TOM SMARTE LONDON
Recycle, Repurpose, Renew
Tom Smarte started life back in 1786 in Devon, England. Now, eight generations later, we're firmly rooted in London and constantly looking to evolve and improve. As times change, we adapt, without compromising on our renowned quality and principles of our craft. To that end, in pre-pandemic late 2019, we launched a new initiative....
The fashion industry has historically been responsible for creating huge waste for no good reason other than to produce something fast and cheap for unsustainable growth.
At Tom Smarte we want to turn this on its head. Rather than create waste, we’re re-using it where we can.
In collaboration with other like minded brands, musicians and artists, we now craft our hat designs from off-cuts and surplus materials that naturally occur when making clothing and accessories.
Our new initiative also means that to help further reduce waste, we will only make what is needed. So rather than seasonal collections, there will be a series of limited editions with small production runs, as well as styles available for pre-order only. Tom Smarte Lifestyle items are made to order within just a few days, again only making what is needed.
We may not have the influence to change the world, but we can try to improve our part in it.
The Tom Smarte Initiative
At Tom Smarte, we've been on a journey to discover how best we can serve this weird and wonderful world. Now, rather than working in isolation, we’re embarking on a series of collaborative projects creating headwear, clothing and accessories with others, with genuine purpose and fairness and an initiative to reduce waste.
Nick Johannessen (@WellDressedDad) in conversation with Tom Smarte's Creative Director, Allon Zloof
This week’s guest is Allon Zloof, a fourth-generation hatmaker with the family-owned Tom Smarte. We talk about different styles, a bit of history, where hats are at today, changes in the hatmaking industry, how to select a hat to suit you, sizing, materials and maybe more importantly how to find the confidence to don a hat!
