Long Tall Sally’s Global Journey
Long Tall Sally got its start in 1976 by selling a capsule collection of trousers and tops from a small shop on London’s Chiltern Street. Over the years, the now-online-only company has grown to become the leading tall-style retailer, shipping to more than 90 countries each year.
Carved in Blue chatted with Rebecca Hirst, denim buyer for Long Tall Sally, about denim’s future, its legacy and her daily source of inspiration.
Carved in Blue: What are Long Tall Sally’s sustainability initiatives?
Rebecca: We recently published our sustainability roadmap; it’s an exciting journey we’re on! With each collection, we’re increasing our use of sustainable fabrics, including our new AW19 core denim collection with 33 percent recycled fibers. We’re actively reducing our use of polyester and other synthetic fibers to focus on more linen, more TENCELTM and more wool.
Carved in Blue: What are some of your highlights from your new collections this season?
Rebecca: Our Ultrastretch Skinny Jean is a gamechanger for our Skinny offer. The denim has Lycra® DualFX® technology for the stretch and T400 for the recovery. This jean will not bag out and stay a true skinny after every wear. Definitely my favorite!
Carved in Blue: Why did you choose Naveena (NDM)’s fabrics with Lenzing™ Modal BLACK? How are you marketing the garment/collection? Who is the clientele?
Rebecca: We wanted to source a lovely premium fabric for our Smart Trouser Jean that could take style-conscious customers from the office, to out, and on to the weekend. The fabric feels so soft and luxurious with a clean, structured silhouette. Our customers tell us they love the fit of this jean, and they really appreciate the no-fade technology that keeps colors fast after washing.
We’ve promoted the jean in our printed catalogue, our website homepage and our denim category. This jean will also feature in some exciting editorial content we have coming soon.
Carved in Blue: What innovations do you see in the next 5-10 years?
Rebecca: We are trying to be as conscious as we can, and the entire company is making a huge effort to build a sustainable future here at LTS. We’re excited to work alongside partnered mills, leveraging their innovations to develop a more sustainable denim range within the next 5-10 years.
Carved in Blue: What do you think the denim industry is missing today?
Rebecca: I love original vintage jeans with the comfort of stretch. I am always so impressed with mills’ developments in this area. It’s exciting to see so much more choice.
Carved in Blue: Are there influencers in the denim industry that inspire you?
Rebecca: We’re avid followers of street-style denim brands and, of course, our mills that we work so closely with. To promote our Ultrastretch denim we recently worked with three influencers and long-term customers of Long Tall Sally.
Carved in Blue: What is your favorite city?
Rebecca: It’s got to be London—it’s where our heart is! We’re a British brand with London style in our DNA. Our HQ is based close to Shoreditch in the East End; it’s a wonderful part of the world that inspires us daily.
Carved in Blue: What does Carved in Blue mean to you?
Rebecca: Carved in Blue is a great platform to keep up to date with the latest innovations in the denim industry especially when it comes to anything sustainable. It’s invaluable for keeping on top of everything!