Our Story

How did we start? 

Steaddi originated as a university project tackling challenges facing New Zealand’s wool industry. It was costing farmers more to shear a sheep than what they were making because of the lack of products made from Strong wool, merino being the only desirable aspect. We set out to change that.

After exploring wool’s properties, our first product, the Woo-Lace was created as a very rough prototype. The mission evolved to create fully biodegradable shoelaces, promoting resource-conscious streetwear.

The concept extended beyond shoelaces, shaping the core of the Steaddi brand. We saw an opportunity to use under-utilised natural resources, and celebrate the imperfections of nature’s uniqueness. Steaddi aims to encourage embracing positive change as a journey rather than perfection, reflecting the nonlinear process of creation and ethical living.

Why does Steaddi matter?

It is easy to settle for the way things are in the streetwear industry. As humans, we are creatures of habit. When something has been the same for years, like the materials we use, we don’t think twice about it. We want to challenge that. We know how important it is to be sustainable, we are told it all the time, but when it is too inaccessible it can be hard. We want to change the way we look at our streetwear purchases, buying sustainable doesn’t have to be an outlier, it should be the normal. We understand that this is a process that takes time, for us included, but incrementally, we want to create new habits in our purchases, rising our baseline of sustainability, until it becomes the new normal.

How can you help?

Try to be a little bit better. We understand it can feel pointless, but small things like walking when you can instead of driving or buying a new pair of shoelaces to change the look of your shoe, rather than buying a new pair of shoes changes your baseline of positive habits. As these things become the normal, we can look to do the next thing. Don’t beat yourself up. Everyone is on a learning journey. It’s normal to make mistakes, it’s about the intention.