Our Story
HI! I’m Cassandra Kane
the founder and designer of sieme
I’ve been a creative all my life and spent almost a decade designing luxury ready-to-wear, leather and fur, outerwear and eveningwear for designer brands in New York. In 2017 I followed my heart to Florence, Italy to learn the art of Italian handbags alongside the best artisans in the world. However, while working here, I saw the incredible amount of waste generated even at the luxury level across the fashion industry. Working in factories, I have seen as much as 50% of leather discarded during the production process in pursuit of identical perfection. I couldn’t look away any longer and knew I needed to be part of the solution! This realization inspired me to spend the past 2 years building a system to collect and repurpose leather “excess” in Italy. Now, I have finally launched Sieme, an accessories brand founded to support local artisans and repurpose leather excess into beautiful accessories so that we can ALL feel good about fashion again.
What it means to support artisans
I’ve always been fascinated by the way our fashion is made, by the hands, the heritage, and the human stories behind every piece. Working alongside artisans is what first inspired me to uproot my life and move to Italy.
Yet in today’s rapidly industrializing world, the culture of small workshops and generational craftsmanship is quietly disappearing. I spent nearly two years traveling across Tuscany in search of a weaving partner, someone who could hand-weave our leather panels with the same precision and soul that defines true Italian artistry. Eventually, I found one of the last remaining collectives in the region.
That journey became the foundation of Sieme. We’ve made a promise to work exclusively with artisans and independently owned, family-run factories throughout Italy.
I believe artisan-made products tell stories; stories of discovery, connection, and care. Because when you know who made something, how it was crafted, and where it came from, you don’t just own it , you cherish it.
GIVING BACK
I believe fashion, at it’s best, can support our communities, instead of exploiting them. After starting Sieme, I quickly realized this vision was much bigger than myself. That is why I co-founded Zerolab, the first leather recycling center and sustainable design hub in Italy AND the home of Sieme Brand. Here we work with brands and factories to repurpose excess leather, offer services and workspaces for artisans, provide vocational training for the local leather industry and teach/ advocate for more sustainable production practices. Through Zerolab Firenze, I hope we can nurture and grow not only Sieme but other independent sustainable brands and artisans for the next generation.
MY PROMISE
I founded Sieme to build a better way.
This process begins through cultivating relationships with local family owned manufacturers, rescuing and repurposing the “leftovers” of the most luxury materials in the world and using design and local production to support the community around me.
I cannot promise we will always be perfect, but I know we will always be honest. We will always strive to honor the artisanal history of our adopted home while carving out a more sustaianable future. Every day we will view all parts of our production chain as family, starting and ending with the earth.
Together, We Can Redefine Luxury