BRANDS
From concept to reality Finding clothing that fits right, is functional and looks the part can be a struggle – especially for many women. But rarely do people address that problem by starting a business. How did Bole go from a concept to creating Vaela and launching the first product? “For us, it was a very steep learning curve, but we got some really brilliant advisors on board in Nick Hussey and Judith Tolley,” she says. “We found someone who does clothing design and someone who did production so we outsourced those two things
that we knew literally nothing about. “Then we did a survey with 400 to 500 women who cycle
and asked them what the pain points were and what the dream outcome would be.” Feedback led Vaela to create a pair of jeans, a jacket and a bag – all with the aim of looking good while addressing those common pain points. After multiple samples throughout Covid – which presented its own challenges – the brand commenced 25 wear trials on the jeans and a jacket. “We discovered things that were really working about them but also things that weren’t,” says Bole. “We took the feedback, iterated the design and made 100 of
each.” One challenge of production was working with denim – a
material notorious for being stiff. This is due to the use of a twill weave, which makes it different from the simple up-and- down pattern commonly found in cotton fabrics. “We really liked denim because it’s so universal, but its thickness makes it really uncomfortable on a bike, so it did need some stretch,” says Bole. As a result, Vaela added 3% of degradable elastane to give the product some much-needed flexibility. Aside from materials, Vaela’s product designer spent a long time considering how to optimise the material by placing panels of fabric in a certain way and changing the cut. “The biggest pain point that we got back from our survey was the seam that you sit on, where all the bits of denim meet,” explains Bole.
Lots of brands utilise a diamond gusset but Vaela decided to address this by using a single panel of fabric. This panel
44 | April 2024
runs along the complete inside length of both legs and has no seams, reducing discomfort when riding. A waist cut higher at the back and on a curve improves comfort and fit, and also avoids “bum-cleavage”.
Sustainability
As a sustainability professional with 30 years experience, making a product that doesn’t leave a negative footprint was important to Bole. “We’re a B Corp now and that all interweaves with the design process – such as only using degradable elastane,” she says.
“I think it’s easier if the business’ objective is sustainable from the outset. Backstitching is less easy. “For us it’s easy because we’re tiny, we set out to be sustainable, and we have quite hard red lines.” To support this, Vaela has taken fundamental decisions such as using organic cotton – which can be traced back to the farm – as well as degradable elastane. Each product is also manufactured in Europe to reduce unnecessary air miles. Beyond keeping tabs on environmental impact, Vaela has a proactive with social responsibility. Fulfillments are done by a social enterprise that’s staffed by people with learning difficulties and autism. And the brand has created a musette bag with Fabric
Works, a social enterprise in East London. Fabric Works offers holistic support to staff and students that work and learn with them. Free training programmes teach local women sewing skills. The enterprise also supports women into work, many undertaking commissions, costed at the London Living Wage. Vaela has also collaborated with Elvis & Kresse to manufacture belts made from damaged, decommissioned London fire-hoses, otherwise destined for landfill.
Next steps
With a passion for the product and an eye on sustainable practices, Vaela and Bole have the foundations to build on an already successful foundation. “We’ve [got] 100% five star reviews on the jacket and the jeans,” she says. “We’ve had three returns, mostly from a style perspective. We do get constructive feedback from people who don’t buy them by interviewing those people.” Bole has plans to expand the product line to include more styles, shorts and options for lighter weight denim. Partnering with retailers is also on the horizon with Vaela already available at VeloVixen as it aligns with the brand’s ambitions
In short, the growth model is a simple one. “We want to grow – not slowly – but at enough of a pace so that we don’t waste too much time.”
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