About
- Philosophy
​
- Made of Scotland
- Our Story
​
- The name
​
- Transparency
Philosophy.
HAAR's purpose is to build a brand of trust; operating with complete transparency to develop functional, aesthetically beautiful, ethically and sustainably made contemporary menswear which is built to withstand the test of time through excellent workmanship and by only using the highest quality materials.
Made of
Scotland.
A HAAR garment is hand crafted in Scotland with care and attention.
We are passionate about championing local mills, makers, suppliers and businesses in order to retain a pure artisanal honesty and help support and rejuvenate the UK manufacturing industry which is on the verge of being lost to a mass-produced fashion industry.
Our garments are inspired by the varied and symbolic landscape and the culture which surrounds us. From the rolling heather-covered hills, lonely mountain ranges and rugged coastlines, to the rich, multi-layered history which lies in the land, castles, towns and the people who live there.
Our story.
Founded in October 2016 with very limited funds and no outside investment, HAAR set out with one main self-imposed constraint; to manufacture locally in order to have control over the entire process from concept to completion ensuring the highest quality product.
We launched our first collection in October 2018 and have since continued to build the brand slowly and organically. Today, HAAR is an agile, independent company owned and run by husband and wife duo, Darren and Jessica Seymour who work alongside some of the most talented makers, craftspeople, artisans, mills and factories who share our values and beliefs.
Our backgrounds lie in the creative and menswear industries and HAAR is the realisation of a dream to run a successful small business which puts quality and ethics at the fore of all operations. We continue to develop the brand which reflects our fundamental core values that remain close to our hearts and we hope, the ideals of our valued and cherished customers.
As a small business we have the luxury of being able to focus on quality-over-quantity. We currently manufacture small, carefully considered stock items and also offer selected made to order garments which enables us to experiment with a variety of fabrics and styles. This approach also reduces waste as we don't carry excess stock. We don't follow the fashion calendar, we trickle release our collections throughout the year in response to demand.
​
HAAR does not conform to passing trends and the constant churn of fast fashion, but rather, offers a functional, beautiful product which holds its value and we hope, with time, becomes an 'old favourite'.
Our no-compromise approach obviously comes at a cost; our prices reflect our high standards. We price our products fairly and we do not inflate our margin like traditional fashion brands. Our customers value our dedication to supporting local businesses, paying a fair wage to our workers and our ethical and sustainable production methods which result in a product they know is the highest of quality and will be a worthwhile investment and last years to come.
​
Our ambitions are to grow the business organically; slowly but continually expanding our collection and adjusting our approaches in order to make our designs a reality and more accessible for our customers, releasing products we love.
We have been astonished and humbled by the support that HAAR has received since following this path less travelled. We want to extend our thanks to you, our
customers, for the incredible and positive response you have graciously given HAAR and for entrusting our small brand and spending your hard earned money on a product which are the result of many hours weeks and months of research, development and execution.
​
The Name.
What's in a name? HAAR was not developed overnight
and the name was something we were sitting on for a while. We loved the way it looked down on paper, the symmetry of it and the compactness of the word.
The name HAAR is inspired by the unrelenting sea fog ('haar') of the same name which often envelopes the North East of Scotland (the region which we live and Jessica was born). It makes the familiar and mundane appear differently, beyond recognition. It forces you to focus only on what is in front of you and ignore that which has passed and is inconsequential, eliminating all non-essential forms, features and concepts. The 'haar' is not deterred by obstacles or bound by conventions. In the 'haar' all distractions are removed.
For our branding we wanted a word-mark which would not distract from the product allowing the garment to be the focus. The capitalised form, rather than 'shouting' the word, instead gives a strong, stable and reliable appearance. Lastly, the kerning on the letters give the mark a sense of space and lightness which further allow it to sit without vying for attention.
Transparency.
We are passionate about everything that goes into the entire process leading to the execution of the final, completed garment.
Starting with thorough initial research; a stage which is never overlooked, All of our garments are cut & sew. That is to say; you will never be presented with a re-labelled mass-produced 'blank'.
Next in the process, design and development. Our idea takes shape and we spend a lot of time tweaking and adjusting as required.
Then we source the fabrics, materials and hardware which will perform to the highest levels and according to the garments use. Beyond selection based solely on performance, we take the look and feel into careful consideration.
​
Finally, (in the most simplistic sense with the minutia removed for the readers benefit) comes the
manufacturing stage where we work tirelessly with our highly-skilled seamstresses and tailors to construct garments that fulfil their purpose.
The two of us work on every aspect of the business including everything outside of the garments; this includes the day to day running, accounts, admin,
e-commerce, marketing, photography, social media etc... ​It is something we enjoy, we use the skills we have picked up during our formative years in study and work but are continually learning. At the moment, we wouldn't have it any other way, we are able to build a brand which reflects all our values in the way we believe it deserves.