Han Ates is the founder of the London-based craft jeans company Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, whose mantra is to ‘think global but act local’. 

During our interview we discover what it was like leaving Istanbul for London in the late ’80s; how he started his career in clothing on the floor of his uncle’s factory as a presser; the problem of running his own business; and why he became disillusioned with the world of cheap fashion and decided to open his own restaurant instead. 

That all happened before he started his small but perfectly formed company in Walthamstow that not only wants to make the best jeans in the world but is also attempting to persuade consumers to rethink how and why they buy things. Blackhorse Lane Ateliers employs local machinists and offers shared ownership to each employee. Its factory building also houses craftspeople working in artwork restoration, fashion design, weaving, and even contains a pop-up restaurant.

It’s wonderful stuff that encompasses the importance of repair and how memory can be stored in the materials we wear.

You can learn more about Blackhorse Lane Ateliers here: blackhorselane.com

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