We balance the human desire for style with our impact on the earth.

We do this from our Brunswick based studio, through education and by building a community. We aim to empower individuals through the power of knowledge, craft and creativity.

At Simétrie, we create all-natural leather goods that are timeless, using the most sustainable materials available to us. Handcrafted in Melbourne by local craftswomen who are paid a fair, living wage.

We do this because we know that our planet and humans have been exploited by the fashion manufacturing process for too long. The facts are very clear that the industry is taking too much from environment and human resources to fuel the ever-growing desire to consume fashion products.

Our response to this is to be a “slow” fashion business structure, empower our people through education and self-advocacy, and use the most sustainable materials available to us.

The human need of self-expression shouldn’t cost the state of our planet the way it does today - pollution, over consumption of resources and non-biodegradable landfill are some of the ways the fashion industry is damaging our Mother Earth.

Our goods are primarily made from natural or water based materials, right down to the dyes and glues used to construct them. That means they are not harmful to produce or use, nor do they present any dangers to our planet’s soils or waterways.

Our leathers are vegetable tanned kangaroo which is a natural, low-emission leather that is harvested from necessary wildlife management – as opposed to farm-bred animals. Kangaroo leather is a strong yet lightweight material and is considered to be one of the most eco-friendliest leathers available.

We use an internal reinforcement [hidden between the leather & lining layers] with Portuguese cork, which is a sustainably harvested, all natural material. All of our bags are lined, either with kangaroo leather, or a recycled hemp & organic cotton. We've recently introduced a printed style that is on a 100% hemp fabric base. Hemp is a superior fibre as it grows without pesticides & takes much less water to grow than cotton & other natural fibres.  

We don’t claim that our materials are 100 percent perfect for a long term solution, but we believe every step in right direction makes a difference. We continue to seek raw materials that are as sustainable as possible for the health of our planet and our human resources.

Everyone should experience the feeling of creation, because when we create something ourselves – we feel good and treasure it for longer, if not forever.

We offer monthly bag-making workshops at our Brunswick studio with the aim to educate and empower all people who desire to learn new creative skills. Our classes are 4 hours x 3 days, as this is how long it takes to make one of our beautiful leather bags. Not only does this aim to teach people new creative skills, but new knowledge about the value of the labour that goes into making all of our handcrafted pieces.

Suitable for beginners with no prior leather experience, as well as experienced individuals who wish to flourish with new challenges too.

Come and create with us here.

The human desire to express ourselves through fashion is important. It allows us to show the world who we perceive ourselves to be. However, the impact that fast fashion is having on our planet is at crisis stage. It is well documented that the fashion manufacturing process is putting an unprecedented amount of pressure on our planet’s resources in a bid to fuel the ever-growing desire to consume fashion products.

To combat this we aim to create handcrafted goods that support fair wages and eco-friendly materials, all while being beautiful and timeless, so you can enjoy your goods from season to season without the need to continuously update. It’s time to consume less and consume well.

One of the greatest exploitations of the fashion industry is the low cost we as consumers expect to pay for finished products, which ultimately results in a low living wage for the workers who created them.

Our goods are designed with a balance of efficiency and unique style so that we can afford to pay a fair price to our workers whilst still being able to deliver stylish goods that will hold their value. Find out more about our team here.