Chatting about running a slow, conscious business with Becky of Paynter Jacket Co.

Becky Odell and Huw Thomas are the masterminds behind Paynter Jacket Co. – a sustainable slow fashion brand who make all of their garments to order in limited runs. Each of their jackets is designed in East London and handmade in a small family-run factory in Portugal, hand-numbered on the label in the order that they are sold. Just four times a year, the duo open up their orders for new garments, completely reducing wastage by only making what they have pre-sold. It’s a genius model that has completely flipped the fashion industry on its head. We caught up with Becky to ask more about the brand and what challenges they face.

We love your small batch model and how you only release limited edition jackets four times a year. How do you keep true to this model and avoid the temptation to produce more regularly, especially when you have your fanbase waiting to purchase?

Thank you! We make around four Batches per year and have done for over five years now, always keeping true to our core principles of making to order, and never overproducing.

We make to order because our industry is an incredibly wasteful one. By making only what we need and never having surplus stock, we’ve been able to prove that there’s another way to run an independent clothing business. The model is very purposely restricted, and by setting out a clear set of rules for ourselves to follow, we have the time to design, test and make just a few garments each year that will stand the test of time, both in terms of trend and functionality. When we make a Batch, we’re making just one style at a time, in a handful of colours, across a full size range for everyone who’d like one and doesn’t mind waiting while we make to order. 

Doing it this way means we have time to take our customers behind the scenes, virtually showing everyone their jackets being made for them via weekly update videos from the factory. If we made large collections multiple times a year, we wouldn’t have time to put our samples to the test and know what could be improved, let alone give our customers a deep and exciting experience while their order is made.

How do you find working with your partner? Are there any challenges? And do you have any advice for anyone else thinking of launching a business with their partner?

Ha, it’s definitely not for every couple, but it really works for us! We are both very calm and considered, and while we’ve got very different skills, we’ve always been incredibly well aligned on what we wanted Paynter to be. It was critical from the start that we were building a company we never wanted to sell, that we love working in everyday, and is a small and creative company. If either of us had wanted to raise investment and run a company with layers of management and stores globally, it was never going to work. 

My parents have always worked together, and Huw had worked for a couple before starting Paynter too, so we both had good examples of partners working together and thriving. If you’re thinking of running a company with your partner, consider how well aligned your goals are. Ideally you’ve got complimentary skills, you’ll both need to work incredibly hard, and if you’re both generalists (especially at the beginning) then you can work on it as a side project at the beginning without making any extra hires. We kept Paynter as a side project for a year while we were developing our first jacket and the business plan, and that meant not putting too much pressure on the business or our relationship too soon while we were still very much figuring out what we were building. 

What were you both doing prior to launching Paynter?

Huw was working for Hiut Denim in West Wales, working with the founders David and Clare on everything from product design to marketing and running workshops too.

After studying textiles and fashion management, I went to work for Nike in the marketing department, and while it was an incredibly exciting company to be a part of, I was craving something smaller. While starting Paynter I was working at It’s Nice That’s creative agency, Anyways Creative, while spending my evenings and weekends tinkering away on our side project. 

What challenges do you face as a business making sustainable clothing?

Never having enough time! We’re a team of two and making in Batches is almost like running an events company in the way that there is a build up of excitement before a launch, followed by a making journey and finally, all our customers receive their orders all at the same time. It is wonderful to have those peaks and troughs, but the peaks bring with them a surge in workload that can often find us on our laptops at the weekend! We’re always trying to find a better balance.

What do you love the most about running a slow, conscious business?

Being a team of two means doing everything from the design to the customer service (not to mention a lot of other things in between), so we get to talk directly to our customers which I love.

From a product perspective, running at a slower pace means we can really take our time to get a product just right before we put it into production. It sounds simple, but having no investors means there is no pressure on us to make something ‘just because’. If a product needs another round of samples to improve the quality or fit, we’ll take our time and delay the launch until it’s ready. Then, getting customer’s feedback once those orders arrive is so exciting and always proves that taking the extra time was worthwhile.

We’re making a Harris Tweed overcoat at the moment and our first customers have just started receiving their coats – thankfully the feedback has been wonderful!

How has the power of community driven Paynter’s success?

Community is really very important to us. Making and selling just four times a year means there is a lot of time when we don’t have anything to say, and we love to celebrate other makers and ideas in our newsletters, rather than just talk about ourselves!  It could involve celebrating the makers and businesses around us, or even organising meet ups so customers can get together and meet like-minded folks.

What other slow and sustainable British brands do you admire?

Genevieve Sweeney!! Kingsley Walters, Alec Doherty jewellery, Francli, Carnwear knits, Cawley, Toast, Margaret Howell, Grenson, Merchant & Mills, Bug … I could go on, there are so many brilliant small and bigger British brands! 

Find out more about Paynter on their website.