Hello!

I’m Scarlett, the Designer and Maker behind KYODAI - an environmentally conscious brand committed to sustainable sourcing and production. I hand make premium leather goods primarily using dead stock leathers, organic cotton and strong solid brass hardware.

From start to finish, all of my bags are very proudly produced right here in my London studio.

KYODAI means siblings in Japanese. After switching from working in womenswear and learning to handcraft bags for a Japanese brand for many years it was a no brainer when deciding on a brand name that the roots of my skills should shine through. The idea for siblings is about being connected and inclusivity.

PRODUCTION

Sustainability is always something thats been the core value of my brand from the start. I believe in creating high quality products that are made to love and to last but with the lowest environmental impact. I work on a made to order basis or in small batches, ensuring as little waste as possible.

MATERIALS

We are well aware at how dangerous plastic is for our planet, which is why we choose to use leather and only biodegradable fabrics for all of our products.

Leather - We use premium Italian offcuts, dead-stock, and second-hand leathers to create our bags - this ensures we have a much lower environmental impact, whilst still creating a well-made, natural and long lasting product. Our leathers are sourced from other workshops, factories, and suppliers getting rid of old stock.

Moire - Our Moiré fabric is 64% CO and 36% VI, it is produced in Italy by local mills and every step of production is carefully monitored. The dyes and chemicals used during the production process are non-toxic/non-harmful, following Oeko-Tex standards. Of course, viscose is (wo)man-made, however it is biodegradable. To significantly lower the impact made by the production of the Viscose, a wide part of the cellulose used comes from scraps of wood recycled from other manufacturing industries. Moreover, our Moiré fabric is predominantly made with cotton fibre. In order to create the beautiful water mark pattern, the fabric goes under a hot damp metal cylinder which presses it on another rubber cylinder in an uneven motion, creating an ever-different moire design. Therefore, every single production is unique, giving this fabric an artisanal and luxurious feel!

SUPPLIERS

We made the conscious decision to use UK and European suppliers for all of our leathers, fabrics and metal components very early on. We are firm believers of supporting our local businesses - and working this way also dramatically reduces our carbon footprint!

PACKAGING

Our packaging is 100% recyclable