Cali Does Cashmere: An interview with Hale Hines of Harden
One aspect of fashion which tends to escape the minds of many consumers is the research and development required to create a garment. While most of the clothes on the market come stamped with a “Made in Italy” tag and a price point to match, it is difficult to distinguish true value and perceived value. Enter Harden, a brand based in LA that has infused curiosity into their design research and experiences to create something more than typical garments. Specializing in cashmere hoodies and other fine knits, founder Hale Hines used his personal love for cashmere as the vehicle to develop Harden. Launching in 2015, Harden develops beautifully crafted Loro Piana cashmere hoodies, sweaters, shorts, throw blankets, and even pillows all with inspirations from travel and Hines’ personal life. We recently caught up with Hines to discuss all things Harden. Be sure to read the full interview below and discover the brand further.
For those who aren’t familiar with you or your brand could you introduce us to both?
“I’m Hale and I’m the founder of Harden. Harden is a cashmere-based brand that imports Loro Piana yarn and knits into Los Angeles. The name Harden is my grandmother's maiden name and I liked the juxtaposition of a soft fabric with a hard name (pun intended).”
When did you begin Harden and what inspired you to work with mostly cashmere?
“I began the brand in LA in 2015. I was in rehab at the time and one day, whilst sitting in the hot tub with Cheney, my girlfriend at the time, and my friend, Remy. Remy, triggered by my recent purchase of a cashmere hoodie, suggested that I ought to make sweaters given how often I purchased them. At the time, I was accustomed to buying a new cashmere hoodie every fall/winter because they’d usually wear thin and nappy by the end of the season or year. His suggestion sparked my research to find the perfect cashmere hoodie for a price I considered reasonable. It wasn’t easy to find stuff that wasn’t either made in China, for too cheap, or Italy, for too much. There was nothing in the middle ground for $500-$1000. China was $500 and under, while Italian was $1200 and up. So I set out to make something in that middle ground of just below $1000. It took a bit of time to figure out how to produce everything and then it took multiple years to figure out how to properly position the brand - which is an ongoing process (with the help of Christina, my Design Assistant).”
What were some of the early difficulties associated with building and launching Harden?
“Well, in the beginning, I knew nothing about knitwear and production. I was trying to make the most high-quality product possible at a price point that made sense for people like myself. In the beginning, I had never heard of Loro Piana, let alone know who made the best yarn for my needs. I ordered different types of yarn from all over the world, despite the fact that I had very little experience or money. I also had no idea what would sell so I relied on friends and family to buy my designs initially. I must’ve tried different cashmere from 15 different yarn suppliers and spent most of my money on research and development. I made a lot of expensive mistakes in the beginning because I didn’t know who my customer was, so I couldn’t cater to them. The first five or six seasons were all about figuring out my brand and who my customer was. That was the most challenging part of building the brand. Figuring out how to distribute my product to stores was a big challenge because of the prevalence of e-commerce - you need to touch our products in order to sell them. I fell in love with a good showroom and then things started to come together.”
Harden produces uni-sex garments in a variety of different patterns and tie-dye is very prevalent. What drew you to the patterns and colors you’ve used?
“The patterns and colors are just things I think are rad. For example, we did this photoshoot in a place called Sea Ranch in NorCal and we saw a whale while we were shooting, so we made a whale sweater. This season we’re doing a mushroom print and that’s because I had a solid mushroom trip roughly four or five months ago. The lobster sweater came about because a large part of my childhood was spent in the Bahamas (where my parents have a house). I grew up down there spearfishing and spearing lobster was a big part of that. All of the patterns are inspired by things that speak to me. The tie dye stuff started because a friend of mine wanted me to partner with him on some Grateful Dead sweaters. While the partnership came to fruition, I had already started messing around with tie-dying knits so the rest is history. The unisex element came about because my girlfriends were always stealing my sweaters or tee shirts out of my closet. Basically, I just let the world come to me and filter it out into sweaters.”
Your website has a section labeled “Voyages” on its home page. Does travel play a role in the brand's identity and what have you gotten out of these experiences?
“Traveling has always been a big part of my life. My favorite thing to do is experience new cultures because you can always learn something when you expand your horizons. Travel was part of the brand's identity from the very beginning. I must admit that we’ve found inspiration for a bunch of different sweaters by hitting the road. I really like doing photoshoots out in the world as opposed to doing them in the studio. It adds an element to the brand that I don’t think you can get in a studio. In the beginning, I didn’t exactly know what the brand's identity was so traveling was a huge part of figuring that out. Also, I think cashmere and traveling go very well together - I always bring a piece with me whenever I’m hopping on a plane.”
What is your goal or hope for when a customer buys a piece of Harden?
“I aim for timelessness in my pieces - I want them to last a lifetime. I want it to be their favorite piece in their closet, not just something they bought for the season. When people see it in the store I want them to have a connection to the piece.”
Among clothing, you also produce throws and pillows. How has this added value to your brand and why do you like producing homewares as such?
“Blankets were the first product I made that had any true modicum of success. I remember trying to sell them at market price and everyone was kind of skeptical. So I said fuck that and made Fred Segal take four blankets on consignment and they sold them all on the first day then came back and ordered 20 of them. I will always love blankets because of that. WIn the right store, the blankets fly off the shelves plus I like being able to say “fuck” and I’m able to work that into blankets.”
What are you currently working on and what do you foresee for the brand's future?
“I’m currently working on our 10th collection, which still blows my mind. I remember when I didn’t matter and now I have stores in the same town getting mad at me for selling another store in their town. It’s just very different from that first season making Fred Segal take blankets on consignment. To be honest, I foresee myself continuing what I’m doing and getting better at it as I go. That’s really all I can ask for. I’m very excited about the team I’ve built (Christina and myself) and seeing what we accomplish moving forward. I think we’ve really just found our groove in this wild world of fashion. I can’t wait for the world to open back up so Christina and I can do photoshoots in other countries. It’ll be cool to expose the brand to new cultures and see what happens. I would like to get showrooms in Paris and Japan moving forward.”
What is one piece of advice you would like to pass along?
“If you have a dream or an idea, chase it and don’t give up - even when it seems impossible. I’ve had so many people talk me off the ledge when I’ve thought about quitting. You just gotta keep putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward. Don’t give up on yourself just because you stumble a couple of times. Always be nice to people because when people like you then you have a better chance of being successful.”