple still run the label, which describes itself as an independent design studio.
Where is the brand St. Agni from?
St. Agni is from Byron Bay in New South Wales, Australia. The brand says it remains headquartered in its founding town, although it also has boutiques in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Who are the owners of St. Agni?
St. Agni was founded by and is run by Lara and Matt Fells. The brand describes itself as independent, and there is no public record of an outside owner.
Why is it called St. Agni?
The label is named after Lara Fells’ grandmother, Agni. The name is written as St. Agni, St Agni and Saint Agni, and all three refer to the same brand.
What is St. Agni known for?
St. Agni is best known for flat leather thong sandals and woven leather totes. Footwear came first, then accessories, then clothing, and the woven bags were first developed in 2023.
Is St. Agni a designer brand?
Yes. St. Agni is an Australian designer label sold through its own boutiques, its online store and over 90 retailers worldwide, including Coveti. It sits in the contemporary luxury bracket alongside labels such as Toteme.
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