Status Anxiety discuss quality over quantity

How did you learn to make leather goods way back when? Was it something you always loved or by chance?

Both! I’d always loved the natural and unrepeatable nature of leather but was really by chance that it ended up being something I get to spend most of my waking hours working with.

Manufacturing is a challenging industry, how was your experience in selecting where to have everything made?

In the early days (15 years ago now) it was more difficult to find a quality manufacturer but now it is easier, particularly as we have more process in place to ensure exceptional quality on every piece which is what our customer expects.

What’s one of the main ways the business has changed over the last 15 years?

More people and process. In the early days it’s like you have 10 things on a high heat cooktop, trying to avoid something burning… it’s a juggle!

What has running a business taught you about teamwork?

Getting a team running effectively not only increases the amount of output but it increases the quality. When you’ve been used to doing everything yourself it can be difficult to allow others into the process. However it’s the only way to scale and evolve the brand in ways that you wouldn’t have explored yourself without others input.

Ever wanted to dabble with the monogramming trend?

We’ve done a couple of promotions involving monogramming and we’re also doing a range release in our Newtown store which will include free monogramming.

What role do you believe brands can play in educating people about ‘slow fashion’ and choosing quality over quantity?

We believe strongly in quality over quantity, it’s something that we include in almost all our brand messaging and ties in strongly with our minimalist design aesthetic which never goes out of fashion. It’s important that our customers know that when they buy from us that they are buying a quality piece that is intended to last for years.

Favourite bag design over the years?

Has to be our Some Secret Place bag. This was in our first collection and I still love the stitch detailing and magnet stash pocket on the outside as well as the the way it folds and has the ability to double as a long tote or cross body bag.

Ever thought about launching a vegan range?

We have! Still in the thought process, amongst a lot of other things… there’s always more to work on. Watch this space!