How Hempire Started

Clothing as a form of quiet activism.

After studying fashion design and working in the mainstream industry in Sydney, I began to feel a deep disconnect between the beauty of textiles and the wastefulness of fast fashion.

By 21, my values no longer aligned with the system I had planned to dedicate my life to, so I chose a different path.

I moved to Northern NSW and immersed myself in Permaculture and Ayurvedic Medicine, studying systems that reconnected me to the earth and to my body's natural rhythms. I became increasingly aware of how everything we consume affects both our internal ecology and the ecosystems around us.

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WHAT WE VALUE

The way we make things matters.


We believe in making slowly, intentionally and with care, choosing quality over excess and staying small enough to know the people and processes behind what we make.

Our craft sits at the meeting point of fashion and land. My background in fashion design taught me how to make garments; my years immersed in permaculture, land care and bush regeneration taught me how to think differently about the systems behind them. Hempire brings those worlds together.

We seek out our makers, visit them in person and stay close to the journey from fibre to finished garment. We believe transparency builds trust, so we want to share not only what we make, but how and why we make it. We welcome questions, honest feedback and conversations that challenge us to do better.

I felt called to create underwear crafted from the most natural fibres possible. Hemp became my muse.

That awareness led me to a simple but radical question: what about the first layer we put on each day?

Our underwear. Synthetic fabrics, chemical dyes, petroleum-based fibres, touching our most intimate skin, every single day. If what we wear affects our bodies, and what we discard affects the earth, what if this foundational piece could truly support wellbeing instead?

Blending my background in fashion design with my passion for health and sustainability, I began studying hemp's history throughout Asia. In 2019, travelling through India, Nepal, and China, I visited traditional textile communities and witnessed cultures that have worked with this fibre for centuries, nurturing the land while producing textiles that are breathable, resilient, and inherently aligned with the body.

Reimagining hemp as an undergarment felt both revolutionary and deeply natural. A return to material integrity, propelled forward through innovation.

These experiences continue to shape Hempire's philosophy: to create garments that breathe with the body, honour the earth, and restore harmony between fashion, nature, and humanity, with hemp as our ultimate muse.

Soil to Skin

Hempire Collective exists to make hemp intimates Australia's everyday essential soil to skin basics that are gentle enough for your most intimate layer, simply the smarter choice over fast fashion and gentle on the earth, not just our bodies.

We believe sustainability isn't a claim you make, it's a practice you commit to, layer by layer. That means growing our products from regenerative hemp instead of resource hungry synthetics. It means holding our fabric to two standards: GOTS-certified organic fibre from farm to finished garment, and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 independently testing the finished fabric itself, so nothing harmful ever touches your skin. And it means being honest about where every fibre comes from.

And it means thinking beyond the sale, designing transeasonal pieces built to live in your wardrobe for years, not weeks, and to return to the earth as gently as something made with intention can.

This is what we mean by soil to skin: a full-circle commitment, from the ground our hemp grows in, to the body it clothes, and back to the ground again.

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Our Vision

That awareness led me to a simple but radical question: We picture a world where the first layer you put on each morning is also the gentlest, on your skin, on the soil it grew from, and on the people who made it.

A world where underwear drawers are no longer filled with synthetics destined for landfill, but with hemp essentials that are worn for years and treated with the same care it took to make them. Where "transeasonal" isn't a trend, but simply how considered wardrobes are built. Where choosing what sits closest to your body is understood as its own quiet form of activism.

At its heart, this is about restoring harmony between fashion and nature, between how we feel in our bodies and how we care for the earth.

And further still, we dream of an Australian hemp textile industry growing right here on our own soil, from paddock to garment. A future where Australian hemp growers, makers and innovators work together, so that hemp fibre doesn't need to travel oceans to become the fabric we wear. A thriving hemp industry doesn't stop at textiles either, it opens the door for hemp in building, health, and everyday Australian life.

This is the future we're actively committed to working towards, one soil-to-skin layer at a time.

Our values extend beyond the garment.

Our fibre comes from Heilongjiang province, home to some of the richest soil on earth. Deep, mineral-dense ground and a climate suited to rain fed growing conditions means our hemp needs none of the heavy irrigation conventional cotton demands, yet still yields exceptional quality.

It's one of only two provinces in China with formal government regulation of industrial hemp, grown in varieties bred specifically for fibre. Our suppliers comes from generations of craft, not experimentation, and a supplier we're proud to support as we work toward bringing these systems home to Australia.

Our Philosophy, In Practice

Fibre-First Thinking

We begin with the fibre, hemp as our muse, ancient by origin and refined through modern textile innovation. Material integrity leads every decision we make, from sourcing to final stitch.

Regenerative Sourcing

We partner with suppliers who share our commitment to sustainability, ethical production, and long-term thinking. We choose hemp for its: low water use, no synthetic pesticides, soil-enriching roots, and natural carbon sequestration.

Slow, Intentional Production

We are a women-run business that moves differently, choosing small batches, thoughtful silhouettes, and regenerative timelines over the speed and excess of conventional fashion.

Transparency

We openly share the truth about our fibres, processing methods, and supply chain, because informed choices create meaningful change. As the hemp textile industry evolves, we commit to sharing both our progress and where we are still improving.

Long-Lasting Quality

We create pieces designed to soften with time and hold their shape, replacing the disposable cycle with garments you can truly live in. Durability is a form of care for the body and for the earth.

Body-First Design

We design for the body's natural ecology, prioritising breathability, moisture regulation, and microbiome awareness. Comfort is foundational.

Ancient + Modern Integration

We bridge hemp's ancient intelligence with modern textile science, refining softness and advancing performance within contemporary intimates.

Embodied Confidence

We design for the body's natural presence — not to control it, sculpt it, or shrink it. Clean silhouettes. Considered cuts. Fabric that moves the way you do.