Organic is a word that gets thrown around the fashion industry quite often, but in the case of Herculie – it’s a perfect fit. “We needed to create uniforms for our company’s sales team, and since they are a mixture of guys and girls, we wanted them to look cohesive and make their lives easier,” says Kyle Robinson, the founder of Herculie and owner of brand Être Cécile and fashion, PR and sales agency Paper Mache Tiger. When the staff started wearing these simple, easy-to-wear pieces outside work, Robinson took note – Herculie belongs on the streets, not just in showrooms.
Herculie long body long sleeve shirt
Herculie is a completely unisex, seasonless collection of wardrobe staples – it’s all about the high-quality cottons, soft non-stretch denim, and pastel cashmere knits (created in collaboration with knitwear brand Allude). The production of the brand also came quite naturally, thanks to his experience with Être Cécile, Robinson already had a network of factories he could produce the collections with – the denim is made in Italy, the shirting is from Portugal and the jerseys are produced in India. The collection is permanent and all pieces are unisex, coming in XS-L sizes with the exception of two pairs of jeans which are fitted to gender needs. The one-fit-all idea is dnot a gimmick: “A husband and a wife might come into our store [Paper Mache Tiger, 26 Cross Street, N1 London], and the guy can buy an oversized grandpa shirt and the girl will go for a classic shirt. They can then swap and are getting two shirts for the price of one.” The story is obviously inspired by Robinson’s personal life – his wife is the stylish Yasmin Sewell, the fashion director of style.com and the designer of Être Cécile.
Herculie x Allude cashmere jumper
It’s all about simplicity and integrity. “We take things really slow with Herculie. Even though we have the ability to turn around pieces really fast, I sit on ideas for a while to make sure it’s right.” Herculie is a unique blend of tongue-in-cheek humour and serious, solid clothes. “If you are really busy with your life, staples are your best friends,” Robinson says. And by looking out on the streets of London, it seems like many of us will agree.
Shop Herculie at herculie.com from £85.
Text by Dino Bonacic
