Stelar

Luxury accessory brand STELAR reflects a new generation of social entrepreneurs, driven by a mission to re-define the concept of luxury while balancing the priorities of people, purpose and profit. The company collaborates directly with artisan communities in Bali using age-old indigenous techniques to create unique, hand-woven and hand-crafted luxury accessories.

Founder

Lorna Watson has spent twenty-five years in the luxury goods industry. A visionary who has built her career directing the creative vision and development of iconic collections for numerous international brands including Dior, De Beers, Burberry and Astley Clarke, her expertise and insight has contributed to making STELAR a brand to watch.

Having witnessed the phenomenal environmental and ethical impact the industry has been grappling with, Lorna was driven to create a business that inspires a new way of thinking, a new way of connecting people and a more responsible way to do business. An early adopter of conscious living, Lorna has made it her mission to make a significant step-change within the industry and the lives of the people she is working with.

“STELAR is passionate about reviving age-old craftsmanship, re-building communities and championing a change for good. Working in collaboration with artisan communities to re-imagine ancient weaving techniques, STELAR creates high quality, hand-woven bags and accessories using locally sourced natural, raw materials, designed and made to last.”

Materials

Always choosing pesticide-free materials, STELAR also works with bamboo, which is local to their production in Indonesia and naturally regenerative. Other materials incorporated into their collection include atta grass, which grows locally and is naturally dried to make the end product robust and waterproof.

People

The Bali-born brand is immersed in a wealth of historical craftsmanship – but also aware of the challenges that Balinese communities are facing. The onset of mass production and demands for cheaper labour within the fast fashion industry has forced many artisans to leave their communities in search of unskilled jobs, at considerable social cost, while still struggling to make a reasonable living for themselves and their families.

STELAR is passionate about reviving age-old craftsmanship, re-building communities and championing a change for good – the wage they offer their artisans is an average of 2.4 times the national living wage. Working in collaboration with artisan communities to re-imagine ancient weaving techniques, STELAR creates high quality, hand-woven bags and accessories using locally sourced natural, raw materials, designed and made to last.

Production

STELAR works directly with the communities that create their products – the hand-weaving of the accessories takes place in the artisans’ homes and villages, allowing the company to avoid the excessive water usage that factory production often entails.

STELAR produce design-led, quality-based styles that are cross-seasonal and made to last while sourcing the majority of their materials locally and supporting regional businesses and producers wherever possible. By applying this integrated approach, the brand is able to simplify logistics, minimise transportation, and lower the impact on humans and the environment, which in turn, results in fewer CO2 emissions than traditional supply and distribution chains.

Packaging

The packaging used by STELAR is recyclable. The brand is working on a new packaging plan to further minimise their environmental impact.

Animals

A large number of STELAR's bags are made from entirely vegan materials such as bamboo and atta.