In today’s climate of clothing hauls and alarmingly cheap pieces, it’s refreshing to see fashion labels produce clothes meant to last a lifetime. One label we’re loving is Amber Days, which recently showed at Melbourne Fashion Week.
The label is by Melbourne-based Corina Muir, a proud Yorta Yorta and Woonwurrung woman, who couldn’t find many options for sustainable clothing for her baby daughter, Sapphire. She decided to fill the gap, founding Amber Days. Today, along with its baby and kids’ clothing, the label also makes womenswear and accessories.
“I’ve always been passionate about living a slow, sustainable and meaningful life and this directly transfers to my creative practice and Amber Days,” she says.
The label uses ethically sourced, premium organic and GOTS-certified fabrics. Collections are produced in a small, family-owned factory in Bali, hand sewn in Melbourne or hand crocheted in the Victorian town of Castlemaine.
For each collection, Muir collaborates with a different female Aboriginal artist, sharing their stories through art and continuing culture like the First Nations community has done for tens of thousands of years.
“These collections take years to produce, from initial conversations with artists and the artwork being produced, to the designing of garments, sourcing the most beautiful organic fabrics, through to the mindful production,” she says.
The brand’s ethical ethos extends past production — it addresses gender and racial inequalities through employment. It does this by creating flexible employment opportunities, so women can work hours that fit within their family responsibilities. A single mother herself, Muir felt passionate about offering that.
“I’ve experienced first hand the strength of women and single mothers and their tireless work to create a safer, more equitable world for all,” she says. “This is what drives me to do better and be better every day.”
