Hiut Denim Co. Creative Spotlight.

We first came across Hiut Denim Co a couple of years ago, through its links with the inspirational Do Lectures creative talk series - both ventures being founded and run by creative duo David & Clare Hieatt.

Based in the idilic rural setting of Cardigan in Wales, David & Clare started their new venture making it their mission to bring jean manufacturing back to their town. Previously, Cardigan was the home of jeans, with 35,000 pairs being produced each and every week - all from a town with a population of only 4000 people, with 400 folk directly involved in the industry. Sadly, all this came crashing to an end when in 2002, production moved overseas leaving this town full of talented craftspeople without an outlet for the thing they knew how to do best.

But David & Clare had plans. Big bold plans to put talented local makers back to work, doing what they do best, creating and crafting some of the finest jeans in the world. From this inspiring vision, the couple set up Hiut Denim Co. to bring their vision to life.

Each pair of jeans takes 1hr 10mins to create, with each pair lovingly crafted by a single person, rather than a standard production line. The folk who work on these jeans are no ordinary workforce, rather a team of GrandMasters - experienced fabric artists trained in the art of perfecting every pair.

One of the things that we really love about this innovative company, is their overwhelming design ethos and their big belief in ‘doing one thing well’ - something as a creatively focussed design duo that we can really get on board with. They make jeans, nothing else, and this laser focus delivers denim that is truly exceptional.

We recently took delivery of a pair of Huit’s flagship Selvedge jeans, made from 14.5oz premium Japanese denim. When it comes to cash, as you might expect they don’t come cheap, but as it’s something we wear every day it seemed well worth the investment, plus - after a trip to Tokyo last year, we’ve been loving all things Japanese design, so were easily seduced by this Japanese denim. On arrival, we weren’t disappointed. It’s clear that a lot of care and attention has been poured into every pair, with beautiful detailing and outstanding craftsmanship. The way they are packaged and delivered also makes you feel like part of a special club where you never quite feel that you are being sold to, as it’s very easy to buy in to the brand story making them more than just any ordinary pair of jeans.

One of the interesting things about purchasing a pair is the challenge laid down to you by the denim company, with David & Clare inviting you to join their No Wash Club. That’s right, you are actively encouraged not to wash your jeans for a whole 6 months! There’s method behind this madness, with the idea being that over the six months you will create a totally unique pair of jeans, shaped around you, where ever crease and line will have been put their by you. Six months sounds like some challenge, one we are up for giving a go - let’s see how we get on.

The company has even extended this six month idea, starting something called the Denim Breaker Club. This interesting collective consists of folk who agree to break in a pair of jeans for six months, before returning them to Huit for them to be put on sale within their site. So the wearer will get the use of the jeans for 6 months (provided they don’t wash them once!) and after that they also get 20% of the sale price paid in to them. Essentially, you will get paid to wear a paid of jeans. We’re loving this idea, and looking forward to hearing how it turns out.

Beautiful products with an interesting story and ethos.
 
Hiut Denim Co:
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Our creative spotlight series takes a peek at designers, makers & creative people doing interesting things.