Deadly design duo: Deadly Ponies
by Metropol | June 10, 2026 8:34 am
You’ve gotta hand (bag) it to them. Deadly Ponies’ founders Liam Bowden and Steven Boyd have fast become powerhouses in Aotearoa fashion with their internationally renowned luxury leather accessories brand. With Steven’s South Canterbury roots, Metropol editor Nina Tucker learns how vegetables from his parents’ garden inspired a spring collection, and which Geraldine café you’ll find the pair at on any visit home.
Steven and Liam, describe your Deadly Ponies roles?
SB: My role is CEO of Deadly Ponies. On any given day I could be across a number of different departments – sitting in on design meetings, talking through new concepts or colourways for seasons that are sometimes over a year away, then switching into operations or finance.
LB: As Creative Director, I oversee all the visual touchpoints across the brand, from the products themselves to campaigns, content, packaging, and our stores.
Steven, how does your family home in Geraldine inspire your work?
SB: Growing up in a more rural environment gives you a different appreciation of the natural world – and that’s something we value highly as a business. Even our aesthetic has a natural feel to it. It’s not too fussy. There’s a degree of ruralness to it that I think comes quite naturally to me.
How did your childhood in Geraldine influence you?
SB: I was born and raised there, and honestly my upbringing was incredible. There’s so much freedom in a small town and I definitely took advantage of that – I was outdoors constantly and pretty adventurous. I was also entrepreneurial from a young age. I ran a little museum, a lawn mowing business, a costume hire at one point. A small town is really supportive of kids who are giving things a go, and that gave me a lot of confidence to back myself later in life. My parents ran their own business too – my father is the artist John Badcock – and I’d hang out at their gallery on Talbot Street every day after school with my grandad (he was a great salesman). I had strong business mentors without really knowing it at the time.
Describe a visit home to South Canterbury?
SB: Getting home to see family is really the main draw. The last trip we had was amazing – we went pack rafting down the Waihi River, which is maybe not what people expect from a couple of fashion designers.
LB: I love spending time in South Canterbury. There’s something about the landscape that I always find inspiring. Our spring 2025 collection was actually inspired by vegetables from Steve’s parents’ garden, which is a good example of how unexpected inspiration can be. There’s something beautiful about that region: the open plains, the expansive horizons. I’m constantly seeing textures and details that spark ideas.
How is life as both husbands and business partners?
SB: During the workday, we don’t spend a huge amount of time together. We come together in the creative side – we’re often in the same room working through ideas. We do talk about work a lot, but we try to keep a lid on that so that life isn’t entirely consumed by Deadly Ponies.
LB: People often imagine it would be difficult, but it’s been so long now that it’s just normal for us. Steve and I work in quite different areas of the business, but we’re constantly checking in with each other and pulling one another into decisions. The upside is huge because you’ve always got someone to lean on and support you. When there’s a win, you’re both genuinely excited. When there’s a challenge, you’ve got the backing of someone just as passionate. The main challenge is knowing when to switch off. We’re intentional about closing work down when we’re home, though we’re not perfect – work definitely bleeds into personal life sometimes, and we’ve had arguments at the office that filter into home. But we just laugh it off and move on.
Deadly Ponies is a B Corp business?
SB: Being B Corp certified means meeting a really wide range of operational standards. There are the obvious ones – reducing waste and emissions – but then there are less obvious ones, like how you look after your team and your customers. That’s all part of what B Corp represents, it’s about running a business that treats the planet with respect in a holistic way. Honestly, it’s just a much more enjoyable way to operate. Can you describe the Deadly Ponies machine?
LB: We’ve got around 40 staff in total, including our retail network. At HQ it’s a tight team managing everything – marketing, retail operations, design. We don’t outsource much because we like to stay close to all of it. We have a really strong leadership team and we’ve been doing this long enough to run a tight ship. What wouldn’t it survive without? Fun. That sounds simple, but I mean it. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, and that makes for a genuinely collaborative environment. Everyone’s here to back each other – it’s not every person for themselves.
What’s next for you both?
SB: The big thing this year is heading up to California for a few months. There are real opportunities to grow the business there, and we want to lean into the international momentum we’re seeing. Beyond that, we’re always looking at what’s next within New Zealand – continuing to build here is really important. And who knows, maybe a Christchurch store one day.
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QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS
Where will you never not visit on a trip to South Canterbury?
LB: Whenever I’m in South Canterbury, it’s all about family and food. There’s an amazing local café, Verde, in Geraldine, and Steve’s mum is an incredible baker – her hot cross buns and chocolate chip biscuits are legendary. You can tell there’s a clear theme: I’m there to eat as much as possible, particularly biscuits.
SB: Always Verde, and right next door is my sister’s gallery, Susan Badcock Gallery. She sells a lot of my dad’s work alongside her own (and a few Deadly Ponies pieces). It’s a great little stop in Geraldine.
What’s the most precious thing you own?
LB: A little gold dog necklace that Steve gave me for our five-year anniversary. We were traveling to Thailand a lot at the time, and it’s by an amazing Thai jeweller.
SB: A pair of cufflinks that Liam made for me. He handmade them during our first year of dating and gave them to me for Christmas. I got him a pair of gym shorts, so I learnt a little more about gift giving.
What’s one thing readers would be surprised to know?
LB: That I toured the United States playing the viola in an orchestra.
SB: I studied political science. It seems pretty random now.
Which living designer or creative do you admire the most?
LB: Someone who creates physical work. Gio Ponti is a perfect example: furniture, lighting, incredible Murano glass with glowing stripes. It all connects back to his aesthetic, yet each piece feels surprising and genuinely modern, even being made decades ago.
SB: The person that springs to mind first is Thomas Schütte. I saw an exhibition of his in Venice last year that I found super inspirational.
What trend needs to die immediately?
LB: Bubble tea. Those little spheres freak me out. They look like fish egg babies to me, and I’d be genuinely happy if they disappeared.
SB: That’s easy. Matcha. I can’t stand it.
Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/deadly-design-duo-deadly-ponies/