UK What: Knitwear | Men,Women | Style: classic, urban sailor | Category: Talent
We created Old Harry to do one thing perfectly; knitwear.
This dedication means we make sure that all the little details are laboured over and that we design and create products of superior quality.
Our love of knitwear originates from our childhood spent on the British seaside. We spent many happy days wrapped up warm in our parents old vintage jumpers.
Whether swimming in the chilly sea or walking on the blustery cliff tops a good quality jumper was a must have.
Old Harry is named after the rock stack that stands at the end of Studland Bay in Poole in Dorset. The rocks are the namesake of an infamous local pirate called Harry Paye who was famous for adventure and plunder on the high seas.
It’s said he used to hide his loot among the caves that now bear his name. Some say it’s still there – if you look hard enough.
We are lucky that we used to go on holiday around such a beautiful part of the British Coast. There are so many stunning beaches, rock formations and outlooks, it’s generally a pretty inspirational place.
As with most places by the coast it gets a little cold in the evening, even in Summer. Our first collection which is here to stay, is a reflection of our favourite childhood jumpers.
We avoid the ephemeral wherever possible. We want to create the best cotton, lambswool, aran knit jumpers out there. We will put our own mark on each without adorning them with unnecessary frills.
Our Navy Cotton is a best seller and certainly I wear mine all the time. However, personally I would have to say the Deep Sky Blue Lambswool, the colour is so striking and I think it really embodies the OH spirit; reminiscent of those cloudless skies by the coast and comfortable to boot.
We pick a style of jumper and figure out how we are going to put our own spin on it. Generally we don’t let seasonal styles dictate our process, though they have some bearing. Once we have an idea in mind we sit down with our amazing designer Greg and we put it onto screen.
Once we’re happy with the outcome, we meet with our manufacturers to discuss the design and any potential limitations we have to work around. Once everyone is agreed, we get the swatches made, and check that the colours and the weave match the design, then we move onto the sampling stage.
Having untrammelled access to our designer and manufacturer is imperative as it keeps the process as succinct as possible. We would hope to have our final garment after 2 or 3 stages of sampling, however if it takes longer then we are prepared for it.
We would never release a jumper that we are not completely happy with.
We were great friends growing up and had always had it mind to work together in some sense. Fortunately we got to a point in our lives where we could commit the time and devotion into launching OH.
Growing up we always used to ‘borrow’ our Dad’s jumpers as they were so much more comfortable and wearable than anything we could find aimed at us. Our aim was to create our own versions of these jumpers along with a brand that was accessible and easy to relate to.
It has to be a British Wool. Although it has not featured in our initial lines you will soon see it take its rightful place within our collection. It epitomises much of what we strive to represent. Durable and tough and it has been used in some of the most seminal knitted garments.
Think of Steve McQueen chilling in the dune buggy in The Thomas Crown Affair in his Creme Aran jumper and you’ll be on the right lines.
I can’t speak for the others but I actually qualified as a commercial pilot before Old Harry launched. OH was originally destined to be a side project for me but it quickly became something I wanted involved in on a daily basis.
We are based in an open plan office with a few other start-ups and consequently the atmosphere is pretty vibrant. There are always new ideas being floated (some stronger than others!) It really doesn’t feel like going to work!
It’s probably around 10am when my business partner and I head out for a coffee.
The first hour or so of the day is always pretty hectic, answering emails, verifying stock levels etc. so it’s nice to have a chance to reflect.
We talk a bit of business but it’s mostly a chance to catch up outside of this. I reckon most people would enjoy being able to have a coffee with their best mate on a daily basis so we’re really fortunate in that respect.