Meet: Mindy Madden

Good magazine discovered artisanal accessory designer Mindy Madden when she launched Rhémy, a sustainable vegetable tanned luxe leather brand, at New Zealand Fashion Week.

Christchurch-based Madden had not long returned to New Zealand after living abroad for 10 years, working in luxury leather houses in Europe and Australia where she has been mentored by senior members of Hermès, Oroton, YVY, A-Esque and Mimco.

“Having learnt both traditional European techniques, and modern contemporary skills, I wanted to come home and create products that have never before been produced in New Zealand, using only sustainable and environmentally friendly leather,” she says. Additionally, she strives for zero waste and ensures every inch of the hide is used – nothing is discarded. Rhémy’s sustainability policy extends to its leather adhesives – a water-based formula that is healthier for its craftspeople and better for the environment.

The vegetable tanned leather does not contain any toxic substances such as azo dyes, nickel, PCP or chromium 6, and it’s biodegradable at the end of its lifetime. All the hides chosen by Rhémy are discarded by-products of the food industry producing meat for human consumption. This means no animal is killed for its skin.

Rhémy leather goods are handcrafted with European machines that have been shipped to Madden’s Christchurch CBD studio. “To me, the future of the fashion industry lies in conscious creating – designing and producing dreamy products that don’t hurt the earth or the people who are creating and consuming them,” says Madden. “I truly believe in slow fashion, changing the wasteful and toxic fashion industry one brand at a time. That’s where we come in: Rhémy products will last a lifetime.”