with simétrie : simone

Hey all, most of you won't know me but my name is Lois and I'm pretty honoured to introduce you all to Sim's new series: With simétrie. A space where Sim sits down with other inspiring makers, designers, and creators to have short, and insightful conversations that unpack:

• Creative processes: How do they bring their ideas to life?

• Origin stories: What led them to where they are today?

• Values and ethos: The foundations behind why they do what they do.

Sim and I use to be studio neighbours and for years before I moved out we would have numerous conversations about our creative practices, being a solo business owner and why we do what we do, so when Sim reached out and asked if I could facilitate her first conversation for this series I was truly honoured. I love these chats and believe they are so important for everyone to hear and be a part of. 

For Sim this series is driven by her own curiosity, but she hopes others want to learn these perspectives too. She see's it as another way to build community ~ to connect with likeminded people who share the same principles around how we engage with the earth and the materials we use.

You can check out Episode 1 HERE and below is a little summary of what we unpacked, I hope you all enjoy!

Creative Process

We kicked off the conversation by diving into how Sim’s creativity takes shape, particularly behind the scenes of her simétrie design practice and where she finds inspiration.

Sim’s process often looks the same for how she finds inspiration in starting a new collection , she often starts each new range by revisiting the foundation of what builds her bags: the materials. Once that’s locked in, she moves onto colour, turning to Pinterest for inspiration.

“I start pulling images together that feel right, things that I'm interested in, a picture of a woman, or an outfit that I'm really into, or her hairstyle, or just an inspiring shoot, nature, illustrations, or other artists. Then I'll pull colours from there.”

On the Horizon

Sim also shared an exciting update about an upcoming project launching later this month at Melbourne Design Week. She’s part of an exhibition called Toad Takeover, a collaboration with Lia Tabrah and Kirk Ireland. The project aims to showcase the potential of Cane Toad Leather and help strengthen Lia’s practice of turning an ecological crisis into an opportunity. You can learn more about the exhibition HERE

Collaboration and community

Collaboration is a huge part of Sim’s practice, and Toad Take Over is a perfect example. This led us into a deeper conversation about the creative community and why it’s so vital to Sim.

Running a solo business comes with its challenges: the isolation, the need for constant decision-making across all areas, and the pressure to wear every hat. Sim is acutely aware of how easy it is to get bogged down in admin or lose sight of the joy in creation.

“What I find, in this cycle of having to do everything yourself, is that you really need to protect your energy for creativity. Otherwise you can get really stuck into admin and stress and have nothing left over in the tank for the reason why you are actually a freelancer, or in a creative business.”

That’s where community comes in. Having a network of like-minded creatives around you acts as a support system, a sounding board, and a reminder of why you started in the first place. I can’t count the amount of times Sim and I helped each other through all the small business blow up moments, having that community around really keeps you going. 

Community as a Core Value

Community isn’t just important to Sim on a social level, it’s one of the core values that shapes simétrie. She loves engaging with the creative community through collaboration, simétrie School (where she teaches her craft to students) and inviting different creative practitioners into her space. She also fosters beautiful partnerships with other businesses organisations like SisterWorks, as well as gives back through donations to incredible initiatives such as The Torch.

simétrie’s Journey: Proving a Point

We wrapped up the conversation by reflecting on Sim’s journey with simétrie, what’s changed since she started the brand, why she began, and what’s driven her forward.

Sim’s mission was clear from the start, she wasn’t focused on building a world, she was focused on her product and also wanted to prove a point.

“I had something to prove when I started. I wanted to prove that it could be done locally, show people what I could do in my small local set up, I wanted to use Australian leather, I wanted everything to be as local as possible.” 

And, with confidence, I can say: she’s done it. You can watch the full interview HERE and I’m excited to follow this series and see who else she’ll invite into these conversations.