A collection that continues to grow in both size and inspiration. 

From the outset, Founders Marnie Goding and Adam Koniaras had fair trade as a core business value.  They sought artisans across the world, with crafts that inspired the core ELK design aesthetic.

From jewellery, the collection evolved into leather ware, shoes and now fashion.

[ Elk Saunte Wallet :: SOLACE collection 2108 ]

In addition to the collection growing, so has the social side of the business.  From fair trade relationships to pursuing environmental considerations in both manufacturing and post use, ELK is a brand to be inspired by.

We feel honoured to be able to share thoughts and insights directly from Founder, Marnie Goding.  We hope you're inspired by her heart as well as her new collection.  SHOP SOLACE :: ELK WINTER 2018 

"In an increasingly homogenized world of fashion we (ELK) always strive for a point of difference. We pride ourselves on a unique design aesthetic that our customers love and can be easily identified. The loyalty of our customers provides us with a wonderful sense of achievement and rewards our dedication to creating original designs".

[ Elk Holte Wallet :: SOLACE collection 2018 ]

"The majority of our products are sold through independent retailers in a wholesale capacity and so it is our responsibility to design product that can help draw customers in. We are working in what has been described as a shrinking retail market and so the challenge to keep our customers coming back and to retain our identity is achieved through our products and through the way we design not only each piece but the marketing that surrounds this.

Original design extends beyond the product to the whole concept of a fashion label on every level".

[ Elk Malov Bag :: SOLACE collection 2018 ]

"My background is in marketing so I have always had a very customer-centric perspective. Over time as the business grows maintaining this focus is always at the forefront of our design process. We believe in only wearing what you really love. It is a simple concept really and informs our creative process. When you live and breathe a creative role, design decisions become innate. This ensures consistency but the diversity comes from our curiosity and a constant need to challenge ourselves whilst staying true to who we are.

Whether it’s in design, production or service we always look to what’s next, what’s better, what’s more exciting. We draw inspiration from many sources including travel, artists and the environment. Our seasonal collections typically lean towards natural hues and maximise the use of fine quality materials sourced from all over the world".

[ Elk Holte Hand Bag & Fan Neckpiece ]

"Specific, seasonal inspiration comes from many different places but often starts with a concept that reflects either our current mood or more broad external or environmental influence. Solace our Winter collection for 2018 for example was coming together when the World was feeling pretty shaky. Trump had just been elected and everyone was feeling a bit lost. So Solace was designed as a response to this – we wanted to go back to basics, to seek the comfort of those we love and to wrap ourselves in fabrics and garments that made us feel warm and secure". 



[ Elk Vesco Bag :: SOLACE collection 2018 ]

"We have an amazing, experienced and very dedicated design team in our Melbourne based head office. I work with our Head Designer and the four strong Design and production Team to create each collection.

We also often involve the greater Elk team in little product “polls” where we ask them to choose their favourite designs or help us decide between colours or creative elements. This is a much-loved activity at ELK head office and provides the Design Team with valuable feedback whilst creating an inclusive, creative environment".



[ Elk jewellery collection :: SOLACE 2018 ]

"Our design process is a balance of creative concepts combined with an intimate understanding of customer demand. We try as much as we can to keep in touch with our customers to understand their needs and wants. We have a mantra which is “if we wouldn’t wear it, we won’t make it”. We try to keep our designs realistic and always work on trying to keep price points accessible.

The process starts though with a concept which is followed by print development, a range plan and a colour palette. From there we design, spec, sample and test which from start to final range selection and photography takes around six months".

[ Elk Wallets :: SOLACE collection 2018 ]

"Designing is a balancing act but at the end of the day if you can’t make a commercially relevant product, you will never sell it and won’t have a successful business. The challenge with these lead times is being confident to design without using trend forecasters or other industry guides – we design for ourselves and our customers because by the time we pre sell the collections and our bulk stock arrives the whole process takes 12 months".



[ Elk SOLACE collection ]

 

"We use a wide variety of materials as our collections are designed as a head to toe concept".

APPAREL: "With such a broad range of products we have some staple materials we use like slub cottons, denim and alpaca. We choose materials that perform well, feel great to wear, continue to look good over time and are easy to care for. We are also now looking at a circular design process and considering garment end of life so in essence are starting to design for recycling, reuse or re purposing. We are also regularly reviewing and testing all fabrics and where we believe there are better, more sustainable options available, introducing them as either new fabrics or as replacements. Technology is an asset helping the textile industry to push the boundaries of sustainable production. This means newer and more advanced fabrics and techniques are being developed all the time. Currently, we preference the use of pure fabrics including cotton, bamboo, silk, recycled lycra (for swimwear), FSC certified pulp based fabrics including viscose, Tencel and lyocell. We are investigating the use of other fibers such as recycled fabrics, unusual plant based fibers and even vegetable dyed cottons. There is a great deal of research currently underway and an organic cotton range coming before the end of the year. We look forward to sharing these exciting developments with ELK customers over the next 12 months and beyond".

[ Elk Holte Bag :: SOLACE collection 2018 ]

LEATHERGOODS: "The leathers we use are mostly vegetable dyed and are the bi-product of the meat industry. We choose to use leather rather than synthetic (PU or PVC) materials to ensure that each component of our bags is recyclable at the end of its life. Further, the use of natural materials over synthetic ensures that both the hides and 100% cotton linings can biodegrade and metal findings can be sent off for recycling as well".

JEWELLERY: "We use a mix of materials for variety and un constrained creative ideas. Since we started 14 years ago we have worked with the one manufacture in Philippines who makes all of our wooden jewelry which is hand made using sustainable plantation timber called Pangantuon. Here is a link to GoGreen which is the body who manages the plantations from which our timber is grown and harvested: http://www.gogreenphilippines.org  We use this wood, because its quick growing, light and easy to work with so harvesting is fast, less damaging to the surrounding natural forest, doesn’t require machinery and is easy to process. Its already light in colour so doesn’t need excessive pre processing and dyes easily. It is a soft wood so can be carved and turned easily and is super light for the wearer. We wax the final dyed surface to seal the colour and if this damaged by water or liquid can be quickly and easily buffed back with natural wax or oils".

 

[ Elk Jewellery collection ]

"It is vital. Fast fashion is not a part of our business and we design with the notion that we are building a wardrobe of pieces that can be worn season after season or handed on to someone else. We also see longevity as a concept in relation to our design production as well as our Makers. We support independent makers to sustain local communities and ethical manufacturing. In doing so we help to maintain traditional craftsmanship as well as the development of new skills to create self-sustainable communities of the future.

Our focus on quality, combined with ethically sourced materials creates designs that are created to stand the test of time. We have also recently partnered with the wonderful organisation Fitted For Work who "help women experiencing adversity break through barriers to get and keep work". To assist them in their program we donate apparel which can be passed onto their members at no cost through their outfitting program, for many women, the first step to getting work is simply having a suitable outfit to wear to interviews. This program aims to help women experiencing disadvantage secure sustainable employment.

Testing is a huge part of anticipating longevity. All of our items are worn by members of the Elk team in “wearer trials” at the earliest stage possible. We then employ the services of external testing facilities such as SGS to test for product specific elements be it durability, chemical related or otherwise. Many of our factories also conduct their own internal testing and then once the items are confirmed we wash and test everything internally at Elk. Our idea is that the more we know about a product before it hits the market gives us an opportunity to amend the design or replace a material, means we have less surprises once its in the public space and avoids inconvenience for our customers".

Elk Jewellery[ :: SOLACE collection 2018 ]

"The question of longevity in fashion is a huge area of focus for us at the moment as we embark on the concept of circularity as mentioned earlier. There is some work to be done in understanding whether natural, unblended fibres that can be recycled but don’t always wear as well for as long are better. Or whether blended fibres that have added synthetic compositions which make the garments easier to care for (less washing/energy use etc) and can be worn longer or re purposed easier are the way to go. We are figuring all of this out – along with the rest of the fashion world!

We offer a repair service to our customers…..unless of course they are beyond salvage! We are currently looking at re structuring our returns process and department to make it easier for customers to send their products back for repair which is exciting. We have a jewellery bench set up which we use all the time, have a leather sewing machine and tools for basic repairs amongst other things. We will ALWAYS where we can, try to repair an Elk item to get it back to a wearable state".

"Part of our uniqueness comes from the variety of products we make but it is also a massive challenge as the supply chain is complex. As a business that is completely dedicated to working one on one with our makers and to knowing where our products are coming from this means we travel a lot! We focus on making all of our goods in countries or with suppliers where that craft or technique is common i.e. tanning in India, jewellery in the Philippines, swimwear in Australia etc."

SUPPLIER REGIONS:

Australia - Melbourne (some apparel) and Queensland (swimwear)

The Philippines - Cebu (timber and resin jewellery)

China - Tongxiang and Shanghai (knitwear and apparel)

India - Delhi, Agra, Chennai, Kolkata and Pondicherry (Vegetable tanned leather and leather accessories including footwear)

India - Kolkata (organic, fair trade knitwear releasing end 2017)

South Korea - Seoul (fine jewellery)

[ Elk Reise Sneaker ]

"To achieve our objectives in the ethical space, all existing and new suppliers that work with ELK are required to sign our comprehensive code of conduct before any working partnership can commence. This code aims to bring about transparency and builds a trusting relationship. Among other things, the code ensures that all partners pay their staff living wages, provide clean and safe working environments and ensures no partners engage in illegal practices such as child labour. It also allows independent assessments to assist our partners to identify improvements that are needed so that together we can achieve best practice across all elements of the ELK business.

We are always happy to share any information about specific factories if someone wants to know. We are currently working on a photographic essay in each region to be able to share more of the processes and the people involved in making our goods.

With such a complex supply chain we have also just finished drafting a new materials traceability chart and will begin in the next month to dive into this with each supplier - going right back to the origin of the raw fibers. It is an enormous task but a hugely positive step in transparency and understanding the impact of our product from the start to end of life.

It is important for us to visit our makers and our team regularly visits suppliers. We travel to each of them a minimum of once a year. We also have agents who help to manage our Indian vendors and so will add another two to six visits a year to each".

"Adam and I have always had a very family centric approach to business and people which is central to why we created ELK. We are all citizens of this world and believe that we have a responsibility to act with kindness, honesty, openness and integrity. These values have been the cornerstones of our business and ring true in our personal and work lives.

We seek common values in those who join the ELK family at every level. We operate on a solid ethical foundation and work only with those that have a philosophy where fairness, equality and mutual respect is paramount. Parallel to this is a desire to live a sustainable life. We realize that we have huge ground to cover in changing some of the ways we do business and have just recently made some amazing changes with immediate benefits.

The area of sustainability is one of our major focuses at Elk now and this goes beyond the walls of our operation and filters into our home life and that of our team. Circularity in fashion, a zero waste dream and reducing the broader impact globally through our makers is my passion now. I am becoming somewhat obsessed by the challenge but so is our team – its all we can talk about!

Elk has had fourteen years of time, passion, energy and learning invested into it and we have built a global family of staff, customers, makers and suppliers around us. We are building a business for the future that produces product that is as good as it can be and in an environment that has a positive impact on all who work for and with us – and hopefully with as small an impact as possible".