The success of Juliette Hogan’s transition toward electric mobility

Juliette Hogan, the renowned New Zealand fashion designer at the helm of her eponymous label, has always integrated sustainability into her brand’s ethos and business model.

She summed it up succinctly in a recent article with Marie Claire magazine: “It's always been a part of our business that we need to be kind to our people and to the planet and be conscious of the processes that we use. As sustainability has become a far greater hot topic it’s exciting for us to spend more time and energy talking about it.”

18 years later, Juliette is still walking the walk in this regard. Last year, the company measured its carbon emissions for financial year 2021 and found that fuel for its small fleet of vehicles accounted for a third of the business’s total emissions. Luckily, Juliette has been an ambassador for Audi since 2017 — and once Audi caught wind of her situation, they reached out to see if they could help bring this total down. They supplied Juliette with an Audi e-tron, the pinnacle of the company’s EV offering, and the cornerstone of Audi’s journey to lower their own emissions — and the results spoke for themselves.

“We were able to bring down our total carbon emissions by 13% from just one e-tron — which is huge,” says Juliette. “It went a long way towards our goal of being as sustainable a brand as possible.”

And now that such a large chunk of its emissions are down, there’s even more of a determined drive to reduce the total even further, Juliette says. “Sustainability has been a core of our business for a long time, but this further cemented for us that it isn't just a nice to have — but an integral focus in your business strategy.”

Of course, while the emissions-free aspect is the big-ticket benefit, by no means is it the only one, Juliette says. Driving it is ‘a dream’, from its smart capability on the road down to its remarkable modern design.

“I absolutely love driving it,” she says. “I’ve had the e-tron for about six weeks now, and I’m so comfortable with the way it works. Of course at the beginning, I was a bit unsure about the charging — when to charge it, how long for, that sort of thing.

“But it didn’t take long at all to get into the swing of it, and now it’s just as convenient as a traditional petrol car, if not more.”

Meanwhile the driving experience itself, according to Juliette, beats internal combustion engine (ICE) cars by a country mile. “It’s a beautiful drive, quite unexpectedly so,” says Juliette. “The e-tron feels so light compared to my previous car, it’s so quick off the mark. The e-tron really feels a lot nimbler in comparison.”

Perhaps more than any other significant purchase, the switch to an electric car represents a distinct lifestyle change. The transition from an ICE-powered car to an EV not only feels physically better to drive, but also evokes a feeling unique to EV drivers: a ‘good vibe’ for some, and for Juliette, a sense of pride.

“It feels really good to be driving something that you know isn’t costing the environment,” she says. “I feel really proud to be driving an electric vehicle, and that something I use every day is contributing to the world in a positive way.”

And perhaps the most glowing endorsement of the Audi e-tron? The thumbs up from Juliette’s partner. “My husband is a bit of a bogan, he’s building a ‘72 Charger in the garage — a total car aficionado,” Juliette says. “When I got the e-tron, he was quite resistant to it. But after driving the e-tron GT, he was blown away — and he’s said he would consider swapping his Charger for that.

“And I think that, more than anything, is a testament to what Audi has been able to achieve.”

Learn more about the Audi e-tron range.