We recently had the pleasure of chatting with our friends at Folk. Long before our clogs were stocked at Folk we were fans and customers of theirs. We share the same love of quality design and an emphasis on slow living, good basics and sustainable practices. Folk's love of collaboration brought us together two years ago and we've loved working together since. The interview gave us the opportunity to look back at our own story and how our approach and ethos hasn't really changed since the day we first met. To see our line of clogs available at Folk click here.
"How did Kit+Clogs start? What is it about Clogs that you fell in love with?"
Sacha:
I have always loved and worn clogs. I wore them as a kid and then came back to them as a teen in the 90’s (I had a dark blue classic-style clog that I wore to death!) and then again in my late 20’s. I love the natural materials and the comfort and the look that completed every outfit I wore.
The business started after a casual conversation with a friend who had a side hustle importing clogs in small quantities to sell at markets. She was ready to call it a day but a spark went off in my head. I learned more about the family in Sweden who were hand-making her clogs and I saw the quality and craftsmanship of the shoes. I began to wonder if I could continue the work she had started.
I loved the idea of working with this family: helping them continue the tradition of their craft, creating this beautiful timeless footwear. This and all the other possibilities that went with it really excited me. I didn't really have a game plan, just ideas and a drive to do something really wonderful with this opportunity.
And so it began! I think it was about 6 months later Jess and I met.
Jess:
I was managing a vintage clothing shop in Brighton in 2016 when I met Sach. The first thing I saw was her shoes and I asked about them immediately. She told me the story and I just knew I had to sell them in the shop.
I didn’t grow up with clogs like Sach and I’d never really seen anything like that before. I fell in love at first sight. I saw so much potential in that kind of pure, raw design that has such longevity it just doesn’t need to change over time. I went down a rabbit hole learning about the history and cultural significance of clogs, not just in Sweden but the whole of Europe and the world. It was fascinating and I was hooked.
The clogs sold really well in the shop and Sach and I hit it off as friends straight away. Through talking and brainstorming we began to form a plan to grow the business together. My background is in Illustration and Graphic Design so I started branding the business and together we created an identity and a story for KIT + CLOGS STUDIO with the craft and the materials at the forefront.
"I’m really interested in your KIT + 2ECONDS initiative, can you tell us a bit about it and why being anti-waste is important to you?"
Sustainability is at the core of our business from how we source and treat our materials, to how we manage our production to how we package our products. We are always trying to find ways to reduce waste within our business. All our products are made using natural materials whose appearance varies. Every pair is made by hand and so one pair will be subtly different to the next. It’s what makes all our clogs unique.
Each pair carries the marks of its origin and the hands our makers. Any clogs that we produce that aren’t wearable go back into the heating of our Swedish workshop! Any clogs that have more aesthetic variation than usual but are totally wearable are made available to you through our KIT + 2ECONDS initiative.
Celebrating the non-uniformity of natural materials is what we’re all about. We are starkly against the cookie-cutter, mass-produced, fast-fashion landscape that’s striving for “perfection”. Instead we work with nature and embrace and showcase its differences. Each quirk has a story, connecting you with the talented hands that crafted your clogs and the trees that gifted their branches. Each purchase of our seconds is a choice that drives a more sustainable and craft-focused future for fashion.
"If you had one piece of advice for young women wanting to set up a business, what would it be?"
Try not to be too concerned with looking polished and professional all the time! You don’t have to fit into the mold that big corporates have set for businesses that dictate that you look well established and perfectly successful from day one. Ask for help, reach out to small business you admire and create a community, start collaborations. Don’t be afraid to be new or inexperienced. And show your face and all the chaos behind the scenes as you grow.
In a business like ours at least, we’ve found that what people really connect to is seeing real people doing real things. When you’re running a small business a lot of that is running around and making mistakes! Take your customers along on the journey with you, they’ll be cheering you on!
At the beginning we were running this business out of Sacha’s living room and it was like living in an igloo made of shoe boxes! We were trying to present this air that we were bigger and more organised than we were and it was so funny and hectic in reality. I wish now that we’d shown more of that like we do now. Now we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We show the reality of what we’re doing - it’s not always beautiful and organised but it’s real and we love it!
"What’s the best thing about what you do?"
Working with your best mates is pretty special. If we weren’t running the business together we’d still be hanging out every day: stealing each others clothes, swimming in the sea and sharing our lunches! We inspire each other in so many different ways and that shapes everything that we do at KIT + CLOGS. It’s pretty empowering to be able to celebrate the ideas and determination of your favourite people every day.
"Why do you think you and Folk are a good match?"
We were fans and customers of Folk long before we worked together. We share the same love of quality design - pieces that you return to season after season, year after year not just because they’ve lasted but because the style is totally timeless - and an emphasis on slow living, good basics and sustainable practices. Collaboration is such a powerful tool within the creative industries and Folk has always championed collaborations with businesses big and small. We love this so much. Artists and makers connecting with each other and supporting each other is what it should all be about.
"What’s next for you two? Do you have anything to plug?"
We’re excited to be going back to our roots and offering more in-person shopping experiences this year: Pop ups, markets and open studios. We love meeting our customers SO much and we’ve missed this side of the business over the last 3 years. Now our team is a tiny bit bigger we want to get out and see you all again! Keep your ears to our social and newsletter to hear where we’re popping up over the next year!