Eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable fashion is the industry’s agenda – for many brands and designers this has been a year of awakening. And for many designers you could work in the industry for decades and not know where your pieces are actually made. Bird & Kite has been ahead of the curve.

“Demand quality, not just in the products you buy, but in the life of the person who made it” – Orsola De Castro

We work with small, family run business. We have chosen our makers carefully to be sure their practices are in line with our brand values. Over years, close and long standing relationships have been developed. Spending a lot of face to face time with them at their workplaces has meant that we have daily insight into how they operate. We have been invited into their family homes and to attend weddings and ceremonies that are important to their culture. Valuing these relationships is key to doing business in Bali. These relationships have allowed us access to full transparency with our makers and their practices. We continue to collaborate with our makers to ensure the following standards are practiced, maintained and endorsed:

No child or underage labour
Fair payment of a living wage
Safe, healthy and working conditions reasonable hours of work
No harassment, abuse or discrimination
No forced Labour
Supporting religious and cultural practices
women’s rights observed
Support of working mothers
Support and respect for community values and religious attendance

They design a product, and experience the production. Lack of transparency is no longer okay; Bird & Kite prioritize sustainability, in today’s day and age, pieces with honesty have the greatest currency.

We see our journey into sustainability as a current and continuous work in progress. Our ultimate goal as a brand is too thrive in harmony with the environment and society in which we operate.

 Inspired by the designer’s life story: her parents, her muses.

Mum & Dad instilled in us the drive to live creatively, passionately, with intention and independence. They taught us to work hard and to value the fruits of that labour. It was a life of simplicity, living off the land and going back to basics. We were self sufficient in almost all aspects from home grown produce to handmade clothes, cheese, bread. Even our bush rock home was hand built using raw materials from the land and recycled materials.

The home was solar powered, and rainwater was our water source. We lived off the grid. Nothing was wasted. Anything we consumed was either handmade or purchased from garage sales or opportunity shops. We recycled what we could and created what we needed for ourselves.

These beginnings lay the foundations for who I am today. They are the bedrock from which I draw my inspiration. In all things I do and create, those fundamental values are still there, driving my choices and forming the basis of my vision for Bird & Kite. Bird & Kite was born out of this.

Since before I can remember I was making clothes. I remember helping my mum to sew and learnt how to use the sewing machine at a very young age. She taught me how to thread the cotton through that tiny needle and keep the pressure steady on the pedal. She taught me how to cut and use every piece of fabric. As a child I created ways to utilise off cuts of fabric by sewing little pouches to keep things in.

Bird & Kite was born from the heart.

We’re living in a time where everyone orders everything online, from clothing, home decor to meals, which means an excess of paper and plastic waste. Bird & Kite decided to say no to plastic in their operations as a brand. All their packaging is made from recycled or biodegradable materials. They package their items in non plastic slips made from Cassava plant. And their online orders are packaged in compostable, non plastic postal satchels. So you could imagine the excitement on my face when my parcel arrived (a major a-plus in my books).

The label is feminine and artistic. 

Using colours of the earth to compliment the ethos of the brand. Shades of chocolate, beige, whiskey, cinnamon and, rust. For many women, being drawn to those colors is simply intuitive. Bird & Kite celebrates women for their natural beauty, bare skin, air-dried hair and self-love. Their marketing is visually stunning and devoted to real women. Photographing us in our everyday surroundings to compliment the clothes. Showcasing how it moves with our bodies. Their free-flowing dresses are perfect for postpartum and breastfeeding. They’ve adopted the earth with their brand and by doing so have created a label that connects us with a feeling of safety. With today’s educated society and raising our future to praise our planet and ditch plastic Bird & Kite is doing it right.

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