Our founder Cathryn reflects on 5 years of Sans Beast.   Never one to shy away from open + transparent language, Cathryn discusses the highs + lows of building our wonderful brand.

It's Fashion Revolution 2022 week, a global event that was conceptualised after the horror of the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013.  The aim has been to bring attention + respect to workers + the planet.  The movement has gone from strength to strength every year + we are so happy to show you who's behind our bags.  We could not do what we do without our manufacturing partners + this is an ode to them:  the fabric makers, hardware builders + manufacturing teams that bring our collections to life.

Another year of running a small, purpose led, vegan friendly business has brought learnings, challenges, wins + losses.  So much has happened this year + as someone who likes to reflect + improve, I've written this post to share a few of the moments of clarity that struck this year.  Always grateful for what we've built + for the wise, creative + talented folk we work with - and for you, the community growing with us day by day.

We recently chatted to Martha Butler, co-founder of Loving Earth - the Melbourne based chocolate makers with an unswerving focus on ethical sourcing + organic, vegan ingredients.  Even their chocolate wrappers are home compostable. Read on to learn more about this beautiful vegan brand that works to deliver joy in all they do.

Sourcing materials is a major part of creating our vegan handbag collections at Sans Beast.  With our core mission to use no animal products, we take a look at the range of biobased + manmade materials currently available for non leather handbags, and talk you through some of the issues in selecting the right materials.  Cost, minimums, freight + commercial availability are all factors that come into play when we're compiling our wishlist for new collections.  

An overview of 2020 + the lessons learnt for Sans Beast, from the perspective of our founder Cathryn.  It's been one hell of a ride + we feel we've come out the other side wiser, braver + more resilient - ready for all 2021 has to throw at us.  One key lesson out of all of this has been to reaffirm our mission + recommit to the business of Sans Beast.  We can't wait to show you what we have in store for the year ahead + hope you'll continue on this journey with us.

Nick Pearce is Co-founder + CEO of HoMie, a Melbourne based retail brand that uses its profits to provide training + employment opportunities for youth experiencing homelessness. We  caught up with Nick to talk about how HoMie came about + the challenges facing young people living rough.

Amanda Leigh Walker is the Co-founder + Head of Operations of vegan fast food institution, Lord of the Fries. She's also a life coach + teaches people how to recalibrate their power, lead with love, live authentically + with purpose. We caught up to discuss her journey from french fry mogul to spiritual healer.  We could all do with some healing right now - we hope you enjoy this conversation.  And for those who haven't tried the fries - we strongly encourage you to do so.  Everyone needs a salty potato treat to cheer up an iso day.

Joshua Katcher is the founder of Brave GentleMan, a NYC based menswear brand offering tailoring with an edge - that also happens to be completely animal free in raw material use.  Joshua has been a passionate advocate for animals for over 20 years, and a pioneer in the vegan fashion space for 12 years.  He's also written a book called Fashion Animals, and has co-founded a plant based cheese business called Rind Cheese - this is one busy gentleman.  Enjoy the read.

"As we approach the end of 2019, not only are we getting ready to bid farewell to another year, it's time also to ponder the fact that it's not just a new year that's about to start - it's a new decade. 5 years ago, Sans Beast wasn't even a thought in my mind. Fast-forwarding to the dawn of the 2020's - and I couldn't imagine being in a different place.  Love, CW."

Last week Cathryn went to Shanghai, on the invitation of ActAsia, to participate in the Compassion in Fashion forum.  ActAsia are a not for profit organisation who build + drive education programmes in China, with a focus on animal welfare + environmental responsibility.  Read the overview of her talk, and some of the cross cultural challenges in discussing the Sans Beast ethos with new audiences. 

An open letter to animals, from our Sans Beast founder Cathryn Wills.  She highlights the contradictions that exist in our attitudes to various species + includes lists of books + films to read/watch if you want to learn more.