Hope & Henry is not just another children’s-apparel concept. It is on a mission to give consumers a sustainable clothing option — and, perhaps, drive bigger changes within the fashion industry in the process.
Husband-and-wife co-founders Matthew and Marina McCauley are veterans of the children’s-clothing industry. Matthew served in executive positions at several retailers, notably as CEO of Gymboree until 2010. Marina began her career in retail at the age of 16. After college, she returned to retail, working at various companies on the operations side before rising to an executive position in human resources at Gymboree.
The McCauleys credit the 2015 fashion-industry documentary The True Cost as the catalyst behind Hope & Henry. That film detailed the dark side of the fashion industry: pollution resulting from disposable fast-fashion items that saturated the landfills; the use of chemicals and pesticides to grow cotton; and poor conditions for factory workers. This became something of a call to action that pulled the McCauleys out of retirement with ideas of creating an entirely new business model.
“Our vision is to make organic apparel that is affordable to more people,” said Matthew. The line uses organic cotton and recycled fibers for quality, classic styles that can be passed down and reused, rather than simply thrown away. And as the company grows, the plans are to share the upside with garment factory workers in Bangladesh, China, India and elsewhere.
Child's play Hope & Henry apparel is made from organic cotton and recycled fibers
Hope & Henry has expanded rapidly since launching online in September 2017, first selling on Amazon.com and then through its own website. The entry into physical retail was one year later, when the company opened a three-month pop-up at The Edit @ Roosevelt Field, which is a turnkey retail platform that showcases new and emerging brands at Simon’s Roosevelt Field mall, in Garden City, N.Y.
“There was proof of concept that the product was desirable,” said Marina. “People were buying it online. So that, along with the Roosevelt Field customers, really gave us the confidence to open up more stores.”
As of October, Hope & Henry had 12 stores operating at Simon-owned properties, with three more on track to open before year-end. The company opened a store earlier this year at Brookfield Properties’ Ala Moana Center, in Honolulu. The stores typically measure between 1,500 and 2,500 square feet.
“Our customers really love the organic aspect of the clothing, along with the very contemporary styling for children,” said Nancy Gilbert, Roosevelt Field’s director of marketing. The pop-up led to a permanent store at Roosevelt Field that opened in September. Hope & Henry has done a good job conveying what it offers and why, both online and in-store, Gilbert says. “The sales associates know the story and their products very well, and they share that story with customers who come into their store.”
“We have had a great relationship with Simon and a lot of help from Amazon”
The McCauleys attribute their success to friends, family members and former business associates, as well as to the company’s partnerships with Amazon and Simon. “We have had a great relationship with Simon and a lot of help from Amazon,” said Matthew. “It has been a case where all ships rise together.”
Looking ahead to 2020, Hope & Henry may open some new stores if the right locations present themselves. But the main focus will be on the stores that opened this year and on continuing to boost sales at home and abroad, through digital channels. “Because of these locations we have opened, we have a lot of tourists coming in who are excited about the brand [and] who are asking us to service them in their countries, so we’re working on that,” said Matthew.
Hope & Henry is recognized as a GOTS-certified (Global Organic Textile Standard) company, and the McCauleys are working on obtaining that same certification also for their factories. Only when the entire production and supply line is certified can the garments themselves be GOTS-certified. The company anticipates the first such certified garments to arrive in stores in time for the holiday season.
The McCauleys are also getting started on the other part of their mission: sharing profits with the factory workers. “We’re not a profitable company yet, but we still felt that it was important to start the process,” said Matthew. Hope & Henry has gone back to some of the factories it works with to provide cash bonuses directly to workers. “It’s exciting to see this start to happen, but we have a really long way to go.”
By Beth Mattson-Teig
Contributor, Commerce + Communities Today
