A grey and drizzly summer day is London is brightened by the sight of Clara Francis and Tania Hindmarch.
Both are dressed in pieces by their own joy-filled brand that can uplift any spirit.
Tania and Clara's label, O Pioneers, was born out of a love for designing and creating clothes for themselves and each other. But with growing interest from those around them, they decided to share their creations with the world.
© Instagram / @o_pioneersukI made my way to their textile factory in Tottenham, part of a complex of small creative businesses including milliners and fabric makers. Alyona has been working in textiles all her life, from helping her mother who also ran a factory, to carrying on the family tradition with a company of her own that she set up just before the pandemic in 2020. Alyona's small team of talented seamsters work with independent brands from all around the UK including Good Squish, Molly Goddard and Beyond Nine, all paid a fair London living wage and part of a dying industry in this country that used to be a huge part of the economy. During the pandemic, Alyona’s team made face masks, including ones for O Pioneers made from their offcuts.
Both Tania and Clara explain that "One of the driving forces behind setting up O Pioneers was 'being slow and sustainable'. We wanted to create a brand with authenticity, that focused on quality, crafts(wo)manship and utilising the skills we have right here in the UK and London specifically."
O Pioneers makes limited runs of their vintage-inspired frocks, skirts and shirts, all made from "high-quality seamstressing, patchworking, appliqueing, knitting" so that each customer feels special and also reduces waste. I noticed first-hand in the factory the way Clara and Tania were bouncing ideas off each other, for instance of ways to use archive rolls of material they had; thinking about that specific moment in time with matters like the weather and what customers might be wanting to buy.
This is an important difference from collections that are made a year in advance with no idea of what the weather might be swaying people towards. Clara and Tania also visit the factory often and it was clear they had an honest and understanding relationship with the team noting that "not only do we collaborate with high-quality makers, but we also visit them all when in production, talking through each make and finish. It's a wonderful way to work and we've developed really beautiful working relationships with our makers which we believe is really important". Each piece has the name of the seamster on the label as a reminder of the artisanal skill and time that went into making it.
© Instagram / @o_pioneersukAlyona had her baby boy with her that Friday morning I visited the factory, being cared for and loved by the whole team. It was a reminder of what O Pioneers stands for supporting women. Their supply chain is majority women and mostly working mothers and thus their clothes embody that as well, with practical deep pockets and flowing skirts that are easy to walk in and to wash. Their knits are made by a team of home knitters, including Tania’s mother, and has now grown to include people from all around the country. They have also teamed up with SOJO (also a female-owned business) for door-to-door tailoring services if you need your garments tweaked at all.
O Pioneers is a testament to a brand that is a labour of love, not profit and a creator of community through the people they work with and their customers who invest in their pieces. It would also be impossible not to mention that epic Sarah Jessica Parker moment when O Pioneers had a special visit from her at their store in Marylebone and designed a special version of their ‘Joan’ skirt in her honour with clashing liberty print patchwork. She absolutely loved and raved about it on social media which led to the skirt selling out in record time. The SJP seal of approval is the cherry on top of the cake of a brand whose heartfelt creations bring a smile to all who wear them and a reminder that adults can also wear playful clothes too.
