Say Hello Sisi: How Sienna Ludbey turns playboys into handbags

By Christina Karras

This article was published in A-ZINE Edition 001. Buy a copy here.

Sienna with one of her playboy designs. @hellosisi_

By now it’s clear that social media has the ability to make or break a young brand. But 24-year-old Sienna Ludbey knows how to harness its power for success.

With over 6,500 followers on her brand’s Instagram, @hellosisi_, she operates a successful business selling her handmade bags through the app – without the support of a website or a brick-and-mortar store.

“Social media has been huge for me and my brand. It’s an awesome tool that lets me to talk to customers directly, network and show my product instantly,” says Sienna.

Just a few years ago it would’ve been impossible to survive against fashion giants and department stores, but online shopping has given rise to a new brand of e-commerce. Operating primarily through social media, this new wave of retail has been dubbed ‘social-commerce’ and it strays from everything retail stands for.

But in a time when physical retailers are suffering, Hello Sisi’s success story is a sign of the times.

Customers can avoid awkward social interactions with pushy salespeople, outsourcing their shopping and sense of style to the Internet, finding comfort in DM’s and double-taps. For Hello Sisi, Sienna says while it’s been fun using social media to foster her brand, a more traditional website is on the way.

But paying credit where credit is due, a large part of her success is in her unique and distinctive designs. Manufacturing her own patchworks from unconventional materials like old Playboy magazines, she’s managed to develop a style that satisfies her millennial customer’s sense of nostalgia, and obsession with aesthetics.

The use of Playboy pages has incidentally become a trademark of Hello Sisi, along with the smiley face key-chains, bedazzled with coloured diamantés like a disco ball.

“Magazines from the ‘70s in particular have the most beautiful imagery,” she says.
Her designs are undeniably fun and playful, as Sienna admits she’s always had an affinity for “cute things”.

“I like to collect vintage books, lolly packets, stickers and cartoon fabrics. is is where my thought process begins. I look at what I’ve found and lay it all out on my pattern and start to put together the bag,” she says.

With a production process as playful as the final product, Sienna says it’s during the breaks from her Brunswick studio when she winds up sourcing her favourite materials at vintage stores and two-dollar shops.

Even the brand’s origins feel full of childlike wonder; Sienna returned home full of inspiration after a trip to Japan, and started Hello Sisi as a hobby and creative outlet. Her fascination with Japanese aesthetics bleeds into the name Hello Sisi – a homage to the country’s iconic cartoon character, Hello Kitty.

“Hello Kitty is my favourite character. I watched a Netflix show called The Toys at Made Us and the episode on Hello Kitty was so inspiring and made my heart smile.”

While Sienna’s first customer was herself, people quickly noticed her eclectic bags and wanted one of their own.

“With the playboys, I have a few framed above my bed and I just thought one day I want to carry one of these around on my bag and I made one for myself.”

It plays into the age-old idea that if you love what you do, success will follow.

“Design for yourself first,” Sienna says.
“If you love what you make, others will too.”

Follow Sienna on Instagram at @hellosisi_