HAN ATES (03) FOUNDER, BLACKHORSE LANE ATELIERS

When we started Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, our conviction was to tell our history and our professional heritage through jeans. We are very fortunate to be based in London, a place with garment-making heritage that spans centuries. However, producing in London – one of the world’s most expensive cities – we were aware that we couldn't easily compete with the prices of garments manufactured in other countries. The only way to do it was through quality and design, and so we have put all our knowledge as tailors into the jeans. What that meant was a simple, clean, smart finish. But this was not enough; we also had to develop a set of beliefs and values: quality, community and connectivity.

QUALITY: We believe that we are making the best jeans in the world through our tailoring knowledge. With that we also give a lifetime repair guarantee.

COMMUNITY: We have an open-door policy where the public can drop in anytime they want. We also regularly host workshops/masterclasses and through those we teach others how to make jeans. We do collaborations with other makers and, as a result, London designers can now proudly produce made-in-London jeans.

CONNECTIVITY: When you combine quality and community, you create connectivity which, in turn, creates accountability.