Persevere with Values || Becky Okell and Huw Thomas of Paynter Jackets

Up With The Lark And

Welcome to the latest in the series on perseverance - whatever creative industry you are in or whatever stage your career is at, whether you are starting up or scaling up, perseverance is the name of the game.
And in this episode we are going to delve into 'persevering with your values'. If you have worked with me, you'll know about y frankly obsessive preoccupation with values. That might be defining them, refining them, nurturing them, communicating them, protecting them and, to be honest, just sticking by them!
There is always so much to distract and dissuade us from this approach to business and never more than now. And yet today's guests seem to step further into their value driven approach with each new season and challenge.
They are Becky Okell and Huw Thomas, founders of Paynter Jacket. They make limited edition jackets sold in 'batches' four times a year. They release hundreds of jackets in each batches that sell out in minutes, if not seconds. But this is no hype brand. This is about bringing meaning back to clothing and changing what it means to be sustainable. This no-waste business model is certainly the business model of the future and one I often use as a case study with clients.
I have watched them from afar and marvelled at what they have built. Then the day before recording, they proved my hunch right. I sent them an invitation to be on the podcast and their response was swift, insightful and uplifting. And just when I thought spontaneity had left us forever, we recorded this episode just 24 hours later.
They are spontaneous, obsessed with learning, are all about community, transparency and being uncompromising in all areas of the business. They describe running their business as 'one long conversation' and I hope that you will enjoy a moment to hear a snippet of that wonderful dialogue between two extraordinary founders.