Hello,
Firstly, thanks for joining my Solhäst® (just had the trademark certificates through!) newsletter. It's a small but highly prized group of esteemed folks! (A special hello to Jayne who helped me form this approach via feedback on Instagram) I thought I'd start a periodic letter to you to share some of the 'behind the scenes' goings on in this small and not-yet-so-perfectly formed slow fashion world.
Firstly, as you may know, I started developing conscious garments for a small capsule collection for outdoor living over a year ago, for two reasons:
1) I am a return horse rider having left London in the pandemic to return to the Wirral. It wasn't long before I started seeking immersive outdoor activities after the 'lockdown walks' got a bit repetative. I realised a lot of the 'riding clothing' all looked the same. Importantly, it was mostly fast fashion derived, and had a certain 'matchy-matchy' feel that fed into unnecessary production and demand and was not often consciously made. I wanted to create adaptable garments that crossed over between outdoor activities. I'm also looking across the sportswear industry inspiration for hard-working multi-functional garments that celebrate outdoor life, in whatever form that activity takes (as I've found sportswear design itself can be quite siloed!)
2) My 'why' - what if we lived in a world where buying only essential items for our wardrobes meant we could change our behaviour to our clothes and raise money for horse charities through purchases at the same time? For me - fast fashion and enjoying nature are completely uncomfortable paradoxes, and I was in danger of feeling entirely disconnected from where my clothes had come from, the impact of this and then the jarring contrast of sitting on a horse in beautiful surroundings was just too much.
And so, Solhäst was born. The name adjoins two Swedish words for sun and horse. I was walking on a beach in Wales (not far from where my grandfather rode ponies on his farm as a boy) and saw a young horse being led over the sand dunes by his owners with the sun shining through the grasses of the dunes from behind. Taking in this silhouette, I knew this was an image I wanted to embed into the brand (I've included the photo I took of this moment at the bottom of this letter). My partner is Swedish, and a great horsewoman, so the tribute is in part to her. I'll go into this in more detail as these letters progress! (PS Happy Pride Month).
Back to production: Like many, I've been in awe of the 'Make it British' movement, and through research I discovered that most manufacturers in the UK that manufacture in small quantities are studios that 'cut make and trim'. This means the founder supplies the fabric and trims, plus detailed information on the design, and the studio sews together.
Therefore, the requirements for my initial designs (that need to be in the ballpark of technical sportswear in form and function) have required deeper research into garment technology in order to arrive at the best fabrics, pattern development and function, which is a lot of variables. It's also quite a lot to ask of a small studio in terms of extra support.
And so sampling - which is currently paused - has had to be replanned. A rough explanation of the context for this: Due to a proud heritage of more traditional fashion and tailoring in the UK - producing a more modern type of sportswear with technical requirements (so basically not just simple leggings and tops for yoga!) has been a little challenging.
The infrastructure for the demands of the outdoor leisure industry means Europe has moved perhaps a little quicker than the UK in terms of skills and materials - to meet this need. This is something my network has confirmed, based on brands I know who produce in Europe. I've found beautiful technical fabrics in Europe, including Italy, and have a good relationship with a UK studio, that I know will help me develop some items, but I am also expanding my collection to potential Europe manufacture for the wider capsule range.
This is something outside of my original vision, however, I have to prioritise getting the best possible technical garments while the UK is enjoying/playing catch-up in its manufacturing renaissance.
Before I go, I wanted to share some interesting UK news today from the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT). They are a really good trade body that supports and connects founders outside of their membership (i.e. not yet trading, or early days). They have partnered with the British Fashion Council (BFC) are collaborating as co-chairs of a new government-funded circular fashion programme, which aims to facilitate and lead the development of a circular fashion ecosystem within the UK. This is very exciting news, you can read more here.
Until next time,
Katy
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