KAUPAPA

Umbers is an independent clothing label founded in Melbourne by Māori designer Mana Umbers, with roots in Aotearoa.

The label is developing a design language shaped by Māori frameworks and expressed through silhouette, construction, image-making and process. Each release is another step in that ongoing exploration.

THE PHILOSOPHY

Whakapapa connects the work to where it comes from. Tikanga informs the care taken in how each piece is made. Mana is expressed through presence, while utility keeps the clothing practical and connected to everyday life.

We aim to use these ideas to guide the decisions behind the materials, construction and stories of each release.

THE PROCESS

Each piece is designed, cut and sewn from start to finish by one maker in Melbourne.

Umbers produces in limited drops, with many pieces made to order. This slower approach allows greater attention to the garment itself and values quality over volume.

Over time, each release becomes part of a growing archive of the label’s development.

THE MARK

The Umbers mark combines Mana’s side profile with his thumbprint, worked across the face to echo the placement of tā moko.

Grounded in whakapapa, identity and Māori visual storytelling, it honours the unique story carried by every person who wears Umbers.

No two fingerprints are the same. The mark is personal by design.

Umbers shaped by the Pacific, made in Melbourne and created for a global community.