When Britain’s largest surviving jeans factory in Cardigan, Wales, shut down in 2002 one in 10 local people lost their jobs. Nine years later, entrepreneur David Hieatt set about re-establishing the town’s denim legacy and launched his business Hiut Denim.
Hieatt, originally from the South Wales valleys, wanted to harness the denim craftsmanship of a town that had been making jeans for 40 years. “Between our 16 employees we have 200 years of knowledge of making great jeans,” he says. And so far, it’s paying off. “We’re growing and we’re profitable. Things are going in the right direction.”
Something that sets Hiut apart from other brands is that all its jeans are made from raw denim. Jean production’s biggest impact on the planet is through washing and ironing, so by not processing the jeans in this way, the environmental impact is greatly reduced. And as the CEO of Levi’s recently confirmed, denim really doesn’t need to be washed.
However, the first time you wear raw denim, it can be stiff and uncomfortable. To solve this problem, along came Hiut’s denim breakers. Fresh pairs of Hiut jeans are sent to breakers across the world, to wear them in over six months. They’re told not to wash them until the time is up, then wash and send them back to the factory. Hiut sells on the broken in jeans, and the breaker takes a 20% cut. Buyers, meanwhile, enjoy free repairs for life and are encouraged to join the no wash club.
Facebook and Instagram have both been vital to showcasing Hiut’s unusual denim breaker community, and, in turn, growing brand awareness. Hiut has fans across the world – 20% of its annual sales are to outside the UK (10% to Europe and 10% to the US) and most come through these channels. Connecting with people online and nurturing those relationships has become an integral part of their success.
“Facebook is probably the second most important tool we have, the sewing machine being number one,” says Hieatt. “I was a bit cautious about whether Facebook would work, but now I’m a complete convert: I know it does.
“We spent all our marketing budget on coffee machines [instead]. When I tell people that they laugh, but we did.”
Hieatt praises the power of a Facebook page and Facebook ads for pulling in sales, which he keeps track of through his website. He explains that the platform has helped him understand who his target audience is and what they like. He can then find them and lookalike audiences via Facebook’s interest filters.
“If they’re into great jeans, they’re into great coffee and if they’re into great coffee, they’re probably into craft beer. [On Facebook] you can go and tell them about your product. It’s one of the most powerful advertising tools on the planet right now.”
Facebook has also been a space for Hiut to share videos, from short films of its jeans being made, to humorous clips such as a drone taking flight over the ocean, a pair of jeans in tow, and calls to action, urging customers to take part in #worldnowashday.
Instagram has also been a great tool for branding. The platform itself made a film of one of the company’s projects, but on Hiut Denim’s own page, they’ve been able to highlight their craftsmanship; images include its sewing machines, denim being dyed indigo, its new designs and the scenery on its team’s travels.
He says you can make great videos using an iPhone, and Hieatt has also pulled in favours from friends, so the budget has been small. But he’s found video effective as a medium. “They are a really powerful tool in terms of telling your story because people are happy to watch a two minute film.”
Hieatt took on an intern, Huw Thomas, to get the business started on social media. He quickly excelled at the task and Hieatt hired him full-time and to help build the business’s global community.
“We live in that global shop now and our aim is to start a global denim company,” says Hieatt. Brand Britain is also an important selling point for the company: it plays on the expectation that UK manufacturing is of high quality. Plus, if you’re living in Europe or the US, it’s now cheaper to buy jeans from the UK.
While Thomas works on Hiut’s content, Hieatt focuses on the brand’s number one mission – to make great jeans. It’s that quality which he believes is driving the company’s growth. Each month, sales have been growing by 25%, compared to the same month in the previous year. “We just do one thing well, like crazy well,” Hieatt says. “That, if you do persevere, is kind of interesting.”
Content on this page is paid for and produced to a brief agreed with Facebook sponsor of the Guardian Small Business Network Connected for Success hub.
