Jono Kenyon is a familiar face on Kiwi screens after starring in TV’s Step Dave, but his latest role is his most unexpected yet – the actor is now making moves in the fashion world as the creative director of luxury brand Boudicca Italy.
“I like to keep people around me guessing as to my next moves – it keeps things interesting!” laughs the 33-year-old.
Jono, who also starred in 800 Words and My Life Is Murder, moved back to Auckland in 2020 after six years off and on in Los Angeles, where he starred in a pilot written by Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rimes and rubbed shoulders with the likes of pop star Adam Lambert.
“He’s a lovely guy,” recalls Jono. “LA is such an eclectic mix of people. Any time you go anywhere or do anything, you meet the most extraordinary characters!”
With Step Dave co-star Sia Trokenheim.
A particularly fascinating character Jono came across just happens to be his partner of five years, Ashley Tabor.
“I would like to tell a romantic fairytale, but we just met at a bar!” grins the actor. “She was quiet, thoughtful… and very pretty. She had a mystique about her – I wanted to get to know her more.
“In 2020, I came back to New Zealand for a couple of weeks, to see family, then the lockdowns happened,” he tells.
“I decided to take that as a sign and stayed, so Ashley and I were apart for a year, before she got her partner visa and finally made it over.
Jono is enjoying showing US girlfriend Ashley the sights.
“It was tough. You rarely meet people who have done long- distance and rave about it! Obviously, I wanted her here and we missed each other a lot. But we understood that it was out of our control.
“I think Covid changed a lot of people’s perspectives. It made me go with the flow. I was about two months away from getting my green card stamped. I very much had a plan in place, but then I couldn’t go back. So I thought, ‘I’m just going to follow this river to the ocean.'”
Then, thanks to a chance meeting in 2022, the river took an unexpected twist!
“I was on holiday in Australia and at a restaurant, I happened to get talking to the founder of what is now Boudicca Italy – he was a fan of my acting work,” Jono recalls.
“It turned out he owned several businesses and was looking for a creative director for a new fashion line.”
Jono was intrigued and the two kept in touch.
“He was of the mindset that the designer would be at the forefront,” explains Jono. “But he really wanted someone on board to oversee the overall creative vision. So I pitched to him how I saw it working and the long-term plan… and we haven’t looked back!”
The serendipity of their meeting was part of the reason the opportunity seemed so right to the actor. “It was so whimsical how it happened, it made me think, ‘Just go with this.’ It’s not often you get plucked out of the blue for the creative director role of a new luxury fashion line!
“I work closely with our designer, who has all the knowledge of the technical side of clothing. She and I work together to stay in tune with the trends and seasons. I’m in charge of the aesthetic and the ethos of the brand – the photoshoots, imagery, descriptions… My job is to keep it all cohesive.”
Since Boudicca’s clothing is designed and manufactured in Italy, a perk of Jono’s job has been travelling to European hotspots for shoots, and to look at factories and manufacturers.
The only drawback was leaving Ashley back home in New Zealand. “She’s not too happy about that,” laughs Jono. “But we’ll work it out – maybe next time.”
A model shows off Jono’s brand.
Ashley, who’s originally from Oklahoma, has beenvery supportive of Jono’s latest career move and is enjoying all New Zealand has to offer.
“She loves going out into nature,” says Jono. “And she likes the Indian curries here. It’s our favourite food – they just don’t do curries like that in LA!”
The cuisine isn’t the only thing Jono’s enjoying about being back in Aotearoa.
“Being close to family always helps,” admits the actor, who loves spending time with his brand-new nephew Edison. “Being an uncle is very humbling. Whether that makes me want kids, that’s to be decided. I’ll stick with uncle duties for now and see how that goes!”
Jono certainly has enough to keep him busy between his role at Boudicca and any auditions that come his way.
“I’m still an actor and I have an agent in New Zealand. The love for acting never goes away – you’ve always got the itch!
“But it’s good to shake things up from time to time and throw yourself in the deep end – it keeps you on your toes. I never expected I’d end up in fashion, but here I am and I’m loving it!”
