Australian designers Nikki Campbell and Sophie Coote founded their fashion label Sir (an acronym for separates, intimates and ready-to-wear) in an apartment in Bondi in 2014. Now, over seven years later, the brand has garnered international success, and the pair have opened a flagship store in the same suburb where it all began. We recently caught up with Campbell and Coote to find out more about their plans to bolster their overseas presence through pop-ups, offer more genderless fashion
on and further reduce their carbon footprint.
Inside Retail: Why was it important for the brand to have a physical space despite the recent rise of online shopping? Do you plan to open other stores in the future?
Nikki Campbell & Sophie Coote: Thank you! We are proud of the space we created with Tamsin. It allows us to not only present our collections in a space that embodies the essence of Sir but also communicates our taste level beyond fashion and photography. We have very much enjoyed exploring and sharing our love of architecture and interior design through the formation and design of our Bondi flagship.
The brand was essentially born online, but we had always prepared to bring the brand to life in a physical space. The Bondi flagship has really allowed us to embrace this and connect with our customers in an environment that is intimate and quintessentially Sir. For now, we are focused on our Bondi, Manly and Claremont boutiques and have plans for international activations later this year.
IR: How would you describe the Sir aesthetic and what customers are looking for?
NC & SC: When we started Sir, we were designing pieces to fill gaps in our own wardrobes – something we have carried through to today. Effortless wardrobe essentials to build the foundations of a versatile wardrobe.
IR: What are some of the most challenging aspects of being a fashion brand right now in Australia?
NC & SC: Covid has been one of the more obvious challenges for us, particularly over the past six months. Given the global presence of the brand, restrictions on travel means that a lot of the work we do internationally including sales, design and inspiration trips have been put on hold or conducted remotely which has posed its own set of challenges. We have also faced delays with production and staff contracting Covid, which most businesses would have experienced.
IR: I saw that one of Sir’s main values is around diversity and that the Black Lives Matter events propelled the business to become more inclusive. What are some of your plans around that for 2022?
NC & SC: In 2018 we started a relationship with The Bachelor Institute for Indigenous tertiary education after a trip to the Northern Territory. The partnership started with a donation to help the institute digitally print student artworks onto fabrics for a showcase at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, and the prospect of hosting students at our Sir head office for a training program. However, Covid put a pause on this. We have remained connected with the institute, and have plans to reignite a hands-on experience with their students now we can travel again.
This partnership helped lay foundations for us in our mission to give back to communities in the creative space. We are in the midst of planning for 2022, and have engaged Lockie Cooke for council in continuing actions with a tangible impact.
IR: Sir is also passionate about sustainability and ethical manufacturing. What are some of the unique challenges for the business in that regard?
NC & SC: Building a fashion brand is inherently hard on the environment so having sustainable practices and ethical manufacturing at the core of Sir has always been a non-negotiable.
Sustainability to us is a balance of people and planet, which both carry their own set of challenges, so it has been integral for us to establish strong relationships with everyone that comes in contact with Sir.
There is a lot of information and technology which is thankfully ever-evolving, but means we are constantly reviewing our processes to make sure we are creating collections that are kinder to the planet. This can be a challenge, but is something we are dedicated to as we continue to grow.
Being based in Australia with overseas manufacturing, the pandemic has also thrown its own set of challenges into the mix. Previously, we visited our factories once a year to have one-on-one time with our makers and oversee production.
While it has been challenging not being able to have this one-on-one time, our strong existing relationships with our partners has been a blessing in knowing our makers and suppliers are fairly treated and best practices are in place.
We also engaged third-party factory audits while we haven’t been able to travel to ensure that these practices are being followed and our Sir standards are being upheld.
IR: How did your pop-ups perform in LA and NYC and what were some of the interesting business learnings that you gathered from that experience?
NC & SC: We have seen considerable growth in the US over the past year. We wanted to create a physical space for customers to experience Sir in person. The pop-ups allowed us to do so, and were a success in connecting with our US customers and expanding our database of Sir followers.
IR: Tell me about your international plans for the business.
NC & SC: There is a real appetite for Australian fashion in international markets. We have seen huge growth in the US and Europe in the past two years. We have expanded our team internationally and are continuing our US pop ups this year in response to the growth. We have plans to deploy a pop-up strategy across new international markets including the UK and Europe over the next 12 to 24 months, and are scoping out the possibility for an international flagship, most likely in the US.
IR: You recently collaborated with influencer Yan Yan Chan on a collection. Can you tell me about why you chose to work with Yan Yan and what the design process was like? What are the benefits of doing a collaboration for the business and are there others in the pipeline?
NC & SC: What started out as a conversation with friends, turned into a year long creative project. We have always admired Yan’s personal style and creative vision which made the design process a lot of fun. We worked closely with Yan and our team to bring together a capsule that encompasses Yan’s personal style and experiences, while remaining true to the Sir aesthetic.
Collaborations are a great way to open the brand up to new audiences, we have another genderless collaboration in the pipeline for this year with someone super close to the brand. Something completely different which we are really excited to share with everyone. Stay tuned!
IR: What are some of your other plans for Sir in the future?
NC & SC: We’ve begun our journey in becoming carbon neutral through a partnership with South Pole and are working with new fabric suppliers including Good Earth Cotton and FibreTrace to further our textile innovation for our future collections.