The Halter

Missing Sleep only uses high-quality products, the majority of which are sourced in New Zealand. The harness is made with leather produced in New Zealand as a by-product of our meat industry. We never have and never will use leather where an animal has been killed for its skin.

We are actively seeking an environmentally- friendly vegan leather option. We are not willing to use partially or wholly petroleum based leather as the environmental cost of its production is too great.

Leather is skin! This means it has natural variations of colour and blemishes. We cut out pieces to avoid significant marks, but it is not sustainable to throw away every bit of leather that isn’t perfectly clear of natural marks. Your harness is both unique to you in size and in the character of the leather pieces that have been used to create it.

The hardware is sourced from Australia. The rings are either stainless steel (‘silver’) or solid brass (‘gold’). The buckles are plated in nickel (‘silver’) and gilt (‘gold’) to give them their shine. Please note that a skin allergy to nickel is not uncommon, so please get in touch if this is an issue for you and we can source stainless steel buckles at a nominal extra cost.

Each piece is branded with gold or silver coloured foil on the back, depending on your hardware choice. The foil has a shorter life span than the harness, but the branding will remain debossed.

Missing Sleep harnesses are not intended to be used as safety equipment and we emphatically recommend you do not rely on the harness to carry your full body weight.

If you are ordering within New Zealand, please allow up to three weeks for your harness to arrive. When you submit your order, we will add it to the construction queue and make it as soon as possible. If you’d like to know how long the construction queue is before you order, please enquire via the ‘contact us’ page. We sometimes post construction updates on Instagram, if you’d like to be tagged in these please provide your Instagram handle at checkout. Tracking details for your harness will be provided once it has been shipped.  

We construct each piece almost entirely with hand tools and high attention to detail which means mistakes are rare. However, if your harness has arrived with a defect, a fit issue, or if you have received the wrong product, please get in touch as soon as you can and we will fix it. 

As the harness was made just for you, we do not provide returns, exchanges, and refunds where the product is delivered as advertised. However, we do want the harness to be loved and used. Please get in touch if you no longer want your harness and if it has been kept in good condition, we can offer it for sale at a fair price on your behalf.

This harness is intended to be used and loved for years, not just for a season. It has been made using slow fashion methods, now it’s your turn to take care of the leather to ensure it goes the distance. Clean and condition the leather every six months, or as soon as it gets dirty. We recommend Pellé Care Products and sell small Leather Care Kits that are ideal for maintaining a harness or two.

The harness is robust, but the leather will show marks if it gets scratched - so please bear this in mind when deciding where to wear your harness. Going to brunch? Yes! Visiting nana? Absolutely! Underground rave? Yes (but don’t get paint on it!) Camping? Maybe not.

Your harness will be delivered in a box that is intended for long term harness storage. When you’re not wearing your harness, we strongly recommend you put it back in the box and store it in a cool and dry place. Direct sunlight is not a friend of leather, and neither is hanging it up by a strap.