Jules is the Founder of Haines Collection - she is an interiors lover and waste hater. With over a decade in the interiors industry she has experienced first hand the high volume of waste around. So in 2018, with a small budget, a part-time job and a 1 and 3 year old - Jules decided to build a brand that could make a difference. Recently described by Forbes as 'The Platform Presenting a New Era for UK Textiles', Haines Collection is a marketplace for the trade to resell their unwanted, ex-display, misprinted luxury products. We chat to founder, Jules about how it all began, working with ‘waste’ and what home means to her.
What led you to start your business?
The idea started after a chance meeting in a pop-up shop in Tunbridge Wells. A soft furnishings business owner was selling a wide range of high-end fabric. They were all his leftovers, and I heard him say what a hassle doing a shop once a year was, but he couldn’t see this going to waste. It made me think that there should be someone who could offer that high-end resale service.
I’ve experienced the frustrations of having leftover designs as a textile brand in a previous role, and not having a beautiful platform to represent them. I knew printers and designers who have waste, all a by-product of what they do and something they don’t have time to deal with. So I emailed the guy in the pop-up shop after we met in the shop, had a meeting and he was my first supplier, and still is a supplier.
What steps have you taken to be more sustainable as a business?
It's at the core of our mission and the work that we do but we are constantly looking for ways to better ourselves and the way we run. We only send our orders out in paper packaging or recycled plastic. We use recycled paper for our postcards and in our printer and have recycled loo paper. It's a continual process of analysing what we do and how we can do better.
How would you describe your day-to-day?
It's really varied, which I love. I'm often with the team in our beautiful rented office, it's a converted barn on a farm. Once or twice a week I will be driving around the country teaching lampshade workshops or meeting new clients. Monday nights are a big one for us as we drop our latest stock, so often Monday is filming content for social showing people what is coming up.
What does home mean to you?
Home is your sanctuary, your go-to place for comfort, rest, and growth. My home brings me happiness, it's the family inside it but it's also the decor that makes it feel like a part of me.
What’s your top tip for living more sustainably?
Continual reflection on what you can do better, and know that there is no 100% perfect so keep chipping away at the bits you are able to change. Change is slow and never ends, it's an evolution to live in a sustainable way.
Name a forever item of clothing or accessory that you couldn't live without?
Aside from my phone (awful to admit but so true!) it would have to be my YGN Collective woven bag that I take every day to the office. It's made from pallet binding, and is so hard-wearing and can take so much! I'd be lost without it.
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