A day in the life

Tell us about yourself, your brand and how the idea for your business came about…

I studied [Fashion Design and Development] at the London College of Fashion, and the idea for the business came about from my graduate collection. I focused on soft tailoring and elegant pieces, in particular shirts (sometimes it can be quite hard to find a good women’s shirt), with sustainable fabrics. I was inspired by the traditional tailors on Savile Row and the whole heritage of shirt making, but I wanted to make shirts that were a little bit more casual and wearable. [This meant] going for timeless designs – shirts I’d be able to wear year on year but that still felt quite modern.

Describe the process of designing your first collection of shirts…

I chose to do five designs for the first collection. I wanted each shirt to have quite a specific point of difference, and that came down to really looking at the cuts. I had one shirt that was very classic, sitting right on the shoulder, and one that was a boyfriend [style], without the collar, a bit roomier and with a drop shoulder. I wanted to create a really well-rounded range, something for every kind of moment: for the weekend, work, going out for drinks, or to wear over the top of everything. Our overshirt has been our bestseller.

Run us through a typical day in your shoes…

7am: I get up and do yoga and meditation for 10 or 20 minutes. It really helps me get in the zone and gets my body feeling ready for the day.

7.45am: I have breakfast and then cycle to the studio. I love my cycle in the morning. It wakes me up and gives me a good amount of thinking time.

8.30am: When I get to the studio, I’ll make a coffee. If one of the girls is in, we’ll catch up before we get into things.

9am: I have marketing and team meetings, and those are very collaborative. I really value the opinions of my colleagues; it’s always nice to work together and come up with new ideas.

If I’m designing, we’ll put some nice music on. I’m loving soulful hip hop and anything that is quite chilled but with a little bit of a beat to it, just to keep me going. I also listen to a lot of music by female artists. At the moment, I’m really enjoying Macy Gray and Lauryn Hill.

Sketching and designing is my favourite part of the day. I love picking out fabrics and looking at the swatches and how they fit together as a mood board. I’ve got a white wall next to me where I’ll pin everything that I’m interested in – it’s constantly evolving.

12.30pm: My colleagues and I always have lunch together. If I’m on my own, I actually don’t; I often take a walk around Victoria Park.

1.30pm: No meetings in the afternoon. We get stuck into the actual work. If I’m sampling, I’ll have the sewing machine and ironing board out and, again, music on in the background. It’s quite meditative and focused work.

6pm: My colleagues leave. I cycle home, get changed and go for a run.

7.30pm: I put music on and cook. I like roasted vegetables with some sort of grain, feta or halloumi, tahini dressing, greens and maybe seeds and nuts.

8pm: In the evening, my brain needs time to not have too much stimulation. I read, catch up with friends and maybe do a bit of work.

10.30pm: I love listening to the Slo Mo podcast by Mo Gawdat before I go to sleep. It’s very calming and positive – I’d really recommend it.

Do you have a favourite out of all of the pieces you’ve designed so far?

My personal favourite changes all the time. At the moment, I’m bringing back the worker trousers, which I wear the most because they’re so practical. From the most recent collection, I love the René jacket, which is very classic and a little bit smarter – more like a blazer. It’s essentially a fitted jacket, but we’ve lowered the armhole to give you a little bit of extra room. We’ve also lowered the neckline so the collar sits a bit lower, which makes a subtle statement. It’s also got welt pockets which are very traditional, but we’ve added extra stitching detail around them to make it more modern.

How would you describe the Henri customer?

They’ve got a quiet, timeless style – they’re not trend-driven. They wear good quality pieces, they don’t shop that often, they buy one or two pieces every so often and really take care of them. We did a customer survey recently which showed our customers are very conscious about sustainability and ethics. They’re also very community-driven.

What type of person are you?

I’m quite outgoing and fairly confident. I take people’s opinions very seriously – I really like to collaborate and listen. I’m positive, I always like to have a laugh, but I am very driven and hardworking. In the last year, I’ve definitely been so much more balanced. I haven’t let the pandemic crush me – the focus is still there.

You went to a lot of seminars and workshops on how to start your own business before you founded Henri. What were some of the key lessons you learnt?

Those seminars and workshops taught me a lot about the importance of finding your point of difference, how to structure setting up your business, how to plan for it and what to think about. Those are the kind of things that are written about in books, but there’s something about going along to a workshop and hearing someone talk about it that gets you a bit more motivated. It was quite good networking, hearing about other small businesses and finding out where they’re selling their things and how they’re getting started. It was very varied – it wasn’t fashion-specific, and it was such a good support system.

What or who is your greatest inspiration?

A lot of my energy and determination comes from my parents because they’ve always been really ambitious and hard working. They’ve been really encouraging of me as well. What keeps me driving forward is building a good life for myself: creative freedom and creating really beautiful things. Recently, Mo Gawdat has also been a positive influence. He’s been a constant voice and is actually affecting my decision-making and life balance.

www.henri.london