About Us
About Us
"In every house I ever lived in, from as far back as I can remember, I've always been captivated by the ritual of making a space, uniquely mine"
Phoebe Bell, Founder and Creative Director of Sage x Clare.
Our Story
The lightbulb moment
Our journey began as it does for many university students studying Law. Naturally creative, as Phoebe approached the end of her studies, she wasn’t sure a career in Law was for her.
She experimented with different creative industry roles including working as a stylist for Country Road. Then, one fateful holiday in India, in a market surrounded by colour, she stumbled across her passion for artisanal, hand made textiles and with a little encouragement from Chris, Sage x Clare was born.
Pinch me .... I'm dreaming.
Standing in that market in India, "2011 Phoebe" could never have imagined what Sage x Clare would become. From shoe-string beginnings, Phoebe would pack orders on the floor of her tiny apartment. Today, Sage x Clare operates a 3,000 square meter warehouse and has over 50 team members. The journey has felt more like a dream than a reality.
Designed in Melbourne, Crafted in India
We're dedicated to preserving and celebrating time-honoured handmade textile techniques.
Over our journey, we've played with all sorts of wonderful processes from hand screen printing to hand tufting, punch needling to hand weaving and more.
We believe hand made textiles have an intangible quality that helps create a sense of home in any space.
"A lot of people will say that aesthetics are superficial and not all that important. Maybe they're right. But to me, the aesthetics of a space, the colours, textures, lighting and aromas all have a profound impact on my overall sense of wellbeing"
Phoebe Bell, Founder and Creative Director of Sage x Clare
Our Mission
We exist to fill homes with a whole lotta love.
Home ... it's a place to be uniquely you. A place filled with treasures and keepsakes collected over a life well lived. Well worn books, art that inspires, artefacts from far off adventures and collectibles that are both priceless and worthless all at the same time. Home is having a sense of place, a sense of history, a sense of the human experience.
It is not uniform, cookie cutter or grey. It is unique, surprising and full of vibrancy. We bring the best bits of the past and weave them into the present to create something incredibly new and wonderfully nostalgic, all at the same time. This is why we exist. To rally against a sea of sameness and step into the power and beauty of creating spaces that are as unique and interesting as the people who inhabit them.
Our Values sit at the heart of everything we do. They drive how we work and lead. How we design and produce. They form the foundation of who we are as an organisation.
Our aim is to foster environments where everyone feels at home. From our internal team to the wonderful community that embraces us, Sage x Clare is about creating spaces where our differences are celebrated and a big part of our creative power.
We approach our work always with openness and curiosity. We are free to try new things without fear of failure. Our priority is pushing the boundaries of what we know and leaning into our intuition.
Open and honest, we thrive on authentic connections with our team, customers, suppliers and community. We live by the philosophy that "clear is kind" and do our best to foster authentic, trusting relationships within our team, our customers and suppliers.
Always a journey, never a destination, the pursuit of Excellence is what drives us further. Forget perfection. It doesn't exist. Excellence is about continuously learning, growing and pursuing your true potential.
You'll never hear us say "that's not my job" or "I don't know". We love what we do and we are dedicated to getting the job done. We foster a culture of continuous learning so check that fear of failure at the door. We know we don't have all the answers. But ... our secret super power is we're a curious bunch who thrive on figuring things out together. When things are busy, we have each other's backs. We're a can-do crowd that pitches in because at the end of the day, anything that helps us fill more homes with a whole lotta love is a day well spent.