Our long term goal is to provide products of the highest quality while having as little impact to the environment as possible. Although not perfect yet, with each season we are refining our processes, building relationships with local makers and creating a more sustainable supply chain, while building meaningful relationships within our community.

Our apparel is ‘Made in Australia’ and we only produce limited edition production runs. Meaning each piece is made by hand, with care by local businesses or in our very own studio. Each and every Van der Kooij garment is hand finished in our studio and a record of its limited production is recorded inside each garment.

In 2019 we have partnered with Carbon Neutral Australia’s ‘Plant-a-Tree program’. For every product created, a tree is planted in the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor in Western Australia to help reduce our carbon emissions.

This program plants native Australian trees and shrubs, that are helping to join small patches of remnant vegetation. Besides the all-important role of sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, the trees and shrubs help to reduce salinity,  water and soil erosion, and provide habitat for the endangered Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo, Malleefowl and other threatened flora and fauna. This reforestation project more than removes carbon from the atmosphere every day, it also has positive social, environmental and economic benefits.

All Van Der Kooij look books, campaign books, swing tags and postcards are printed through a small local business in Melbourne that are 100% Carbon Neutral. They use recycled paper and print using waterless printing presses.

We are constantly aiming to improve and make the best choices we can as a business, it is crucial that we design with a conscience and with the aim to improve with every season.

80% of our products are made from dead-stock leathers and materials. This means we get to utilise leathers and fabrics no longer useful to other factories and companies. These are sourced at local suppliers, consciously hand-picked to ensure the highest of quality materials are chosen. We also utilise our leftover materials, each year we spend a couple of weeks focusing on utilising our leftover materials to make products for an annual archive/sample sale.

We use un-dyed, natural cotton for our packaging bags which we also make in-house. We utilise vegetable-dyed leather when sourced. The only chemicals involved in our entire production process are the chemicals used on the leather when it was originally tanned. Being dead-stock the previous process is unknown.

We make very small and very limited runs, focusing on making a very high quality product utilising materials that were previously no longer needed or wanted.

We also offer repair services on all our products through the duration of their lives. We make bags to love and to last. This is our intention and it’s our huge love for what we do and why we do it. We are passionate about creating long lasting products, handmade with love and integrity, complete transparency and utilising beautiful materials that haven’t yet been given a life.

We donate products to charities wishing to fundraise, auction or donate to womens refuge.

We are a company built up of women! Designed and handmade by women, for women. We hope to empower women by creating beautiful bags that embody personal style and provides purpose and ease. A bag which women have a special connection with, a sacred place to house our daily necessities, personal belongings which are often carried closely to us every day.

It’s been our values since the beginning, it’s why we choose to produce in house, why we choose to utilise dead-stock materials and focus on slow fashion. As a brand we all have a huge responsibility to make conscious, mindful decisions every day and every decision impacts our environment and the beautiful people who are apart of our business. Leading by example in a sustainable, ethical and gentle way not only encourages but also educates customers to choose to consume more mindfully, guiding customers to invest in products which embodies values, integrity and longevity.

85% of our footwear is produced with vegetable-tanned leather as we choose to avoid the more common process of chrome-tanning. As the term states, vegetable-tanned leather is treated with entirely natural and organic tannins which are extracted from vegetables or trees and infused into the grain of the hide. All hides used are a by-product from the meat industry. Our artisans and crafts people individually hand make each piece of footwear, with some particular styles taking to 24 hours to hand weave.

We have reduced the amount of plastic used within our business by 80% and aim to be 90% plastic-free by 2020. As a business we do not want to over consume, we order to indent only and internally keep our stock levels at a minimum to ensure we do not create excess waste. We use natural, high quality materials that will last the test of time.

Supporting the people and communities we work in is essential. This has been reflected through our philanthropic support of crisis efforts following natural disasters in Indonesia and also through our support of key global initiatives such as International Women’s Day and the UN women. We donate 100% of sales on IWD and partnered with Oxfam in 2018 to donate $7,000 to help those affected by the Lombok earthquakes.

While we are proud  of what we have achieved, we are looking forward to improving in 2020!

70% of our gold is recycled and 100% of our sterling silver, of the remaining 30% which is not recycled and is newly mined, 86% is confirmed Australian mined. The rest is blended and this makes up a lot of the findings/earring backings and claps. Only natural stones are used, no artificial stones which are heavily treated with chemicals and chemical gases.

Over the last few years, we have invested time and resources in assessing our entire supply chain thoroughly, equipping ourselves with the right expertise to ensure we can continue to improve our practises and tread as lightly as possible. Throughout this process we have forged strong and trusting relationships with our suppliers, which are paramount to our continuing growth and development as a responsible jewellery company.

We also support several charities every Christmas with a bulk donation. Last year we opened this up to our followers and asked for suggestions. We spread a $20k donation across 10 charities which included children charities, wildlife charities and local charities for mental health.

Our intention at Natalie Marie is to create modern heirlooms, pieces which are not trend driven or transient but are designed to be simultaneously relevant and classic, holding the potential to stand the test of time. Our pieces are thoughtfully handcrafted with a great deal of care and dedication to quality, and with a focus on sustainability. We see jewellery as an investment, a long term staple to be worn and cherished.

Velvet Canyon believes fully and fiercely in positive change, diversity, and equality, and we’re happy to put our money where our mouth is: 1% of our online sales go to charities close to our hearts, and we’ve pledged never to use animal products and to minimise our use of plastics. When we set out to make something beautiful and lasting, it was important that every step of the process be as simple and sustainable as possible. Our studio is solar powered and our frames are crafted from acetate, a renewable material made of wood and cotton fibres. Our designs may be a nod to the past, but our focus is firmly on creating a beautiful and lasting future, one that’s so bright that you’re going to need a good pair of sunnies.

The intention behind Sleeping with Jacques aims to celebrate women in their time or rest whilst acknowledging women who have fallen on hard times. With every purchase, a percentage of profits go towards women in need, so that they may have the opportunity to follow their dreams. Our Jacques monogramming signifies that you are part of our supportive community of sisters supporting sisters.

Our production is ethically sourced from China – motherland of the finest silks – where our founder Jacques’s father originated. Jacques returned to her father’s country in her adult life where she spent years exploring, building close relationships with communities and cultivating a supportive team.

Our production utilises two dedicated silk farms where the silkworms feed on organic mulberry leaves. The moths then hatch before the silk is collected. Recycled water is used to boil the cocoons, then the silk strand is carefully unwound onto reels. Our farms and manufacturers are Oeko-Tex and BSCI approved.

Sleeping with Jacques offers a lifestyle, a community, and a staple collection that streamlines the wardrobe for every busy woman. We support slow fashion with classic designs made to last.

Sleeping with Jacques donates to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre as well as UN woman collaborating closely with their ambassadors.

Sleeping with Jacques is for the dream chasers and the dream makers. Please join us and let’s dream big together.