Cathryn Wills from Sans Beast: A Conversation
They're the Australian handbag brand that everyone is talking about. With a meteoric arrival into the spotlight, Sans Beast is causing a fuss for all the right reasons. We caught up with the label's founder, Cathryn Wills, about her strict policy on vegan materials and animal welfare.
1. Sans Beast feels like it came into the fashion spotlight very quickly - what went into setting up this business, and how has it been going so far?
We had a very strong launch, both in terms of editorial coverage and PR support, and sales have been consistent from day one. Of course there are good weeks and slower weeks, but given how young the brand is and the fact we’ve only been live for six weeks, it’s a solid start. In terms of what went into setting up the business, it took about nine months from incorporating the business to being live - plus about thirty years in the industry preparing for this moment.
2. Tell us about your vegan bags. Why do you think it's so important to move away from the use of leather and fur?
It starts with animal welfare and mass animal agriculture. We’re simply consuming too much for the earth to handle. From land and ocean degradation, water use, antibiotics, waste runoff and much more, there are a lot of ugly (often hidden) aspects to these industries.
That’s before we’ve even started talking about animal welfare. Treating animals like they’re profit driving machines, while ignoring their sentience and natural inclinations is an indictment on our humanity. This subject angers a lot of 'pro meat' people - as it’s often seen as a curbing of their rights as humans, yet, if we were talking about cats and dogs being mass bred and raised simply for slaughter, there would be a united front standing up for animal welfare.
I’m not delusional about changing the world, nor do I think there are easy answers. For example, employment alternatives are a tough subject to combat, but I certainly think there is room for alternative views in the materials we access for manufacturing our fashion items. Sans Beast don’t profess to be perfect, as we are producing our bags from polyurethane, a man-made material (it’s worth mentioning we have sourced an eco PU, which adheres to REACH + CA65/Prop 65 standards) however we are committed to using no animal products, as we just don’t believe it is necessary in an evolved world to subject animals to a horrific life just for our fashion choices. Regardless of how the meat from animals bred for fur is utilised, put simply, whenever a creature is deemed as unimportant enough in our hierarchy of social norms, to be reduced to a profit driving entity, we run the risk of ignoring their needs and this is not acceptable to us.
3. Where does your design inspiration come from?
I like too many different things which can be a problem, but the aesthetic I’ve continued to return to is the intersection of classic with touches of eccentricity. I’m drawn to minimal architecture but then I love rococo amd total opulence along the way!
I want us to create pieces that stand the test of time aesthetically and functionally that are not so tied to a particular trend or moment, that people feel out of sync when they pull them out to wear years down the track. I’m fortunate to travel a lot, and inspiration comes from pictures I take, collections I accrue along the road, lots of nature and gardens, reading and movies. The key for me is making the time to quieten the mind, so inspiration finds its way to you, which can be a constant challenge in my case.
4. What makes for your perfect bag? Do you go for something small and compact, or something with plenty of room?
I tend to go for room over compact, although, I admit to carrying two bags most of the time. One for my work accoutrements and the other as a handbag. I like to travel light when I’m going ‘out’ but for work, I’m a packhorse, so I need the practicality of a large tote.
5. What can we expect in the future for Sans Beast?
I look forward to getting through this first year with a few startup bruises and a whole lot of learning, and continue to build collections and content we can be proud of. Shoes will be the next frontier, then there are a few ideas that will follow in due time.
Shop Sans Beast at www.sansbeast.com
Images via Sans Beast