We recently caught up with Gabby from Cool As Leicester Ahead of our John lewis Leicester Pop Up shop, here's how it went down.
How would you describe Klatch Co?
Klatch: (noun) - an informal social gathering at which coffee is served. We are an accessories brand creating affordable high quality products whilst also creating a conversation around Men’s Mental health. That’s why we donate 10% of our profits to Movember Charity. It’s super important for brands to have a social message.
What’s happening with the John Lewis pop up?
John Lewis are giving smaller brands the opportunity to showcase their products in store with a weeks long pop up shop. Now that John Lewis stocks brands like Carhartt WIP, Dickies and Levis, all the brands that inspire us, it’s great to be able to put our product along side those brands in store.
We will be located on the first floor at the bottom of the escalators (the same entrance as the walk through from the Highcross shopping centre).
What items will people be able to buy?
Our new AW23 beanie and sock collection will be available, along with our five panel and snapback cap collections, bags and a very limited edition t-shirt…
We do have some bundle offers available ready for the festive season, beanie + sock and cap + sock combos. They come in a wrapped branded box - not quite Rowan Atkinson in Love Actually level, if you know the reference.
What makes your items unique?
All our products are cut & sew, which means they are made for us direct from our manufactured to the specs we provide, we don’t use any blanks. Blanks serve a purpose in the fashion world but for me it was about creating a high quality product from the start, using the best manufacturers out there. I’m proud to say that our socks are made locally in Leicester.
Why is it important for people to continue supporting local independents in the fashion scene?
Supporting local independents in fashion sustains unique creativity, it’s builds a local community and provides a lifestyle that locals can be involved in. It contributes to our local economy too, for example, when you buy a pair of socks that are made here in Leicester, the money is going straight back into the City, the more we sell the more we order, our sock manufacturer can grow their business, they can grow their work force and so on…
Where would your dream Klatch Co pop up be?
We would love to have a shipping container that we could move from place to place… but Leicester would be the first stop on the list. Super proud to be from this City - it’s fashion heritage runs within our family. Outside of Leicester it would New York or LA, a big contrast but we get a lot of inspiration from 90’s hip-hop artists coming from those areas.
What is your favourite item in your collection?
Our new Lenox Black five panel cap - it’s the heaviest cotton canvas fabric cap we’ve made so far, it’s durable, the design is clean, it can go with any outfit and is super comfy. Socks come very close second though, life’s too short to wear bad socks so you will always catch us repping our own.
What is your favourite thing about Leicester’s creative scene?
The collaborations. The creative industry as a whole is collaborative but the reason we stayed around this City is because it’s got some of the best people to collaborate with. The coffee shops that support us (shout out to Saints of Mokha for fuelling us with the best coffee), barber shops that stock us and the community of loyal customers we are building that mainly come from the creative industry. Our clean simple designed products really speaks to this audience.
What’s news for Klatch Co?
We would love to put on our own skate and music festival. Where people can shop the brand, have a game of skate, have a safe space to talk about mental health and just be together. The importance of bringing people together at this time is needed. We want goods vibes, great coffee and incredible conversations. Watch this space…