the exciting reasons why we’re pausing made to order ~

While crafting made to love-and-last handbags and accessories is simétrie's specialty, we are also passionate about keeping artisan crafts alive, continuing to support our all female team and, of course, creating beautiful, sustainable style staples. So, alongside our own line of accessories, we also offer our design and production services to a broader community of businesses who can enlist the talents of our team.

You might've seen the Sisterly range and our Thick tote bag / elemental print , which we co-created with Melbourne locals, SisterWorks and Mosey Me, respectively. In a similar way, simétrie also partners with brands who want to share in the knowledge of our designer, artisan crafters and production team. Previously our bespoke services have been utilised by leather goods brand, Stash the Label (their simétrie made collection is about to drop!) and C.O.O.P (Acronym for Custodians of Our Planet), an up-and-coming bag brand soon to be launched (who you can follow here).

Now, we're excited to begin another partnership ~ this time, with a well-known Aussie brand who are supporting our mission through our tailor made services.

This next venture is an exciting opportunity to continue furthering the efforts of our ethos and in order to begin this large batch production order, we're expanding our atelier and our team to nine! Providing income opportunities for women is a cause close to simétrie founder, Simone Agius' heart. She began the brand in order to hold a space where female creatives could hone their skills and to promote the independence and sense of purpose a paid wage provides (you can read more about the women who inspired her here). As such, we're welcoming six more women to the studio - head on over to our instagram ~ @_simétrie where you'll be able to see them in action as we share some exclusive behind the scenes over the coming months.

Alongside maintaining support for female makers, simétrie has a commitment to preserving artisanship and is pioneering efforts in continuing traditional leatherwork practices and producing locally. It's no secret that Australia has lost much of its on-shore garment and accessory creation and the decline can be traced back to the world-wide economic crises of the 1970s. During the crash, governmental trade policies that had previously protected clothing and textiles manufacturing in Australia were lifted, as concerns that they were becoming a hindrance to our ability to compete on the global market rose.

The sacrifice made was that of traditional techniques, replaced by large-scale manufacturing that is quicker and cheaper. Often, this also results in the compromise of quality and ethical working environments as expanding supply chains across borders and oceans often leads to a lack of transparency around production practices and working environments.

The above graph shows the rapid decline of employment within the local textile, leather, clothing and footwear industry. Simétrie is proudly Australian produced and endeavours to safeguard leatherwork as an art and continue the practice of its tradition (with a few updated sustainable processes of course). Partnering with other native brands enables us to continue dreaming, designing and producing right here in Melbourne while supporting a local supply chain and the unique talents of homegrown crafts men and women.

As you can imagine, working on our mission, growing our team and expanding the studio is no small feat! As such we have paused made-to-order simétrie pieces. You can now join the waitlist for made-to-order items, which we'll begin crafting again in November 2021, (just in time to start dropping hints or 'accidentally' leaving your Christmas wish-list on the kitchen counter.) And if you just can't wait, all ready-to-ship orders will still be fulfilled as usual.

The atelier is already brimming with the bustle of creating and crafting and, as always, you can expect the same dedication to detail and commitment to eco and ethical practices you always have from simétrie. We want to thank you for your ongoing support and patience as we grow and are looking forward to sharing these upcoming designs with you soon ~

In the meantime you can join our newsletter for more details and updates about made-to-order. We'll also be sharing more about what goes into designing and producing a sustainably made accessory collection right here in Australia and look forward to having you join us on our journey as we grow ~