Former Barbour MD’s new brand Hay Life to launch at John Lewis and NEXT
New unisex brand Hay Life, founded by former Barbour MD, Ryan Llewellyn-Pace, is launching in John Lewis and NEXT.
Hay Life is "campaigning for brands and retailers to support unisex fashion" as it says the industry needs to do more to increase efficiency and reduce wastage. The brand’s tagline is: 'Some traditions are made to be broken'.
The brand's offer includes denim, knitwear and soft tailoring, and oversized fits are key. It is also partnering with London-based repair and alteration platform, SOJO, to extend the life of garments and tweak any fits to reduce returns.
Accessories will be made from recycled straw, as the the aim is to highlight more of the uses of the by-products from farming, hence the brand’s name.
The company will also give a percentage of profits to the Sustainable Food Trust to highlight the importance of farming the land in a more sustainable and responsible way.
Posting on LinkedIn, Ryan Llewellyn-Pace, Founder and Chairman of Hay Life, said:
"After over two years from concept to execution we launch Hay Life to the world….
by viewing fashion first from a unisex lens this will help to reduce wastage and increase efficiency. From our backgrounds we all believe in circular fashion models and we have made great progress to do what we can to support extending the lifecycle of garments. A massive thank you to SOJO for supporting us here.
"As part of unisex fashion we wanted to highlight the importance of self expression and the impact this has with many on mental health. We will aim to give a percentage of our profits to Young Minds.
"Moreover, we wanted to highlight that two of the most polluting industries in the world are farming and fashion and to show more can be done to take a more considered approach to these areas. As such we will aiming to donate a percentage of profits to the Sustainable Food Trust…
"This is a key moment where we aim to break boundaries and make a change on how the industry approaches unisex fashion."
