Naturally hand-dyed, ethically handmade with pride
At RŪPAHAUS, every piece worth so much more with each thread loomed, as they are a true reflection of the time spent in the making, the endurance of the makers, the untold story.
RŪPAHAUS is an Australian-designed and owned ethical fashion label.
Home to naturally dyed and ethically handmade products — from wearables to home décors.
Our Story
Our journey began in 2016, with a vision to create a sustainable fashion practice that merges the contrast of past and future.
Stephanie —our founder— started it off as a collaborative project with traditional local artisans in rural Indonesia in response to the shift towards a slower lifestyle. It ended up as more than a mere project, when her sisters — Adeline and Nathascha came into the picture.
Having grown up between Indonesia, Australia and Germany, the trio integrates the three cultures in their livelihood and their journey led to the birth of RŪPAHAUS, a platform that not only embraces the artisans and the natural resources found in Indonesia, but also gives back and empowers the communities and the environments where the cultures collide; with each thread loomed.
We believe tradition and heritage is core to any culture, and should be preserved to ensure the stories continue to be told for many generations to come.
— and this is why we choose traditional processes and continuously refine them into more efficient and sustainable practices to consciously curate RŪPA collections.
Based between our home studios in Perth; Melbourne and Berlin, the RŪPAHAUS team is all about being personal and hands-on. From personally sourcing each artisan to delivering the package to our customers, each step is traceable to the source and every techniques can be observed and appreciated. This way we can showcase the work and skills each artisan collectives’; assembled into every piece made through its colours and textures, the artisan communities are dignified and thriving doing what they’re best at, all the while being kinder to our environment.
For us — nothing beats the feelings when we discover clothing heirloom in our parents / grandparents wardrobe that are not only still in pristine quality, fashionable but also comfortably wearable; and we hope that each RŪPA piece will be just that — to pass on stories behind our artisans’ affluent traditions and cultures and to carry memorable hand-me-down stories for generations to come.
Behind the Name
/ru·pa/ is form in Sanskrit.
In many of the Indonesian traditional dialects, /ru·pa/ broadly refers to the appearance of physical material objects;
both the body and the external matter. As material forms, /ru·pa/ is portrayed in four primary elements: earth,
water, fire and air; all of which can be experienced through our five senses.
[haʊs] is a house in German.
It represents an intermediary medium that supports a collaborative environment to build products
that complements our cultures and traditions.
Acknowledgement of Country
RŪPAHAUS acknowledges Australia’s first peoples and the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connections to the lands, waters and skies, in which we live and conduct our business. We pay our humble respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; and to Elders past and present.
