When we were approached for our first job with Nikki Campbell and Sophie Coote's SIR, the first thing that came to mind was the fervent, intensely loyal fanbase the brand had already built despite its young age. This was one of those rare, elusive things that every brand wants, but few ever achieve: hard-core, cult-like fans who were truly devoted. There was no way we weren’t going to use that – developing the cult of SIR became a strategic angle. And so began the evolving narrative of the SIR community: a series of campaigns that tried to imagine the world anew, bound by vows of sisterhood. This was SIR back then: feminine, romantic, and sometimes a bit witchy.

The second important thing to note was that SIR was at a moment of international expansion. Back then, most brands were trying hard to appear as European as possible. At a time when there was an international appetite for Australian brands and the ease of the Australian lifestyle, it made sense to give those audiences exactly what they wanted: a sense of something different, something they didn’t have in their own backyards. Enter the Australian landscape. 

Over the next years of collaboration, the SIR sisterhood became intertwined with increasingly otherworldly locations. From this first campaign, captured in Kangaroo Valley to Kiama, Era Beach, Narooma and WA, the SIR community travelled through some of Australia’s most iconic and lesser-known destinations. As the brand evolved and adapted, so did the creative language, shedding some of the romantic innocence of its earlier days in favour of a sharper edge, a sexier bite, modern lines, and global inspirations. 

However, much like it’s taboo for a parent to admit favour for their firstborn, this debut campaign will always hold a special place for me.