LEZÉ the Label is a young brand with a big dream—to make workwear for women more comfortable than it’s ever been. Their first product: the Everyday pants with a high-waisted fit and a removable belt, launched on Kickstarter last November and funded under 12 hours. It currently retails on their website, with prices starting at $125. You might scoff and take their claim with a pinch of salt, but after a first-hand experience with their pants, we’re sold. The fabric is extremely soft and slightly stretchy, and we’ve found it difficult to take them off even after a long day. We chatted with Vancouver-based co-founder Karen Lee on what inspired them to create the brand, how sustainable its fabric really is, and what new products you can expect! —Isabel Ong
What led you to start LEZÉ the Label?
My partner Tanya called me one day and said, “I’ve been inspired by your homeless style.” And I said, “OK, that’s really rude, but go on.” My friends make fun of me because I wear cartoon pajamas in public. My partner and I were in the startup life and we were trying to figure out what we wanted to do, so she said, “Why don’t we create a clothing brand that embodies all the hats you have to wear (in life)?” We first talked about it last summer, and for the first time, this project made so much sense to us that all other projects seemed insignificant. That’s when we knew this was it. We coined the word “lezé”, which is actually a fancy way of saying “lazy”. It’s about being comfortable no matter what you’re doing and still feeling good about it. Essentially, it’s like finding freedom in what you wear. That’s one of our core values: major comfort.
Why focus on work-friendly wardrobe basics?
Workwear in the market is really expensive. It ranges from $400 to $500 apiece. It’s usually really uncomfortable; you only can wear them to work and that’s it. It doesn’t have a hybrid functionality to it, so we wanted to create something that could be used for both work and leisure. Work hard, lounge harder—that’s our motto.
Tell us more about the fabric used for your pants, and how does coffee act as an anti-odour component exactly?
The pants are made out of 14.5 recycled plastic bottles and used coffee. We take used plastic bottles, crush it into little pellets, and after it goes through several processes like steaming, it is strung into yarn. While that is happening, used ground coffee is infused into it. We extract the oil from used coffee beans and infuse it into the yarn. It has natural anti-odour and moisture-wicking properties. It also goes through a lot of processes to ensure that the colour and the smell is not retained in the fabric.
What was response like when you launched the pants on Kickstarter?
It was overwhelmingly positive. People said, “I wanna wear PJs in public without looking crazy, too!” We raised $255,000 U.S. in the span of 60 days. This was a chal-lenge because we went through Boxing Day and Christmas, so we were competing with [big retailers like] Amazon. But people really resonated with the versatility of our pants. Our backers are mainly from Canada, Australia, the U.S. and Europe. We even have backers from Haiti and Israel—literally everywhere around the world.
What’s next in your lineup?
We launched a dress shirt this October and, in November, we’re launching a suit collection in tweed, pinstripe and plaid. They’re so comfy and are made with sustainable fabric, too. Next year, we’ll probably do a “silk-but-not-silk” collection—it feels and looks like silk but it’s not silk so you can wash it without it getting wrinkled. We want to experiment making it unstainable. We also want to create a “work from home” collection next winter.
What were some of your biggest struggles in launching the brand/business?
We had a factory fire and it burned down all of our fabric, so we had to start all over, and we were delayed by a month. There were a lot of label issues, some quality control issues, and then at the very end, typhoon Manghut happened and affected the shipping (of the products from Taiwan). It was really tough. We also learned that some of our Kickstarter backers like the idea of wearing PJs to work, but maybe it’s not what they really want. A lot of them wanted more structure in the pants. So now we’re working on a version 2.0 that caters to people who want more structure and a more boxy cut.
What keeps you going?
Being stubborn. When I first quit my job I didn’t have a backup plan. I don’t recommend everyone do this because it could create a lot of stress financially, but it put my back against the wall and forced me to be creative. I used to be broke all the time and lived really frugally. Even now, I still feel like we’re in startup phase, and there so many things I’m still learning, but what keeps me going is that feeling that I’ve never felt so clear about the direction I want to go in. I want all other women to feel the same through our clothing and our brand.
Share some of your secrets to being a successful entrepreneur.
Whatever you don’t know, you can find out. You just have to be shameless and ask. Vancouver’s really small, and if you don’t know something you can ask someone who knows someone and they can help you. A prime example: our fit designer/stylist is my boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend. Also, keep in mind that when you experience your highest of highs, you will experience your lowest of lows after. When it dies down, you go through a crazy rollercoaster of self-limiting beliefs—was it just luck? Am I actually capable of doing this? But remember why you started in the first place, and don’t be driven by making money because it’s unsustainable.
share:
Be the first to comment