Jane Shepherd, founder of organic childrenswear brand Pigeon, discusses the new a/w 22 collection – including a debut capsule for adults – and why making a difference, both socially and environmentally, will always remain at the heart of her business.

 

Laura Turner: What’s the story behind Pigeon?

Jane Shepherd: Like so many people who start small businesses, I started Pigeon when I had young children. I had been working for 14 years for an environmental charity, which is where I discovered the extraordinary story about the social and environmental benefits of organic cotton. So, after doing some research (luckily an expert on organic cotton lived just around the corner), one rainy night I collected five bales of organic cotton textile from the Air India warehouse at Heathrow, and that was it.

LT: How has the brand evolved over the years?

JS: It’s quite often been a roller coaster. I founded Organics for Kids back in 2004, with absolutely no idea what I was doing. At that time I also found the most wonderful factory in Nottingham, where our entire collection was made. Things grew fairly quickly and before long we had a lot of independent stockists and were sold in many John Lewis stores. Then in about 2012, the factory owners had a terrible family tragedy and had to close down very suddenly. Overnight we were left with little stock and no supplier. We had to hire a removals company to bring several lorry loads of fabric down to our Oxford warehouse, from where we shipped it out to newly identified factories – it was a sad and stressful time.

Once we were safely back in production the world had moved on and we realised that we had to up our game. We re-branded as Pigeon and our designer, Kate, my lifelong friend who has an incredible eye for colour, detail and design, came on board to oversee the launch of Pigeon’s first seasonal collection in the autumn of 2015. We now work with two wonderful factories in India, both of which are Fairtrade and organic certified, as well as one in Turkey. We are in almost daily contact with the factories and we try to visit them every year or two, although Covid has obviously prevented recent visits. We are incredibly grateful for the efforts the factories make on our behalf – especially in the very difficult circumstances of the past 18 months.

 

 

LT: As an ethical business, how is Pigeon working to make a difference?

JS: For a number of years, we have been donating quite large amounts of spare stock to charities and community groups. For instance, refugee charities, women’s refuges, Homestart, Babybank Network and other smaller, local charities. For several years we’ve also only used electricity from renewable sources in our warehouse and office, our packaging is almost all compostable, and through support for ClimateCare we try to offset our freight carbon emissions, although we know that offsetting is not the long-term solution. As well as these specific actions, we try to see ethical behaviour as a way of life, from the way we work with the factories to the support we provide our customers.

We are a tiny company – three people – so when customers call us, they know who they’re talking to, and we will always do our absolute best to send them away feeling they’ve been listened to and dealt with warmly and fairly.

LT: What does the Pigeon collection offer?

JS: It covers ages 0 to 8 years and comprises basics such as rompers, bibs, bonnets, blankets and T-shirts as well as really beautiful trousers, dungarees, dresses and knitwear – several styles of each.

Our collection is defined by the palette and the prints. Each season we commission around 15 unique prints, usually working with the same three fantastic print designers. It’s important that we select really great quality fabrics too. Our designs are classic but given a modern twist by the colours and prints.

 

 

LT: What’s new for a/w 22?

JS: A/w 22 is a beautiful collection with new prints including anteaters, zebras, leopards, diamonds and a large floral. We always love the autumnal palette, and this season is no different, with olive green, burnt orange, nut brown, rose, storm blue and delicate pink. As always, we have matching yarn-dyed Breton and fine stripes to complement the prints, together with some simple plains to pair with both prints and stripes. We’ve also included our popular fleece, velour and chunky cord.

LT: Can you tell me more about the new adult range?

JS: Yes, we’re very excited to be launching a new capsule range for adults, which combines beautiful fabrics with comfortable styles. These include velour sweatshirts and leggings in three colourways; T-shirts, which are loosely fitted with a flattering boat neck and ¾ length sleeves in two Breton stripes and two prints, and also some long, loose-fitting chunky knitted tops in two colourways. Sizes will be S, M, L and XL.

LT: How many accounts does Pigeon have?

JS: We have a solid 160 accounts split pretty evenly between the UK and overseas, with modest but steady growth each season. We’re not interested in aggressive growth.

Our stockists are all independents and we work with both physical shops and websites. We are constantly amazed by the skill involved in creating such beautiful shopping spaces and also by the level of service provided by the independent sector. The gift market is definitely important for us, as well as a loyal following of parents who want to make a difference through their shopping behaviour. We know that not everyone will be able to buy organic all the time, but we work really hard to keep our pricing as competitive and accessible as possible for both B2B and B2C customers.

LT: Where are you looking next for growth and development?

JS: The past 18 months have been almost entirely focused on Brexit preparations. We always knew that the deal would not cover our goods because they’re not made or processed in the UK (see Rules of Origin). Around 60% of our business is represented by EU B2B sales, so it was really critical for us to be able to provide a seamless transition for our EU stockists. We’ve become registered with HMRC as a ‘Customs Warehouse’, which means that we avoid paying double duty on the goods that we export to the EU.

It’s a huge achievement and took months of paperwork and is thanks largely to Diana, who is responsible for our in-house systems. We’ve now succeeded in delivering two post-Brexit collections on time and without any additional costs or paperwork for our EU stockists. We’re delighted – and grateful – that our EU customers have trusted us and stuck with us. So, while we’ll keep an eye on new markets, our focus will remain on delivering a great quality product and the best possible customer service to our existing customers, at home and overseas.

LT: What are the short and long plans for the brand?

JS: As well as continuing to create fresh new collections each season, which will continue to evolve in terms of new product development, we’re very interested in building on the social activities as well. Many clothing companies have spare stock that could be put to good use – we have some plans!

As previously mentioned, we enjoy being a small company, it allows us to have meaningful relationships with our suppliers and stockists. I am so proud of what the three of us – Diana, Kate and I – have achieved. We don’t want to grow huge, we just want to do what we love doing, working with people we like, in a way that has a positive impact wherever possible.

For further information on Pigeon, please click here.