This month, on the back of Mother’s Day and to mark World Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, we turn our focus to the modern-day hero – mothers. Paying tribute to mothers in all shapes and forms, we celebrate real and raw stories of women who are on their journey of motherhood.
When you meet Sarah for the first time you’re immediately drawn to her warmth, sincerity and down-to-earth nature; traits that one is hard-pressed to find these days, especially given her credentials: Sarah was previously head designer and creative director of established New Zealand footwear brand, Mi Piaci, and is armed with more than 12 years of experience in footwear design. In 2021, she launched her own conscious footwear brand, Bronwyn, dedicated to and named after her late mother. Just shy of a year, Bronwyn is growing from strength to strength and is the footwear brand to watch with its curated range of stylish, minimal shoes.
We speak to the mother of two on the values that have shaped her; how that is reflected in the work she puts out into the world and the legacy she hopes to pass on to her sons.
Sarah wears the Treble Jacket, Silk-Cashmere Crew Neck Tee and High Waist Linen Pants with Origami Belt.
You started your footwear brand, Bronwyn with a focus on sustainability in mind. Why is creating a brand that is conscious about its environmental footprint so important to you?
I think that we live in such a fast paced, saturated world and we’re experiencing / witnessing some of the most dangerous consumerism trends in our history. This notion of hyper trends / flash trends that are driving by social media / TikTok hauls from influencers and so on is incredibly damaging, from multiple perspectives, particularly mentally, socioeconomically and of course, environmentally.
Working in the fashion industry for over 13 years I’ve seen this rapid increase in speed and it just felt so against everything that I believed in as a designer. The core of design itself is to help solve problems, and at the moment fashion is the antithesis of that I created Bronwyn to try and navigate the noise and help propel the slow shift towards a more conscious consumerism, building your wardrobe from a focused collection of foundation pieces, and staple items, and not over producing in any way. Encouraging purchasing forever pieces and staple items that can be worn multiples of times in a multitude of ways.
Bronwyn is named after your late mother – tell us why you wanted to dedicate this brand to her and how she has inspired you over the years.
For me, it has been one of the most beautiful ways I can honour my Mother, creating a brand, my passion, in her name. It makes me think of her every day, and encourages me to keep going during the challenges that we as small brands face.
What is a piece of advice from your mother that has stuck with you or shaped your values?
I think indirectly, Mum always taught us to be true to ourselves. Mum was also fiercely compassionate, so I think being consciously compassionate with everyone you meet is something she has taught me to try and do.
You’re now a mother with two beautiful sons – how has the experience of raising children while building a company from ground up been for you?
I’m not going to sugar coat it, it’s been a tough journey, but my children are what drive me. I think in a sense children force you to become more efficient and create a sense of balance, because you have these two little people that are relying on you for everything.
Do you have any advice for working mums?
I think as Mother’s we have one of the hardest jobs in the world and we face constant judgement and criticism, both externally and internally. Every decision we make has an underlying expectation of what society deems appropriate, whether that’s to have 1 child or 5, or none at all. To be a stay at home mum, or a working mum. I think as women it’s so important we fulfil our needs first, as so often we come second. I’m not saying that that is an easy thing to do, but something to strive for.
If you are in a position to, follow a career that makes you happy, take those offers of help, and make sure to try and prioritise yourself as much as you can. And remember to not be as hard on yourself Mama, you’re doing incredible things.
What is the legacy you’d like to leave behind for your children?
I want to raise kind, compassionate and creative humans. If I can achieve that, they will be my legacy.
Tell us what’s in the pipeline for Bronwyn.
I’m really excited to be shooting the summer collection in coming weeks, and am in the middle of development some key pieces for next winter, both of which I can’t wait to share!
Left: Sarah wears the Treble Jacket, Silk-Cashmere Crew Neck Tee and High Waist Linen Pants with Origami Belt. Right: Sarah wears the Japanese Denim Jumpsuit and Silk-Cashmere Crew Neck Tee.
We’re huge fans of your clean, minimal style. What are some of your constant style staples and wardrobe heroes?
I’m always in either tailored pants or jeans and often pair with a blazer or shirting. I love wearing my Cas sandals with everything, they’re my go-tos. As it’s cooling off I’ve switched into Cleo, Vinnie and Marilyn on high rotation. I try to support small and New Zealand businesses and have become more of a conscious consumer over the last few years, especially now I’m on this journey with Bronwyn.
Special thanks to Sarah for being a part of this interview. Learn more about Bronwyn here.
Portraits captured by Cindy Leong at The Village NZ.