A step towards slowing down the fashion cycle.

Crystal Jagger did not expect to build a fashion business.

With a passionate history in the food and wine industry, those she spent time with and worked for (The Lane, Bird in Hand, Art Wine), assumed that when she started her own business – something it was always clear she would do – that it’d also be something to do with hospitality.

“I guess the idea of having an organic clothing business stemmed from the idea of eating [organically and locally], to then wanting that to flow on to other aspects of my life,” says Crystal.

“People are a little bit more aware of where things come from as far as food. That made me think about consumption… The fashion industry is faster than it used to be. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter: they were the seasons, but now people bring out new collections every month. There’s a lot of usage consumption from an environmental perspective of just churning through the clothes. And what happens to all these clothes?”

Crystal launched her organic, Australian-made sleepwear label, Jagger Sleepwear, in December 2016 with the intention to bring awareness to ethical issues surrounding the fashion industry.

“Shopping is like retail therapy – people have this positive association,” she says, “and there’s no connection to where that product actually came from. You know, who made it, what that fabric actually is – no one cares about that. Clothing is not an artisan product anymore, unless you’re buying a couture gown or something like that.”

And then there’s her passion for supporting small, local independent business.

“I made a conscious decision maybe two or three years ago to buy everything locally and see how hard or easy it is. The harder you look, the more little gems you find. There are so many Adelaide businesses doing amazing things,” Crystal says.

In saying that though, she also recognises that even buying locally has it’s own issues.

“’Australian Made’ is more of a contentious issue,” says Crystal. “Once you’re buying local, you’re taking work away from third world countries who are well known for manufacturing.

“For me, I wanted [my clothes to be] Australian-made because I wanted the best quality that I could have. Our water is a lot cleaner here as well. My fabric is woven in Melbourne, and then I work with a boutique manufacturer in Sydney, so they have the same environmental and social philosophies as I do.”

It’s a tricky path to tread – the fashion industry is not without a plethora of moral and ethical issues to navigate. And so her first collection is designed as an answer of sorts to the questions Crystal faces as a business owner and designer.

The launch collection, titled The Signature Collection, has just three items that each come in black and white options: a t-shirt, a tank top, and shorts. As the brand name suggests, the garments were made with sleep in mind, however, Crystal also intends for the garments to be multi-purpose.

“The t-shirt – I wanted it to be something you could wear every day, and I pretty much do,” she says. “With the shorts, I wanted something cute and fun that you could wear to bed, to the beach, whatever.”

And the tank top is double lined and has a built-in bra, which Crystal envisioned could be worn for low-intensity exercise, like yoga.

Crystal just finished up a week selling in The Garden of Unearthly Delights, is currently residing in the Gathered marketplace in the old American Apparel on Rundle Street, and is doing the market rounds.

Beyond that, she’s gearing the business up for a potential showing at the Adelaide Fashion Festival.

It’s a big year ahead for her, but she’s excited.