Education
Cathryn Wills established Sans Beast in June 2017, after a career spanning close to30 years in the Australian fashion industry. The late 80’s saw time in retail at Benetton, followed by various roles at Palmer Corporation, before gaining a BA Fashion at Melbourne’s RMIT. A substantial chapter at Country Road then followed, where Wills worked in knitwear, eventually becoming Knitwear Design Manager across the men’s and women’s divisions.Post leaving Country Road, Wills pursued a freelance design career for a number ofyears, before finding her niche at Mimco, joining founder and former owner AmandaBriskin (-Rettig) in 2004. Wills went on to the role of Creative Director post the saleof the business, and in 2010, expanded her creative remit to encompass thecommercial leadership of the brand, as Managing + Creative Director.After living and breathing the world of leather handbags + accessories for over adecade, Wills adopted a vegetarian diet in mid 2015 - going vegan 18 months later -and progressively recognized a disconnect between her professional role and herethical stance on animal welfare and the environment. Through further education,Wills saw the need to change her consumptive and creative path, eventuallyresigning from MIMCO in early 2016.In establishing Sans Beast, Wills has dedicated herself to building a design led,quality brand, with compelling visual + written storytelling. The brand sourcesresponsibly manufactured, non-leather materials for the collection + manufactures inan ethically run, family owned factory in Southern China. Sans Beast is PETAaccredited vegan + donates to animal sanctuary, Edgars Mission with everypurchase made on the website.Insta: @sansbeastWebsite: sansbeast.com