SUSTAINABILITY MISSION
Sirius’s renewed mission in sustainability
“We urgently need to see massive change in how we make and sell, and how we live and consume. We are in a planetary emergency.”
Sirius is simple. Sirius is a result of a stubborn pursuit of something exceptional from 2 designers. With some of the top names in fashion under their belts, they simply made something that they wanted to exist and shared that uncompromising result.
It all started with a collar. Since their dog jumps around and spins with joy when he is about to go for a walk, they developed a collar that is easy to put on. To make it, they used an atelier, found via their French fashion network in Paris and use Italian leather that is naturally treated and known to get softer and more satisfying with age.
Please visit siriusbonds.com to view the full range and more info.
Sirius Bonds is an extension of their ethos. With covid stimulating a wealth of reflection (and home deliveries), we dig deeper into what it means to be not only eco-friendly, but actively ethical.
This journey, aspiring to make a difference, isn’t new. We’ve always pursued it in the background and have explored opportunities and woes with friends whose knowledge regularly enriches our own.
A personal connection and the most knowledgeable force on the environment that we know is Clare Farrell. As a founder of ‘Extinction Rebellion’ she is laser focused on affecting positive change, but also has researched deeply into fashion and textiles. Before Extinction Rebellion took off, Clare worked in a variety of positions in fashion; high-end, high street, sustainable and upcycling labels.
When Clare was working for the high street it was an uncomfortable fit, at least from my perspective. But she showed me how serious and clever her approach is. As a highly creative individual I thought her talents were wasted on high-street, high volume fashion. However, Clare explained that she wanted to see the process involved in producing what the majority of people wear. Sure, she could work for an up-cycling brand (she did), and sure she could study modern sustainable fabrics (did that too), but what impressed me here was the desire to face the problem head on first; and thus understand the wider challenge.
I’ve spoken a lot about Clare to paraphrase/quote one thing she taught me that stuck. She told me ‘You’ll never do it all’ and ‘even if you do your best, there will always be someone poised to find a hole in your efforts and criticise you.’
After despair... The great thing about understanding this, the thing which makes the daunting environmental challenges we face ‘okay’, is that you are free to make many small efforts. The goal is to invest energy, time and money into the myriad of ways we can do things better. You can vote with your currency and support conscientious businesses, or as a business, conduct yourself in a way that makes your customers want to support you.
The next article in this series focuses on some of the ethical considerations encountered on our path to adopting as many sustainable approaches as possible. We hope by sharing it will help or inspire fellow designers and producers.
- OCA
Clare at our wedding. We kept our menu fine dining 😜
September 2016 - Mama Shelter, Paris, France.
Clare and Oscar
September 2016 - Mama Shelter, Paris, France.