Hai

Hai started with silk. Designs that stretch the possibilities of the fabric; from silk that moves like liquid over the body, to robust, douppion silk accented with solid ruffles. Still the base of Hai, since we started in 2018 silk has been joined by velvet, lace and pearls. A timeless palette, simultaneously ethereal and durable.

From our earliest Bamboo and Little Bags, we’ve grown from bags to a full Hai wardrobe –  explorations with silk led us to the perfect slip dresses, then shoes, and jewellery too.

If silk is the material foundation of Hai, then it’s twinned conceptually by nostalgia. We want to capture the feeling of rummaging around in the dressing up box. Memories of childhood inform every Hai piece. The specific memories of our founder and creative director Tessa Vermeulen – as with our Opa shoes, which are named for her shoemaker grandfather – and the communal memory of childhood; your favourite necklace from your mother’s jewellery box, the dress you grew up dreaming of.

Though we bring out new items with each season, Hai doesn’t quite adhere to a fashion calendar. Each season’s designs are not created as part of a standalone collection, instead they follow the logic of our own wardrobes; pieces we know we’ll wear again and again. If there is a guiding ethos for Hai, it’s to create pieces you keep returning to.