It’s been three years since we said “lets do this”! (I say ‘we’ as it takes a village to raise a child’).
Hills & West has been fortunate to hit its stride as well as a few balls out of the park. Opening our e-store with a small collection of only five pieces, today we have four collections, 20 styles, totalling 32 different pieces, in addition our ‘Home’ collection, which has a lot of beautiful pieces in the pipeline to help make your house into a home.
We’ve been fortunate to collaborate with some truly fantastic people, earned our Australian Made badge and have opened the brand to the rest of the world with our global shipping offer. I still have to pinch myself to know that people in Sweden, England, Ireland, Germany, Greece, America (NY) and New Zealand are walking around with Hills & West. We’ve stayed true to our ethos of Australian made quality pieces, without the usual retail margins, working with our wonderful artisan in Sydney and Melbourne.
Over the years, as any new business, we have had some major highs as well as a few lows – but we are forever grateful to you, grateful for our partners, our makers and our designer family. Thank you for being with us every step of the journey, we are looking forward to what the future has in store.
We wanted to acknowledge just some of the people we have collaborated with and some of the media we been featured in… When you put it together it is a hell of a lot!
So What’s to Come…
We’re pleased to announce that we’re in the midst of producing of our latest collection “Lunar”, which will be launching in December. A capsule collection you can mix and match designs to give you creative freedom to ‘make your own’ bag.
In typical Hills & West fashion, this collection is interchangeable from day to play. You will have the option of wearing your accessory 3-ways for optimal functionality. Also this will be the first collection injecting some bold colour into the mix. We are excited and invitations to the launch in Sydney will be shared soon.
Reflections….
It has been a hell of a three years, and anyone who knows me personally also knows that we have had a great loss close to our hearts. However, with this loss came a beautiful appreciation of everything else we been given and been able to create around us. I try to always look at the little, simple and beautiful things, and share the gratitude as much as possible. Following are my BIG THREE reflections while building Hills & West…
1. You are everything
We’re so grateful for you, the people who have supported Hills & West and proudly worn our pieces. Your wonderful feedback has helped us forever improve and keep our heads held high and our hearts warm with your gorgeous words.
We love what we do and we hope that we make your day that little bit more stylish and practical. Be proud you support a brand that is handmade in Australia. People are seeing the value of supporting and growing local but there’s still a long way to go.
- Thanks for being a believer and supporter
- You’ve inspired us to create new styles and push our designs further
- You’re the reason we are here and still growing after three years.
2. It’s worth taking the time
We don’t churn out collections, but instead focus on designing the perfect staples and showstoppers to complete your wardrobe. We believe it’s about how you feel. It’s about preserving timeless traditions over trends. We are trans-seasonal and want to keep making beautiful pieces you will love to wear, all year round.
If you have a design that your wardrobe is missing, let us know and we will add this into the mix. We have a lot of designs in the pipeline but always happy to pivot, adjust, expand as we love creating.
3. Sticking to your purpose is tough but worth it
Our pieces are designed and handmade in Australia. We believe it’s important to source locally because by doing this we can ensure our products are of the highest quality. This also allows for a greater insight into how we use our materials, to monitor wastage, ensure production conditions are ethical and have a wonderful relationship with the people who are hand stitching our pieces. The temptation to manufacture overseas to alleviate costs has proven enticing from time to time… BUT you cannot match the quality of products and value in being able to oversee the process. It may be a labour of love, but totally worth sticking to your guns!
Our gift to you
As it’s our birthday, we want to give something back to you.
For the rest of this month email hello@hillsandwest.com with the bag you love and we will give you a special birthday price depending on the piece and stock levels.
So with Christmas almost nine weeks away, maybe a Hills & West piece could be the perfect gift.
Browse some of our best sellers:
· Morgan 3 in 1 Backpack – starting to run low
· Everyday 3 in 1 Shopper – new batch just in
· Baxter Chevron Clutch – enticing people with the shiny gold interiors
· Accessories like our Cardholders and Perfect Pouches – fantastic stocking fillers
· Weekender and Toiletry bag – great gift for the boys
We have currently sold out of the following but you can pre-order now: Cowhide Clutches and the Morgan Mini Clutch.
At Hills & West we have been long-time advocates for blurring the lines between work, leisure and fashion. Rather than producing more products to meet profit margins, the curation and creation of sustainable pieces has been integral to our brand. It is our responsibility as makers and shakers to put an ethical foot forward into our fashion futures. To continue to find what feels right for our bodies and our souls. This is what drives me and many of my fellow designers.
Thanks for being part of the journey. We feel very blessed to have you in the family.
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