SIO STUDIO
“We’ve still got a long way to go in terms of the way we
see fashion and its accessability”
X COURTENEY FRISBY
SIO Studio marches to the beat of its very own drum. Confident, timeless and insanely unique, each piece is handcrafted perflectly with precision and detail like no other. Founder of the brand, Chelsea Siobhan, talks of the importance of self love, sustainability and her love of charity shops.
Hey Chelsea! Tell me a bit about how you came to find your brand, Sio Studio.
Coming originally from a textiles based background, i first began to create and sell my own designs when at uni. After about three years of perfecting and honing my design skills i finally felt comfortable enough to launch Sio in November 2019. Lockdown came and was a blessing in the way that i was really able to take time to get Sio off the ground and perfect everything! Being a perfectionist, every piece has to be perfectly constructed and executed.
Where do you find your inspiration for Sio designs?
I would say i get inspiration from everywhere. from TV programmes to films, music videos, particularly from the 90s and early 2000s. My soure
My source of inspirations are also just things that feel very personal to me, such as outfits i personally would just love to wear myself.
I would say i get inspiration from everywhere. from TV programmes to films, music videos, particularly from the 90s and early 2000s. My soure
My source of inspirations are also just things that feel very personal to me, such as outfits i personally would just love to wear myself.
“The feeling of finding something precious in a charity shop and feeling as though the item was made just for you... that’s how i want people to feel like when they come to Sio”
They are fun, confident, but most importantly, love themselves. Sio aims to embrace and enhance every body, so this very much coincides with this idea of self love. The Sio woman loves life; she wears the clothes, the clothes never wear her.
In the future i would love kids to be like, ‘vintage Sio Studio!’, that’s what i want people to feel like when they come to Sio - as if the item was just made for them.
On your website you mention you take a lot of inspiration from brands such as Ed Hardy and RocaWear, and charity shops! What is it that draws you most to these things?
I just love how these brands were started by creatives that just went completely against the norm and created their own trends. Charity shops were great for me growing up as i love the never ending trawl, until an item suddenly finds you, and its almost as if it was made for you.
One thing i really love about Sio is it’s real commitment to sustainability which is super refreshing to see. is this something you wish was encouraged more in other areas of the fashion industry?
I feel as though sustainable practices should just be a natural given. For example, whether its the use of deadstock fabrics, or all individually handmade pieces - i don’t feel the need to shout about it. Going forward though, it is something i naturally feel we need to talk more about, and i think more people in fashion definetly need to undertand the importance of sustainability.
Having studied textiles and seen the impacts these processes are havng upon the planet is devastating. I don’t think people even realise the dangers of it all becuase ignorance is bliss, especially for the majority of consumers on this part of the world.
As a smaller brand i often have to justify my price ranges to people, and why they are higher than that of the high street, for example. If people were being paid fairly for their work then thats how much it should cost. They should cost the amount of effort that went in to create them.
I would love to definetly create more lines with Sio, perhaps focusing on more basics, and more upcycled designs. One thing i would really love to do is create a pop up shop for Sio!
You can find more from Sio through Instagram or their official website here.
Photography by Courteney Frisby | ︎courteneyfrisby
Styling and designs by Chelsea Siobhan | ︎chelsea_siobhan