I never knew I would share so many things in common with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Taylor Swift, Zoe Saldana or even Meryl Streep, but since August 2020 I own a small collection of jackets from one of their favourite designers: Katherine Hooker. I was lucky to interview her during the summer, and in this article, you will find an interview where she tells us her story, as well as a photoshoot where I show you part of her latest collection, which you can sneak peek clicking the pictures below:
I first found Katherine's brand scrolling down my instagram feed and I immediately fell in love with her designs. I became a bit tired of buying coats at big retailers a year ago, so since last winter I have only bought coats in small and exclusive boutiques in London which believe in Slow Fashion as much as I do. We currently live in an age where there are officially more than 50 seasons (Yes, the likes of Zara and H&M work on a 50+ season base) and they have killed the traditional concept of fashion which I grew up with.
But thanks to people like Katherine, we still can find coats and jackets that last forever and which can be worn by women like us, who live in the city but spend a lot of time in the countryside. Here is her story and some of the reasons why I decided to write about her:
1.When did you found Katherine Hooker?
I designed and made my first coat in February 2003. I founded the company over 17 years ago in July 2003 and in 2005 I opened my London shop in Chelsea.
2.Why did you start your brand?
I’d been working as an art director in film and television and I was frustrated that I couldn’t be as creative as I would have liked. I wanted to do my own thing without having to answer to a director or a lead actor or a producer.
3. Who wears your clothes?
We have such a wide variety of customers. I would say that all our customers are discerning in their taste and have an eye for integral beauty. Our styles are designed for the modern woman, dressing for both city and country. We have a few notable customers: The Duchess of Cambridge, Yoko Ono, Taylor Swift, Meryl Streep, the Countess of Wessex, Zoe Saldana, Kelly Rutherford, Jerry Hall, Emilia Fox, Pippa Middleton, Zara Philips, Jemma Kidd, Cat Deeley and budding star Hermione Corfield.
4.What makes your clothes so unique and elegant?
My clothes are classic, wearable and beautifully cut. We specialise in our core products, coats and jackets, which allows us put an exceptional focus on perfecting our patterns. Each year we launch two curated seasonal collections, introducing an array of beautiful and unique fabrics. Since our designs are so timeless we often feature the same style season after season, only refreshed in a new fabric. Overall I think the uniqueness of the brand comes down to the fact that we are designing and making the products with longevity in mind, a concept which seems to be lost in this strange world of fast fashion.
5.There are a lot of brands which have been obliged to close down due to Covid19, however your brand seems to be stable and you are still up and running, what do you think has been key for you to survive Covid 19?
A few key factors have helped us over the past few months. We have always made our pieces here in our London workshop and mostly on a made to order basis. As each order is made individually it has given us exceptional flexibility in such a volatile time. However, I think mainly it is our loyal customers that have really seen us through, and although we had to close our London shop we were able to continue to take orders online. We have always had close relationships with our customers over email or phone, eg sending out fabric swatches all over the world in order to help them make final decisions was our norm so we weren’t necessarily having to cope with something new.
6. A lot of brands are now only selling online, how is KH adapting to online sales?
Online coupled with the best possible customer service is the holy grail for me. We built our first ecommerce platform in 2007 and it’s been evolving ever since. For the 3 years building up to Covid, we had been working particularly hard on increasing online sales which has resulted in a big uplift in sales which has continued during Covid.
7. Where do you see KH in 5 years time?
My dream would be to have a really strong online business where most of our sales come from a beautiful flag ship shop in London where customers can come and get the full custom-made service or buy from the ready-to-wear collection. For a small company we have quite a far reach with many customers all over the world mostly in the US, Japan, Canada, Australia, Germany, Scandinavia. I have the exact company that I want, I would just like it to continue to grow organically as it has always done over the years.
8. What inspired you for the AW Collection?
All of our AW collections are a range of curated pieces that stand beautifully together, and while we always keep an eye on the collection as a whole, we tend to work on every piece individually. Each piece will have a story or a purpose to fulfil. There always seems to be one particular piece that sticks in my head over all the others and this year it would be the Capelet coat.
9. Favourite KH piece of all times?
The favourite piece for me is the Artist jacket - I just had one made for myself in a beautiful blue linen which I love. I also love the Hacking jacket, a classic blazer that has been a staple in both summer and winter over the years. For the customers, I love the elegance of the Elliott coat and the versatility of the Patmos jacket.
Katherine arranges private events around the world, in venues or homes of her clients, so if you can't visit their shop in London and are still interested in having a look and try on her collection with your friends, get in touch with info@katherinehooker.com.
And for those of you who have the opportunity to go shopping in London, next time you are in Chelsea, make sure you stop by this corner:
For more information and online shopping visit: www.katherinehooker.com