OUR APPROACH

Mia Sully was launched in May 2017 by New Zealand born, Melbourne based fashion designer Mia. With a focus on slow fashion Mia Sully’s considered design offers multifunctional wardrobe pieces that feel luxurious and comfortable. We are made for women who are conscious, confident and creators of their own journey.

At Mia Sully we are committed to ethical and environmentally sound practices; from the fabrics and manufacturers we work with to our packaging and the charities we support.

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As a designer I have always been inspired by the passionate women who surround me. My grandmother, mother, aunties and friends are all seamstresses and creatives and over the years have passed on their skills and wisdom to me. I think growing up around a very large support network of strong and creative women has helped shape me into the designer I am today.

I like how Fashion makes me feel; how it’s an external expression of my emotions and I tend to gravitate towards garments that reflect my mood. I'm very passionate about the environment and I feel a responsibility as a designer to be a part of the solution and change not the problem when it comes to tackling some of the environmental issues around fashion. Fashion is always presenting us with new problems and I love looking at ways I can sustainably improve my business whilst enjoying the journey it’s taking me on.

Thank you for supporting ethical, eco - conscious and handmade clothing.

Mia xx

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Fashion is identified as one of the world’s most highly polluting industries. And we understand that you are rightly asking for more transparency in who and how your clothes are being made.

These questions encourage fashion businesses like MIA SULLY to understand the social and environmental impact of our business practices and products. And as responsible designers, we intend to be part of the solution, not the problem.

At MIA SULLY, we want to do fashion better and be open with you about what we’ve achieved so far. There is no magic fix but there are steps, big and small, that we are taking. Sustainability is not straightforward, and comes with a distinct set of challenges, but we believe it’s all worth it.

Here you’ll find details on what our business is currently doing to transition towards a more sustainable reality.

Production

We are constantly reviewing our production processes, from the fibres and materials we use, to where we produce & who we work with.

MIA SULLY works alongside Ethical family run business Jambangan Bali Garment in Indonesia to create our pieces. We came across the mother daughter duo; Ratna and Lala in 2019 while on an ethical sourcing tour with Cecile from The Bali Curator.

We are super passionate about socially ethical and environmentally responsible clothing production, So working alongside Jambangan Bali Garment was a no brainer. For us, sustainability is a prerequisite for ongoing business success.

Fabrics

We’re committed to building a more responsible production cycle, which includes the materials we use in seasonal collections. This can sometimes be a challenge due to the fact that we often source stock fabric from local or offshore supply agents, making traceability tricky. However we are working together with our suppliers for a more transparent production cycle. Fabric offcuts are reused for sampling purposes or donated.

Respectful Workspace

It’s MIA SULLY’s responsibility to know that everyone who works on a MIA SULLY product, does so in a safe, fair and non-discriminatory workplace. We provide this for our employees and we also require this of our suppliers.

Our business plays an important role in ensuring the men and women who work on our garments are treated fairly and carry out their role in respectful working conditions.

We resonate strongly with the values that Balinese culture upholds. Family, community and spiritual practice is prized over and above all other things. Culture is valued over commerce. Sometimes this makes it harder for us to produce within the western constraints of deadlines and expectations, however, we prefer to work within this framework that reflects our brand values.

There are multitudes of spiritual and Hindu ceremonies that happen throughout the week, month and year that require our maker’s attendance. All manufacturers in Bali respect and understand this and allow their workers to take this time away from work. It is just accepted as part and parcel of Bali life. There are few places in the world who will value this over commercial gains. This slows down the manufacture process and means that garments are produced in small batches.

Plastic Free

Plastic. We all know by now that this is one of the worlds biggest ecological and environmental disasters that humans are STILL contributing too. Plastics can take up to 1000 years to degrade. And it never fully degrades, rather it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces that are eventually ingested by marine life.

This is why we have decided to say no to plastic in our operations as a brand. All our packaging is made from recycled or biodegradable materials. We package our online orders in compostable, non plastic postal satchels from The Better Packaging Co. Made from corn these bags can be reused or composted in your home compost, roughly breaking down in 180 days.