Hiut Denim Co. founders David and Clare Hieatt are stepping away from their Welsh jeans company.
The couple announced on social media last week that they were handing over the reins of the Cardigan, Wales-based company to an unnamed investor that came onboard in December.
“As you know, the last couple of years have been—let’s say—a fight to stay in business,” the post said. “But thankfully, last December, we found an investor. Someone who could see beyond the struggle and saw the potential.”
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According to the post, the new owners were customers of the brand who visited the factory last year while on vacation.
“They believed in a town that made jeans again,” the post said. “In short, they saved the business. And for that one brave decision—we’ll be forever grateful.”
The Hieatts founded Hiut in 2011 with the goal of making premium, handmade denim more sustainably. In 2018, the company had a viral moment when the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, wore their jeans at a public event, setting off a frenzy that spiked demand and overwhelmed the tiny operation of around 20 employees at the time.
In March 2024, the company announced via a Medium post their goal to raise 1.5 million pounds (approximately $1.9 million) from 30 customers by May 1 of that year. Hiut outlined its proposed “no-growth” business model, which focuses on scaling influence and innovation rather than selling more products and increasing its environmental impact. That model capped jeans production at 10,011 pairs per year.
No word yet as to whether the new investor signed onto that model or will plan to pursue a traditional method of production scaling.
The Hieatts made mention of the townspeople of Cardigan in their goodbye post on social media, thanking them for their support over the years. Hiut set up shop in Cardigan in 2012, a decade after the loss of a denim factory that had made tens of thousands of pairs of jeans per week for UK retailer Marks & Spencer for nearly 40 years.
“To the town folk. You just wanted us to win from the start,” the post said. “And whenever we asked for help, you gave it. Love this town.”
The couple also thanked the Hiut team for their perseverance through the ups and downs of the brand over the years.
“Over the last 14 years, we have found loyalty,” the post said. “You stuck with Hiut when there was no heating, the warmth came from your laughter. We have found grit. When things got tough, you just carried on sewing.”
