What career did you envisage for yourself when you were in the Sixth Form at Downe House? 

I had done some work experience for an advertising agency and really liked the fusion of commerciality and creativity so I thought I’d start there and applied to several graduate schemes. Other than that I didn’t really have a good idea of what I wanted to do or what jobs were really out there. Certainly starting my own business was not on my radar at this point.
 
When did you start the business?

The idea to start Hamilton and Hare came at Christmas time with my two brothers, they had both received two hideous pairs of novelty snowman boxer shorts and were not best pleased. I struck me that by comparison to the female lingerie offering, men’s underwear had been very overlooked with a lack of quality, choice and innovation. In fact the boxer short basic design had not been changed since the early 1920s. So I decided to start here and enlisted a Savile Row tailor (who thought I was insane) to redesign a modern, slimline cut boxer short that didn’t look like a baggy nappy and was much more comfortable.  
 
I quit my job in advertising in 2012 and worked as a freelance brand and marketing consultant for 6 months or so while I got Hamilton and Hare off the ground and then sold my first pair of boxer shorts in 2013. From there we expanded into all underwear styles, pyjamas, loungewear and travelwear all centred around the idea of seriously comfortable clothing that looks good too. 
 
I definitely didn’t expect it all to take so long, in fact I’m not sure I would have started it if I did! Building anything, especially a brand takes a long time and a lot of effort. I remember thinking how impossible it felt to imagine how we might double our sales, or open a store but then all of sudden you’re doing it and day by day it grows but because you see it every day you sort of don’t notice until you actually stop and look back. And of course you’re always chasing the next milestone.
 
What is your previous background?
 I started my career at M&C Saatchi advertising agency on their graduate scheme and worked my way up, with a lot of late nights, to be the agency’s youngest account director. I was on a great trajectory there so it was a really difficult decision to leave but I knew I wanted to try my own thing and although it’s probably been a harder, longer road it does come with freedom and a much bigger sense of satisfaction in the long run. 
 
Describe a typical day. 

I have two children, my daughter is 3 and my son is 2, they are my alarm clock and I give them breakfast and get myself ready for work. Our nanny arrives and I get the tube to our studio which is beneath the store on Chiltern Street, Marylebone. It’s a lovely part of London and I love to be able to hear the customer interactions in the store when I’m at my desk. As founder and CEO the job description is pretty catch-all but I am getting better at structuring my time and now I have a great team around me my main focus is marketing and strategy. I have regular range plan meetings to review new product ranges coming out and marketing plans for each, we also have a weekly sales meeting to review latest figures and the forecasts ahead. I usually have a couple of meetings a day with journalists, or other brands to talk collaborations and we’re expanding at the moment so I’m always looking for new people to join the team. We work with a lot of freelance creative people, photographers, designers etc. I get home for bed time most evenings and then will do bit more work once the kids are in bed. If we’re not going out, I cook dinner to unwind (my husband washes up!) and we’ll watch some TV and then I’ll read about two pages of a book before I fall asleep.
 
What has been the biggest challenge with your business?

Being a sole founder it can be very lonely, you have to muster extraordinary self-belief even on days when you really don’t feel it. Maintaining that belief and energy is the face of lots of adversity is a big challenge. I like to be good at things and I only recently realised that the thing about building a business is that every day you have to learn new skill and there is a new challenge, the rate of learning is literally vertical. So really you never really feel like you’re good at anything at all! Most days this is exciting and energising but there’s a fair bit of grit and determination required too. 
 
Where do you hope to be in five years’ time? We’ve got big plans for the next 5 years, the ambition is to be the challenger to Calvin Klein for men’s underwear, loungewear and all things comfortable including a new range of travelwear. We’re opening several new stores and launching in the US too. Our online business is the focus, it’s the future for all of retail, but physical stores and spaces are still important. For us the biggest challenge is getting a man to change habits. Once they give us a try they are usually customers for life but often that first trial purchase takes some persuasion!
 
What advice would you give to your younger self?

Don’t worry so much! It’s impossible to predict what will happen tomorrow, let alone three year’s time. Work hard, be kind and good things will happen.

Hamilton & Hare