solid Craft-focused jeans manufacturer based in Aberteifi (Cardigan), Wales. They make great products. We’ll talk about this in a moment. but their story It also has a lot to say about the classic, heritage-focused menswear movement that has evolved over the past 20 years.
By the 1990s, the Aberteifi factory had 400 employees producing 35,000 pairs of jeans a week. Their biggest customer was Marks & Spencer and, as you can imagine, the denim business dominated the city.
It all came to an end in 2002, when M&S moved its production overseas. Factories had been trying for years to cut costs and be as efficient as possible (this was not a craftsmanship), but in the end they couldn’t make jeans cheap enough.
In 2011, with typical idealism of the time, David and Claire Hieatt founded a new company to restart production. Although small in scale, we were able to rehire a large number of people and attract the attention of a world thirsty for craft-based startups.
Hiut has amassed a loyal following, including Megan, Duchess of Sussex. wearing jeans. But they have remained a small operation that occasionally tries new ideas, and have suffered financial difficulties during COVID-19, forcing them to ask customers for investments in 2024.
One of them, and those who eventually became the full owners, was the Von Loeper family. Johann Von Loeper now runs the company and has begun to professionalize many elements of the company, turning it into a full-fledged brand.
If you’re someone who appreciates small, product-oriented manufacturers, it’s easy to be skeptical of the idea of specializing in tasks like this, but it makes a difference in a lot of ways that we don’t necessarily appreciate.
For example, the images on the website have been dramatically improved to make fit easier to understand. And the overall fit was reevaluated and released as a single product line rather than a one-off product. For womenswear, Johann had more than 50 customers try out different fits before making improvements and checking them out.
“Previous women’s jeans were straight and form-fitting, which didn’t suit many people,” says Johann. “We have worked to create a range that is better suited to different body types.
“Overall, the brand is built on the image of David and Claire, a more philosophical approach to business that focuses more on story rather than product and style. We wanted to update the company to show that not only can we make high-quality jeans, but we can also design high-quality jeans.”
From my perspective, the biggest design problem many small denim companies have these days is washing.
When heritage and authenticity first became mainstream in the 2010s, the idea of buying raw selvedge denim that was uncomfortable and out of size was okay to begin with. Because in the long run, it meant a more personal and unique product.
But now people are running out of patience for this and fashion has moved towards mid blue and light blue jeans, which takes years to achieve if you start from raw.
This poses a problem for craft makers. Because washing raw jeans to get a bright blue color is a completely different type of production, requiring a different set of machines and skills. Some of the following Blackhorse Lane in LondonWe invested in our own machinery. Hiut started working together. laundryAlthough we have expert knowledge, we do our laundry in a more sustainable way, following the Hiut philosophy.
Hiut has just released its first line of washed jeans. summer laundry selvedge – Mid Blue is scheduled to be released at the end of July.
Denim washing requires conscious design choices, and Hiut chose a very plain version without strong fading and whiskering. This brings us closer to some mainstream brands and further away from reproduction brands. like total countI tend to prefer more extreme versions and recreate vintage pairs.
“We wanted a plain wash because we wanted our customers to be able to feel their own fade in the jeans over time,” says Johann.
Most of Hiut’s range was relaunched last year, with a particular focus on a wider and taller fit. Interestingly, from their point of view, it is more in line with the tailoring style.
Lucas and I tried a few models and he chose the roomy model. Gerald I liked the tapered one benjamin.
I’ve been trying wider leg jeans lately. Lot 2 stolen and Briceland 133 – And Jerald wanted to try it too, but I found it was too wide for me. But Lucas, who is taller than me and wears an overall wide fit, liked Gerald. He made it out of ecru denim.
The Benjamin I found falls between the two Bryceland models (133 and 133S) in terms of leg line, but is slightly straighter than the model through the thighs. What is the thigh and seat space? I especially need itIn fact, this Hiut model has more space than its predecessor. The Hiut is also higher than the two in back rise, which isn’t particularly necessary but others will appreciate.
Hiut is known for some of the colored details on its jeans, such as the red fly buttons with the owl logo and the unfinished red thread on the waistband that shows what the manufacturer last did to the jeans.
Personally, I’m not a fan of quirky details, but it’s possible to make jeans without them. Obviously, customers are much more likely to request a special version using a different color to put their own stamp on it.
I chose size 33/32, which is almost true to size. Lucas took it. 38/38This is also the size he expected. Looking back, he said he could have gone with a 36 waist, but it was a bit in between.
Along with the new mid-blue wash, Hiut (pronounced ‘high-utt’) will also be releasing a denim jacket for the fall, with some codes included in existing cuts.
“The plan is not to expand too much, but to offer some interesting things that customers have been asking about over the years,” says Johann.
I really hope it works. It would be great if the next chapter of this story was about Hiut successfully passing into new hands, adding something essential to the long-term survival of the manufacturing industry here.
They already had one good sign. “Right after Christmas I received an email from this nondescript address asking for my phone number,” says Johann. “To be honest, at first I wasn’t sure whether to give it or not, but then 20 minutes later the Assistant Secretary called Kate, Princess of Wales!”
It turned out that Kate was taking part in a program where she visits British manufacturers, particularly textiles, to support them, something King Charles always does wonders for.
“One of the best moments was when she met our head cutter, Claudio, who is now 76 years old and has been cutting here since he was 16,” says Johann. “He is currently in charge of training. We currently have five trainees. We hope he will help create the future of denim here too.”
