Two decades of fearless craft.
Few brands feel as close to my heart as Deadly Ponies. Long before Together Journal existed, I was already coveting their bags and building a little collection of my own, drawn to sculptural shapes and buttery leathers unlike anything else. Over the years, I’ve loved watching, celebrating and featuring their milestones and designs in Together Journal, from early cult releases to their most daring collaborations. I’ve admired not only the beauty of their work but the way Liam Bowden and Steve Boyd have grown a small Auckland start-up into a global creative business with grace, generosity and vision.
Founded in 2005 by Bowden and soon joined by Boyd, Deadly Ponies began as one-off pieces stitched in a garage and at a kitchen table. Today, it is one of Australasia’s most coveted names in luxury leather accessories, with flagship boutiques in Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown and an international community of collectors. From the outset, Bowden’s vision was clear: design without compromise. Self-taught and instinctively progressive, he created a distinctive aesthetic merging fluid form, intelligent construction and everyday utility.
Deadly Ponies has helped shape a contemporary New Zealand style vocabulary and extended its reach from handbags to footwear, demonstrating a rare talent for reimagining the familiar with subversive elegance. Their milestones tell a story of thoughtful growth: the first Australian stockists in 2008, David Jones in 2010, the first flagship store in Ponsonby in 2014, the debut of footwear in 2022 and B Corp certification alongside the opening of the Queenstown flagship in 2024. Each chapter reflects not just expansion but an evolution of the brand’s language and ambition, blending creativity with a deep sense of responsibility.
Behind the scenes, Boyd’s strategic acumen has been as vital as Bowden’s creative drive. Under his leadership, the company has evolved into a multi-million-dollar, vertically integrated business with teams across New Zealand, Australia and Thailand. Achieving B Corp certification formalised what had long been part of its DNA: a belief that style and ethics can co-exist at the highest level.
Their stores, envisioned with acclaimed interior designer Katie Lockhart, echo the same ethos as their products. Each boutique is an immersive, tactile environment curated with rare works and collectors’ pieces sourced worldwide, offering customers an intimate glimpse into Liam and Steve’s aesthetic world.
As Deadly Ponies enters its third decade, Bowden calls this next chapter one of refinement and depth. “This next chapter is about expanding what we do, while refining what we’re known for,” he says. “It’s about going deeper, not wider. Everything from creative to operations feels more considered, more confident, more defined, and we want that to come through in product, and in our brand experience.”
A wedding or special event is the perfect time to choose a Deadly Ponies piece, whether a treasured bag or a pair of elevated heels. I’ve long admired how Liam and Steve built a global creative business without ever losing their authenticity or generosity. It feels especially fitting to congratulate them on their business anniversary in our own anniversary issue. As a married couple who have built something extraordinary together, they are more than collaborators; they are friends and an enduring inspiration.
For more information, visit deadlyponies.com and @deadlyponies.
