At just 27 years old, Georgia Patten has cemented herself as an award winning New Zealand entrepreneur and speaker who has built her brand Bored George from a hobby to a flourishing full-time business with its fashion forward sunglasses now in over 90 stockists across New Zealand and Australia, in just four short years.  

Georgia has also been acknowledged by the business community, winning most outstanding established business at the David Awards last year. She was also a finalist for best emerging business in the 2 Degrees Business Awards in December. 

Bored George’s remarkable growth has been evident thanks to Georgia’s resilience and ability to understand the market, with a rapid increase in stockists from 28 in March 2022 to over 90 in October 2023, including esteemed retailers like Flo & Frankie, Smith and Caugheys, Max Fashion, Sills and Co, and Repertoire. Georgia has also achieved an impressive 82.6% revenue increase over the past financial year for Bored George, with a staggering 1120.29% growth compared to two years ago.

Georgia’s journey began when she finished high school, despite her friends heading to university she felt a burning desire to travel and at just 19 years old left New Zealand to head to London all by herself. At the time Georgia said she felt “bored”, but on arriving in the UK working in pubs and travelling Europe in her spare time, her travel blog “Not So Bored George” was born, where she detailed her travels for friends and family back home.

It was during these travels Georgia’s love for sunglasses bloomed. It was at markets in Turkey and Morocco she started buying up numerous pairs and they became a feature of her travels and blog photography. Georgia found the different styles made a statement and each pair made her feel like she put on a different mood or personality. 

On returning home, Georgia’s passion for sunglasses continued, however she found herself working managing physiotherapy clinics and became “bored” again. But she channelled her restless energy and passion into a side hustle, founding Bored George sunglasses, at first importing pre-made sunglasses to sell at markets, before learning to design her own pairs. And from here the business growth has been huge as she built her successful brand to where it is today. 

Using a growing social media community on Instagram the brand has seen huge success online. With top styles selling out even at pre-order stage. Building hype and momentum through its online community has been key to growth. Bored George is now one of the leading sunglass brands in Aotearoa and stocked throughout Australia.

Keep an eye out on our Instagram @womanmagnz for a giveaway!