Why did you launch a clothing brand inspired by the equestrian world? “I started horse riding very late in life [early 20s] and took up the sport to overcome my fear of animals. It quickly became a passion and I started obsessing about everything related to the sport, in particular the clothes. I did a lot of research to see what was on the market and discovered that there was a space for something well crafted, comfortable and functional.”
What do you bring to the market that is new or different? “Equestrian sportswear is very conventional in terms of attire and distribution. I’ve always loved beautiful things since I was young so I wanted to do something creative and different ... functional, classic style and aesthetics, at the same time very comfortable.”
Why target the luxury end of the market? “It’s not like I don’t like mass products, but I like to go into a brand and know the story and craftsmanship behind it. I am a luxury brand because of the materials and factories I use.”
What is the idea behind the clothes? “The equestrian look has always been jacket, shirt and pants. I wanted to create clothes not just for sports but also for everyday life. You can wear all our items on and off the field. For example, our classic white shirt is great for a horse show, but it can work for the office, too. Our jackets are classic but also come in brocade or with a mesh back, or in a sporty version with four buttons. We also have other lifestyle pieces such as polos, pants and knits that have all the technical components – they are non-crease and are woven with silver fibres for anti-bacterial properties.”
What has been the biggest challenge in your journey so far? “It is not difficult to be a fashionable sports brand – everyone is doing it and some better than others, such as Stella McCartney with Adidas. At the same time it’s not difficult to bring a fashion element to sports. What’s hard is being a fashion brand that has function and intellect in the product. This concept of exquisite performance wear is so new. The equestrian segment loves it, but some fashion retailers find us too horsey. With athleisure on the rise, that will change slowly. We are definitely doing this at the right time and our fashion element makes us unique.”
What are you working on next? “We are creating a fashion capsule for spring-summer 2018 and speaking with a few online retailers for an exclusive. The theme will be dressage and it will launch using the see-now, buy-now model. I would also love to do children’s wear at some point. For me, what we are doing is breaking the mould.”
