‘Our goal is to only make what we can sell’: How sustainable label House of Sunny became a pandemic success story

If you follow anyone under the age of 25 on Instagram, chances are you’ll have heard of House of Sunny. The cult vintage-inspired brand is a favourite among Gen-Z cool girls - think Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid - and, unlike many boutique fashion labels, has boomed in success during the pandemic.

Founded in 2011, the London-based label is famed for its idiosyncratic prints and styles, with key looks including its Peggy cardigan, which is fitted with a faux fur collar and cuffs, the high-waisted paradise pants, which come in a range of playful prints, and the form-fitting knitted Hockney dress that Jenner was pictured wearing last summer.

Thanks to countless celebrity endorsements and viral items, some of which are now stocked in Urban Outfitters, the brand has saturated our social media feeds for the better part of this year - and sales have doubled. Hence why it’s hardly surprising that House of Sunny is about to open its first permanent store in east London.

But beyond all of this, the thing that makes House of Sunny stand out is its sustainable ethos. Producing small runs of collections just twice a year, House of Sunny acts as a protest against fast fashion culture. The label prides itself on allowing time to research and source environmentally friendly fabrics and manufacturing methods. Its popular 1970s Scooby Pants, for example, were created using a non-placement print technique that reduces fabric waste and allows the trousers to be a low energy, low pollution product.

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Ahead of the first-ever House of Sunny store, The Independent spoke to founder Sunny Williams to find out more about how this independent brand has defied a lockdown lag and gone from strength to strength.

Why do you think House of Sunny has boomed in terms of success during the pandemic?

We tend to find we as a team are so head down in terms of how hard we work, that we don’t often get the chance to look up and appreciate some of the successes we have had. We are really direct to consumer and product-based so it’s lovely to see that the successes are potentially based on these things alone. Our mission during the pandemic was to inspire sustainability and be as positive as possible.

What is it about House of Sunny’s sustainability strategy that stands out in an industry that is so plagued by greenwashing?

Authenticity; we truly care. We craft all of our clothing ourselves so we know the full process from start to finish. We are also independent and self-funded. We have built the brand with values to change, adapt and not be wasteful or harmful to the planet.

We are all minimalists at heart and our goal is always to only make what we can sell and reuse anything we can along the way. We hate waste and our mission has always been this way since the beginning, when it was just me cutting the fabrics on my pattern cutting table and making 20 jumpers to sell at the weekend.

How can you scale up House of Sunny while maintaining its sustainability ethos?

Scaling our business is exciting, but it will only happen if we can find ways to adapt and change the current climate of retail. One thing that’s for sure is our team is really good at being flexible and aware, so we’re hoping that our year one strategy in the new store changes and improves each of the issues that retailers have with bricks and mortar.

Our stores will allow people to pre-order new season, for example, as well as buy into current styles. The experience will be very much about enjoying the lifestyle of the brand and getting the opportunity to understand some of the craft we put into it and I think it’s great to have a brand like us on the high street that’s pushing that narrative. Our shopping bags are recyclable, coffee pods we’ll be using in the store are compostable, and all our garment bags are plastic-free and compostable.

How has Instagram and social media more generally contributed to House of Sunny’s success?

Although extremely frustrating at times, Instagram has really been a key tool for us and many other brands. It’s so rewarding to have a platform that can share your products with the world and we feel so honoured when we have a garment or photo go viral.