When I say Deadly Ponies there’s a good chance you might think I’m referring to small equines run amok. You’d be wrong, however.

Deadly Ponies is New Zealand pair Katie Smith and Liam Bowden's accessories label. The off-beat name grew from one of their early works –  “We made some slippers when we were at Art School to wear instead of wearing shoes,” explain Liam and Katie. “They got nicknamed  ‘Deadly Ponies,’ because they looked like they were made from Shetland pony.” Ewww.

Bags are the core of the Deadly Ponies range. Made from deer, goat and cowhide, some feature delightfully feminine with bows and the occasional use of hot pink leather, while much of the range is unisex and would look equally slung over a guy’s shoulder as a girl’s. Complementing the bags is a range of leather belts, a variety of wallets and coin purses, and a collection of jewellery, made primarily of gold, silver, leather and bone.

The creators are primarily drawn to imagery from nature and the animal kingdom, and the cycles of life and death within nature. Enjoy little skulls with bows and bones in various guises alongside delicate flowers.

“With Deadly Ponies Main Line, we create a more of a themed range with seasonal colours and styles, which is based around a story or a character or an idea,” say Katie and Liam.

In addition to their main line, they're creating a more expensive high-end line called Deadly Ponies Precious. “With Deadly Ponies Precious, we are trying to create a more treasured and timeless collection out of precious materials. It’s about building a story with many pieces and carrying on that story with our designs, rather than starting from scratch each season.”

Deadly Ponies Precious will be out in 2009 and while it will stick to a similar roster of bags and jewellery at first, the pair remain open as to what the future could hold. “The concept is that pieces within the DP Precious range are going to made from precious materials. So possibly they could evolve into a fine china dinner set or a small collection of unique footwear. We’ll just have to wait and see!”

Buy Deadly Ponies at:
Violent Green in Brisbane
Alphaville in Melbourne
Prettydog in Newtown