von sono started in 2004 and literally meant "from sono” in German, in 2019 simon finally joined sono to make a label together that reflected their shared life together, their everyday wardrobe and utilising the artisans that they had worked with previously with the luxury clients they had designed for however with a new set of parameters (non negotiables) that aligned to their person beliefs (nobody needs more clothes so if they were going to make more at this stage they had to be truly sustainable and ethical without compromise) Only organic cotton approved by GOTS, ethical and organic wool that approved by RWS and no plastic/polyesters/oil based products at any stage. In a nutshell we want to respect nature and the people we work with, not for any marketing credentials, just because we believe it’s right and want to follow this through and prove it is possible to stick to these parameters and create beautiful clothes that reflect our shared experiences and aesthetics - not the stereotypical eco conscious brand look! We changed the name to just SONO to denote the collaboration and the fact it was now from both of us together - fergadellic the graphic artist - a very close friend and collaborator designed the logo for us - the logo is based on primeval stamps made with the hand and we wanted it to look completely different to other labels out there at the time.

inspiration comes from what we see around us, how others dress how they wear clothes, we are lucky to live on one of the most diverse parts of London and seeing how people from so many different continents and cultures dress is one of most consistent references. Books, flea markets, thrift, antique clothing and all the odd old and eccentric people who work in this world provide consistent ideas. I would not say we ever set aside time to do this, it is part of the everyday and the fact we live together and work together it can happen in the studio or on an antique trader market at 5am on a Tuesday. It is always unexpected and definitely spontaneous!

SOL snow pants, when we first decided to work together we pulled out this old snowsuit from the 1940s simon picked it up years ago on a military fair and it was a parka and pants in light cotton that you would wear over your clothing to camouflage oneself in the snow. The way it was cut and sewn is weird and a bit different to regular trousers because of its intention. We always wanted to use it but had never fitted any of the brands we had consulted for, it was the only pant in the first collection and was not popular because it was way to large for the time however we loved it and believed in it, 10 seasons later we still have not changed the original fit and wear it every day in different fabrics and it has become our best selling pant, trends come round!

I wear every day around my neck the Lemaire moulded leather cigarette case - I use it as a wallet since years, I have fond memories of Carlos the artisan and both Christophe and Sarah Linh. This piece has saves me time everyday because I never have to look for my wallet anymore!

Or Tubular tee from Gnuhr! Awesome tee in organic cotton - knitted tubular and with 1 cut across the back shoulder the front is pulled over to create the sleeves without any armhole or shoulder seam - super clever cutting from Nur - an old friend 

we make a seasonal playlist every solstice that describes how we feel and what music we are into and want to share.

Give this playlist a listen: SONO Slow Summer

yes every day, simon has worked regularly in Japan and learnt a lot of Japanese cooking tips from friends and colleagues over the last 20 years and a good rice cooker so the go to recipe is always starting from whatever vegetables are in season from our weekly vegetable box and then take it from there, but they always seem to involve some sort of steamed greens with Ponzu and roasted aubergine with sesame.

we always talk about other places to travel and work in but if I’m honest perfect day is simple, Saturday in London, get up not too late or early, long walk with the dog, shopping on a random farmers market, lunch at little duck the picklery, wine followed by coffee, see what the local fish guy has and invite friends round for dinner and cook them what we bought earlier on.