Lauren Atterbury and Sarah-Allen Preston have creativity in spades. Both call Kansas City home, and along with raising busy and beautiful families, are turning their talents to a new venture.
Lauren is one of the town’s most influential tastemakers and ultimate entertainers—and sister-in-law of Gwyn Prentice, Helen Jon’s co-founder.
Sarah-Allen is an amazing artist, highly sought-after event planner, and, in her friend and business partner’s own words, “can take anything and make it more beautiful.”
Together, they are the creators and co-founders of Presbury.
Helen Jon knew Presbury was just the team to add a splash of fun and whimsy to our holiday gift options. Our Limited Edition embroidery collaboration launched this week. Available until December 31 and exclusively on HelenJon.com, the capsule features our travel clutches displaying fresh monogram styles, motifs, and playful sayings to reflect the seasonless style of some of the country's favorite destinations.
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One of the secrets to living a happy life is discerning where your true talents and passions lie. When did you know that creativity was your collective “thing?”
Pretty immediately it was clear we both have a great appreciation for beauty and love finding inspiration around us. Many of our conversations revolve around art, design, fashion, and event planning. I think we both believe these things are all intertwined, and we get a lot of joy from bouncing around ideas. We talk gardening or runway fashion until our kids swing from the rafters dangerously enough to distract us!
Lauren, you earned your stripes working for Ralph Lauren in women’s golf and tennis design, and Sarah-Allen, you are a trained artist and designer and have grown Sarah-Allen Preston Designs into a thriving business. How has this influenced your work today?
Lauren: I am so fortunate to have worked at Ralph amongst so many talented designers. I learned a lot and trained my eye. Living in New York has been the biggest influence on my style and who I am.
Sarah-Allen: Years ago, when all of my peers in Kansas City were getting married, I saw there was a market here for really elevated events. I wanted to see Kansas City parties have the same panache as Dallas or Nantucket because I knew we certainly had the ability to produce them. Today, I use my design background in every detail of an event to execute each client’s vision.
How did Presbury come to be?
It’s still coming to be! Neither of us have any expectations for it. We just wanted to create a fun tote bag as a homage to Watch Hill, RI where we both vacation every summer. We thought we should create an umbrella to put our creation under and voilà—Presbury.
We absolutely love the hybrid name! It’s as if fate intervened to bring you two together. How do you integrate your two styles into your brand?
Thank you! We are offering our small collection of tote bags next spring/summer. Our style overlaps quite a bit. We both strive for a clean, classic aesthetic. But still keep it fun. Fun is one of our driving forces in life.
We imagine the two of you together are always tossing around ideas and inspiration. Where do you draw your best creative ideas from?
We find inspiration everywhere. A fellow mom whose outfit we admire at drop off, travel, vintage books, Instagram, architecture...I could go on all day. But we both respect each other’s eye and know what the other will find exciting.
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And, just for fun... Your favorite tongue in cheek expression?
“Watch Hill is Full, try The Hamptons”
Favorite piece or accessory to monogram?
A beach tote.
Are you more of a minimalist or no-such-thing-as-too-much kind of girl?
Lauren: Both. A pared down t-shirt and jeans can be perfection, but so can a silver swimsuit and diamonds on a Nordic summer cruise. I’ll add that to my rolodex of future looks. Nautical Nordic heiress. There is a time and a place for both.
Sarah-Allen: Have to agree. Less can be more and more can be more. Also, I like to wear a fur coat with sweatpants when I’m cold—so sometimes there is a time and a place for both together.
When not designing or creating, you love to... ?
Rummikub, go for walks, play pickleball, and chase our boys
Favorite beach?
Watch Hill, Rhode Island
What’s next for Presbury?
More fun and more bouncing around ideas, that’s all we know!
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Thank you, Lauren and Sarah-Allen! We're excited for our collaboration, and cannot wait to see what comes next for Presbury.