Fi Cotter Craig, a television producer in Britain, was scrolling through Instagram one day when a photo struck her. “I saw my friend wearing a jacket that I really thought I was going to kill her for,” Ms Cotter Craig said. “Instead of killing her, I called her and said, ‘Where did you get that jacket?’
Chloe Speed, who lives in Amsterdam and works in marketing for Nike, got jealous of her husband’s new blue coat and secretly made it for herself. “The color was so iconic and beautiful,” Ms Speed said. “Each time you wear it, it gets a little softer in places and fits better.”
Ethan Cannon, a divinity student in St. Louis, was pulling into a restaurant parking lot one rainy night when he was stopped by an attendant. “He’s standing in the rain, blocking traffic,” Mr Cannon recalled. “The first thing he said was, ‘Where did you get that jacket?’
All three coats are made by Paynter Jacket Co., a small British company run by Becky Okell and Huw Thomas, a married couple who take an unusual approach to their business.
Four times a year, they announce the garment they will produce next. Their newsletter subscribers have about a week to order it in the sizes and colors they want, and the label only makes so many, in “lots” numbered 1, 2, 3, and so on. After the call to subscribers, Paynter will offer each lot to the general public in an announced drop, which often sells out in about two minutes.
The “drop” model is common for streetwear brands, who often use it to increase demand. But as Ms. Okell, 30, and Mr. Thomas, 31, explained during a video call from their London studio, they use drops with the idea of reducing waste.
“It’s a very wasteful industry,” Mr Thomas said. “Okay, how can we do this differently? What if we only made what we needed?’
Paynter doesn’t have any of the inventory management problems that other fashion brands do, Ms. Okell added, because it doesn’t have inventory. The label orders enough fabric to make the coats it has orders for — and no more.
Before starting Paynter in 2019, Ms Okell and Mr Thomas spent time in corporate mode. He worked in the branding department at Nike. He did marketing and product design for Hiut Denim Co., Wales. In 2018, they attended an industry workshop in London where, for some reason, Ms Okell greeted Mr Thomas, then unknown, with a hug. Within weeks they were inseparable.
Mr. Thomas had long collected vintage work clothes, including a blue jacket from France that had a better fit and softer fabric than the typical work coat. As the pair began to decipher how the jacket was made, they decided to create a brand around it.
Ms. Okell and Mr. Thomas work in a narrow range of styles. Many of the 16 batches released so far have been variations on a traditional trench coat, as well as classic denim overcoats, gabardines and jackets.
They start by selecting fabrics from mills in Italy, Japan and elsewhere. The jackets—and occasional shirts—they make from these fabrics stand out for their simplicity. That is, until you notice the attention to detail.
Each limited edition jacket has a label hidden inside, designed by a different artist. The jackets are also hand-numbered and the care tags have quirky instructions such as: “Wake up early. Exercise first thing. Breathe in. Exhale. Have a bowl of Coco Pops.” Jackets come in the mail with a small gift. Lot No. 16, an Italian wool cashmere winter coat, included a Tony’s chocolate with a custom Paynter wrap.
Scheduled releases for 2024 include a waxed barn coat with a corduroy collar, followed by a chore jacket meant to commemorate the company’s five years in business. This will “distill all our learning and all our favorite details from all the painstaking jackets we’ve ever made,” Mr Thomas said. The next drop, a corduroy flap pocket work shirt in four colors, is scheduled to hit the general public on February 10. Newsletter subscribers will, as usual, have early access to the order.
Fashion writer W. David Marx has a Paynter jacket in olive green. Asked to describe the coat’s construction, he wrote in an email: “Focus on fit and silhouette. No bells and whistles or details that will age badly. Jackets are made to make everyone look good.”
Ms Cotter Craig, the television producer, agreed. “I’ve got six or seven Paynter jackets and they’ve never let me down, not one,” he said.
Mr. Cannon, the divinity student, said he enjoys buying new jackets in part to watch Ms. Okell and Mr. Thomas improve over time. “I don’t feel like anyone is selling me anything,” he said. “I feel like I’m participating in some kind of art project, almost.” Last fall, he flew to London to attend one of the label’s Paynter at the Pub events and meet the designers.
Mrs. Okell and Mr. Thomas do almost everything themselves. And their low overhead means they can sell a cashmere coat for around $335 – an unheard of price for a luxury good, a category their coats unquestionably belong in. The label’s shirts cost around $150.
The couple said they’ve often heard from friends, customers and industry colleagues who say Paynter needs to grow and double or triple the number of jackets.
“Some waiting lists are as high as 3,000 people,” Mr Thomas said. “And you think, ‘We should have done more of that.’
However, he and Mrs. Okell aren’t losing sleep over the missed sales.
“When we started Paynter, we both wanted a similar company,” Ms Okell said. “We were both absolutely dead set on being independent. We didn’t want investors. We didn’t want big groups. We wanted to work on every part of the process ourselves.”
“We make clothes,” said Mr. Thomas. “We don’t do fashion.”
