David Hieatt, CEO of Hiut Denim, is best known for giving purpose (and their jobs) back to the jeans makers in Cardigan, Wales. 400 Grandmasters (as David calls them) lost their jobs in 2002 when the jeans factory they were working in closed down.

David felt a huge responsibility to give these skilled workers an opportunity to put their skills to use again as he had first hand experience, from growing up in the Welsh Valleys, of the devastating impact that huge job loss has on a community. The town hadn’t just lost their identity, they were losing £1m per week from their economy.

Fast forward to 2018 and having spent nothing on a marketing drive, David got extremely lucky when Meghan Markle wore a pair of Hiut denim jeans and overnight Hiut were flooded with orders, resulting in a three month waiting list.

David’s business philosophy of ‘create influence and a purpose driven business’ had paid off. Hiut Denim was firmly established on the fashion map for crafting long lasting, well made jeans. As well as creating a high end jeans label, David is also the co-founder of the Do Lectures - the idea behind these being a simple one: people who Do things, can inspire the rest of us to go and Do amazing things too.

Tune in to hear:

Links: