Who Made Your Bag? Meet The Makers Behind The Spring Field Tote

As you love the Simétrie x Mosey Me Thick Tote, we reimagined the Elemental Print in updated colours, incorporating our love of Lavender and Olive borrowed from our leather collection, aptly named Spring Fields Print. This print comes just in time for the warmer weather, wandering through perfect picnic spots and spotting wild flowers ~

Designed and screen printed in Melbourne and hand crafted using organic heavyweight hemp canvas in Ballarat, with a much loved print from Mosey Me, this bag is a little piece of local loveliness, yet not so little [actually big enough to throw your whole life into]. 

At simétrie we know what it is like to need a bag that's as functional as it is beautiful. So the tote features a ring to hang charms or keys, sleek matte black coated metal hardware and two internal pockets to keep your phone and ear buds handy ~ it's as ready for life as it is to be admired. 

You might have noticed that alongside the update in the printed design from the Elemental Print, there's also been a slight cost increase. We thought we’d touch base with you, as a simétrie citizen and member of our community to tell you a little bit about why.

Simétrie has the joy of working with numerous artisan crafters outside of those craftspeople in our atelier. We support local manufacturing by partnering with other makers in the industry who share similar values and are ethically and eco minded so that we can bring you beautiful pieces that align with our and your values. When you purchase a simétrie piece, you become a part of that community and by supporting small businesses, you are enabling those who keep the knowledge and skills of the trade alive to continue crafting.

Our Thick Tote has increased in cost as a reflection of our partners and our support for them. It accounts for the development, their efforts in printing, assembling and packaging your pieces. Each bag is lovingly made, by real people (meet some of our artisans here), locally, to be lovingly worn by you.

Following the deaths of 1,138 labourers in the Bangladesh Rana Plaza collapse of 2013, Fashion Revolution began raising awareness around unethical manufacturing and unsustainable practices. Their “Who Made My Clothes” Movement examines supply chains and promotes transparency in the fashion industry as they fight for fair wages and conditions. In the spirit of their work, we’ve decided to share with you some of the people involved in simétrie’s supply chain. 

So ~

Who made your bag?

Kim is the craftswoman behind our hemp pieces’ cutting and assembly. She’s a Ballarat based maker who moved from the seatbelt industry to working with brands passionate about being Australian made, you can read more about her journey and work in our interview, here. 

We hope that by introducing you to our teams and their processes, the value of the cost increase becomes apparent. Simétrie’s core values are in fair wages, the employment of women and sustainable production and consumption and we’ve endeavoured to keep it as minimal and fair an increase as possible (for every party involved!) to ensure we’re upholding our ethos and bringing you the pieces you know and love ~ 

Thank you for being part of our journey to better this industry, preserve artisan crafts and employ talented creatives right here in Melbourne. 

shop the Thick Tote Spring Fields here ~