THE ETHICS OF EVERYDAY BUSINESS
We don't claim to be carbon neutral, nor do we currently have the reporting in place to measure the full environmental impact of every product we make. We believe it is better to be clear about that than to make claims we cannot properly substantiate.
What we can be clear about is how we approach what we make. We believe in owning fewer things, choosing them carefully and keeping them for longer. That belief has shaped MISMO from the beginning - from designing beyond seasonal trends to producing in smaller quantities and creating products intended to accompany their owners for many years.
It also means recognising that every new product comes with a footprint. Our responsibility is to understand that footprint better and to be increasingly transparent about where and how our products are made, the materials that go into them and the partners we work with.
We are not there yet. Building greater traceability and transparency throughout our supply chain is an ongoing process, and one we intend to share more openly as the work develops.
First and foremost, we strive to create products that remain relevant over time – in function, construction and expression.
Our designs are purposeful and functional, with clean lines and few unnecessary details. We choose materials for their character, performance and ability to age with use, and combine traditional craftsmanship with modern manufacturing techniques to create products intended for many years of use.
For us, longevity is therefore not only a question of physical durability. It is aesthetic too. We deliberately avoid designing around short-lived trends or seasonal novelty, allowing styles and materials to remain part of the collection for years rather than seasons.
This thinking informs the lines we draw, the materials we choose and the quality we ask of our production.
We prefer to produce in smaller batches and replenish according to actual demand rather than trying to predict it too far ahead.
This means we occasionally run out of even our most established styles. When that happens, we restock rather than compensate with oversized production runs or expedited air freight.
The other side of this approach is that, in 20 years, we have never found ourselves with large quantities of excess stock. We don't produce with seasonal clearance in mind, and we don't sell off batches of new products to stock clearers simply because we bought too much.
If a style remains on our website marked as Out of Stock, it generally means it is coming back. Styles we have no intention of producing again are removed from the collection.
Sometimes that means waiting a little longer for a particular piece. We think that's a reasonable trade-off.
Responsibility is not only about materials, packaging or environmental targets. To us, it is also about how we conduct our business every day - and the relationships we build along the way.
We don't believe growth at any cost is a meaningful measure of success. How we grow affects the people around us: our own team, our suppliers and the people involved in making our products. Constant pressure for more, faster and cheaper inevitably travels down the supply chain.
We have always preferred long-term relationships over short-term gains. We work with a relatively small number of suppliers and producers, several of whom we have worked with for more than a decade. This gives us a closer understanding of who makes our products, where our materials come from and the conditions under which we work together.
These relationships are built over time, through dialogue, mutual expectations and trust. We ask a lot of our partners when it comes to quality and craftsmanship, but we also believe that good work requires time, respect and a shared interest in getting things right.
For us, that is part of the ethics of everyday business.
In a digitalised landscape of algorithms, chatbots and automated procedures, we still believe in the value of human contact. Especially when something doesn't go quite as planned.
Whether it's advice on a fabric, help with a delivery or an issue with a bag, we stand by our products and engage directly with our customers – whether the product was purchased one, three or ten years ago.
Whenever a repair makes sense, we would rather repair than replace. Bags come back to us with broken zippers, worn leather, damaged hardware and the inevitable marks of years of use. Some repairs are simple, others require a little more ingenuity, but the starting point is always to consider whether the product can reasonably be put back into service.
That doesn't mean every bag should, or can, be repaired indefinitely. A canvas bag used every day for ten years has already lived a very different life from one used occasionally, and materials inevitably wear with time. There are also repairs where sending a bag across countries - and sometimes back to the factory - simply doesn't make sense relative to the repair itself. In those cases, a good local repair may be the better solution. And occasionally, a product has simply reached the point where replacement makes more sense than repair.
After 20 years, we're fortunate to have customers who have been with us for much of the journey – many owning not just one, but a collection of MISMO pieces accumulated over time.
We're grateful for that loyalty. It also reminds us that our responsibility for a product doesn't necessarily end when it leaves our warehouse – but neither does longevity mean that every product is expected to last forever.
We don't design or produce around a seasonal sales cycle. Our core collection doesn't become less relevant to us because a season changes, and we don't discount current products simply to make room for the next collection.
This goes hand in hand with the way we produce. By working in smaller batches and replenishing according to demand, we don't need seasonal clearances to move large quantities of excess stock.
So you won't find MISMO participating in Black Friday, mid-season sales or end-of-season campaigns. The price of a current MISMO product remains the same throughout the season.
There is one exception. From time to time, we discontinue a particular fabric, colourway or style as the collection evolves. When that happens, the remaining pieces may be offered at a reduced price under The Last of Their Kind. Our newsletter subscribers are given first access before any remaining stock is made available online.
If the piece you're looking for is part of our continuing collection, there is therefore no need to wait for the next sale. There isn't one.
