hygge:liv, (pronounced hoo-gah live) is an ethical lifestyle brand creating an exciting, collection of beautiful, one-of-a-kind cushions made from unused fabrics. They make the perfect addition to any home. Creative Erin Hughes and Moggs Creek stylist, Catherine Stocks, hygge:liv is a Danish word that means cosiness and comfort, which is the driving force behind the range.
Here, Erin reflects on her visit to New York, her inspiration and
working with Queen Of Raw and Fab Scrap.
What is life like for you at the moment?
The beautiful thing about running your own business is that there is no such thing as a typical day. I am both the owner of The Hero Agency, a brand and marketing creative agency, and Co-Founder of hygge:liv. I live in Jan Juc, a coastal town in Victoria, Australia, with my husband and three kids. I absolutely love living by the beach and wouldn’t have it any other way - but every day is so different you never know what you’ll be doing each day because you just can’t predict what will happen in your business.
I’m in love with the lifestyle that living by the water brings, it’s a constant source of inspiration for our hygge:liv collections. From the wide-open beaches and wild ocean to the beautiful environment the coast has to offer.
As a designer, what is it that inspires you to rescue and resurrect ‘deadstock’ to help reduce the overwhelming fabric waste issue?
When we started developing the hygge:liv brand, one thing was clear to us, we wanted to ensure our brand was sustainable and eco-friendly. A key value of the brand was to ensure we maintained a focus on minimising environmental impact and landfill, whilst still creating beautiful, luxe products to enhance any space.
It became clear very quickly, that the smartest way to do this was to create our cushions and our collections using existing, premium fabrications. The more research we did, the more information we found highlighting the enormous amount of fabric and materials that were being wasted and sent to landfill – it was outrageous to us.
I think one of the problems around this discarded fabric, is the perception that there’s something wrong with it, or that it’s of poor quality – but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s alarming how many big brands continue to create new fabrics when they have access to such incredible deadstock material that they could give new life to instead.
Our passion to reduce landfill and use existing fabric has now become the “who” and “why” for hygge:liv. We want to create beautiful products for our customers, by sourcing the most premium, luxury, and unique existing fabrics. We want to help solve the global issue by helping to reduce landfill, and not add to it.
Queen Of Raw and Fab Scrap content shot by talented photographer Chris Bagot
On your most recent trip to NYC you met with Queen of Raw; a marketplace, where designers can connect with suppliers to source excess stock of cutting-edge raw materials to buy and sell unused fabric. How does your relationship with Queen of Raw empower you?
We really feel like Queen of Raw gave us the opportunity to live out our dream. It allowed us to create a brand where we were able to purchase beautiful high-end fabrications, save them from landfill to then create our luxe collections.
It also empowered us to think bigger about who we are as a brand and the way we run our operations. It reinforced the idea that using existing fabrics is the only way to create a range of lifestyle products if we want to minimise our impact on the environment. Queen of Raw also highlighted the importance of education and the role we can play on educating Australians on the global waste issues we’re facing.
Many Australians have no idea of the type of waste that goes on throughout the fashion supply chain. It has ignited a fire within us to spread the word and change people's perceptions. We want to show them they can make a difference, and it starts by being accountable for their actions, being more aware of what they are purchasing and how global supply chains work. Together we can make a huge difference and change the textile industry, and ultimately have a significant impact on the world.
“Small changes can make a big difference”. Can you share what you do in your personal and professional life to live a cleaner, kinder life? #goraw
I am extremely conscious of how I shop, where I shop and what I do with my products. I have also embraced this mentality and tried to instill these values in my children. With three children, I have always embraced recycling clothes, toys and other items between my kids and their cousins and friends.
My behaviour has also changed. I am constantly looking for ways to minimise my carbon footprint and making conscious decisions that will help reduce landfill. This mindset is something that comes into play in everything I do, every day. Whether it be buying a daily coffee (sitting in and not using a takeaway cup, or using a keep cup), or shopping from brands that I know are sustainable and eco-friendly, to purchasing our groceries from the local farmer's markets, to reduce any unnecessary plastics within our home. It’s just our way of life now.
Having created a beautiful collection, what is your favourite thing you’ve made?
As a new brand, we have two cushions from our first collection that have to be my favourite and what I’m most proud of.
Our pink Hyde cushion and our beautiful cushion made from Italian linen. All fabrics were sourced from Queen Of Raw, of course! We designed these two cushions based on the size of the fabric that we had access to from Queen of Raw – which I also love – this idea that we didn’t waste a thing and the result were these two beautiful collections that are unique and show what can be made out of unused textiles without compromising on luxury or quality.
We’re so excited to be working with Queen of Raw and can’t wait to see what we can create together next.
Queen Of Raw and Fab Scrap content shot by talented photographer Chris Bagot