First look as Derry fashion brand Han* unveil new jacket

Han* has been a staple in Derry for years now, and in the Craft Village you will meet Hannah Vail, owner of Han*.

While best known for their beanies, Hannah does so much more. On Saturday she will be releasing her new premium jacket line named ‘Lola’.

Established in 2017, Han* is going strong to this date.

The Journal popped into Han*’s store in the Craft Village to have a chat about the business, the new jacket and what it’s like being a self employed mum.

A bit of background from Hannah Vail herself: “I’m Hannah, I am 30 years old. I’ve been in business for seven years this year, started 2017, graduated in fashion and couldn't get a job. I did a couple of pop ups and then got the opportunity to do a pop up on a semi-regular basis. Within six months we went into Topshops across the UK and Ireland. Obviously since then we have had to scale back because Topshop went into administration. We’ve been here in the Craft Village since 2020, opened in August that year, so opened and closed because of Covid. We’ve got a split shop here, a commercial area and workspace,” Hannah said.

When asked about her new jacket line ‘Lola’, Hannah said: “Couple years ago we started our premium range which is stuff completely made here in our studio. Obviously we design everything here, print and embroider local but we wanted to do more than that. So over the years we have slowly added to the range. We started with our fleeces which have done really well over the years, dungarees and other small runs of things. This time we thought we would go for something different, something slightly more on trend at the moment. It's a quilted fully denim jacket fully lined with ties to the front, a beautiful transitional piece for this time of the year. Launching it on Saturday, online and in store so hopefully it will go well.”

Han* sells a premium line of clothes that is designed and made in the store, Hannah continued on the premium line saying: “There is a lot of work that goes into it, it's not just the final piece, it's drafting, the pattern, the shape, getting all the sizes right. It's something I've always felt really passionate about. Between making things locally and drawing on our heritage here of textiles and manufacturing which has kind of dissipated over time. So trying to bring it as close to home as possible. From an environmental point of view, making things slowly considering the environment, we buy all our fabrics from Shipquay Fabrics which is a stone throw away. Making here and selling here is adding to the local economy as well. I feel very strongly on both sides of that on terms of sustainability.”

On sustainability Hannah said: “We work on such a small scale we are able to look at things like that a bit more, we try to use as little plastic as we possibly can, all our postal bags are compostable and reusable. We try to source all our small scale manufacturing in the Derry area, so other local businesses benefit from it as well. We’re very conscious of our impact on the environment. Our T-shirts are all eco-friendly, PETA approved, all made in an environment that is ethical as well.”

If you follow Hannah or Han* you will often see posts with her daughter. The Journal asked if being a mother was part of the brand: “I think online social media only does well if you show the behind the scenes, nobody wants to see big brands or faceless brands anymore, the high street is overwhelmed with those. People always enjoy the personal side of it and I’ve been doing this a long time now. I have followers who have been following me from the very start, so they have grown up with me. They're at that stage where they might be having kids. We have small bits and pieces of a kids range. I think a lot of people like to see the self-employed side of business but they also like to see the balance of running a family, running a business for yourself and not always getting it right,” Hannah said.

Continuing on being self-employed Hannah says: “It's a huge commitment, for me it suits me really well, I don't think I would suit a nine to five job, I'm not the type of person who can sit at a desk all day. It gives me the flexibility I wouldn't normally have, giving full time care to my daughter as well. It's a good way for me to get all the creativity out. It's a lot of pressure trying to strike the balance right between all aspects of your life, when there's no one paying your wages.”

Han* is best known for their beanies, and we wanted to know what being accepted by the city like that was like.

Hannah says: “We’ve had huge support from Derry people, the hats have been the best seller since the word go, it's all age groups, all types of people that wear them. It’s a great advertisement for us. Generally Derry people have been really supportive too.”

‘Lola’ is launching this Saturday, April 6, online at 9am, and from 11am in store and is described as “a very small limited run.”

You can check out Han*s online storefront here or in the Craft Village storefront.