From little people big ideas grow – Sarah Garner
There are few events as formative in a woman’s life as the birth of her first child. It is a time to reflect, and see a whole world open… a world changed from “Me” to “Us”. It galvanizes, jolts us into a state of hyper-awareness. For Sarah Garner, this jolt led to the creation of one of Hong Kong’s most recognizable children’s brands – Retykle.
We meet at the Wong Chuk Hang location, opened to the public in October 2019 following the past few years of pop-ups in Hollywood Road & Repulse Bay. The store has lines of racks featuring everything from almost doll-sized clothing, to toddlers, teens and all the way to maternity wear. My eyes flick between primary blues and reds, to pastel pinks, mauves, greens and all the other colours in nature.
When planning our session Sarah asked if her children, Henry & Olympia, can join us. Naturally, I said yes, but only after speaking together was it clear how intrinsic the two children are to both the brand and Sarah’s sustainability journey.
A Hong Kong native since 2007, Sarah left her home of Toronto with 3 suitcases in search of a new career.
“I was working for Holt Renfrew. Canada was a conservative fashion market, with a conservative spend, conservative outlook. I was travelling all over the world and wanted to be where the heart of fashion was, and at that time it was China. Hong Kong was my way to get close. I moved here with no job and a pocketful of contacts. I ended up at Lane Crawford which was familiar in terms of landscape but huge in cultural learning. I spent most of the first year understanding consumer culture and fashion. I met my husband Luke shortly after, and 2 kids & 13 years later, we’re still here! “
Retykle was conceived in 2016, shortly following the birth of Sarah’s first child, Henry
J: You’ve had such a formidable career in fashion. Was there a catalyst / light bulb moment where you thought "This isn’t for me anymore"?
“It was almost instantaneous after having Henry .. I remember thinking about the overwhelming nature of motherhood and feeling, far more aware of the future. It unrolled into a hundred years out, as opposed to my life span. I wanted to find something purposeful after having a baby, and if I was going to be apart from him, then I needed to be giving back, or part of a better future. Henry was around 6 months old. He had outgrown hundreds of items of clothing. Over a weekend we hashed out what Retykle could be, and never, never stopped. It took a year of research, planning, finding a web developer, and getting all the foundational elements in place. By that point, I was 7 months pregnant with Olympia".
The recording of our interview has my audible “wow” cut through Sarah’s soft speech. I realize now that the children literally bookended the creation of this project.
Sarah chuckles delicately.
“As with any woman, there’s no good time when you're in family-planning zone. We officially opened when I was pregnant and had a soft launch period until I was able to step away from her a little bit and put my attention on Retykle. So yeah, it's been a journey… and all with them."
I’ve been watching Henry & Olympia, and I think the children’s personalities are somewhat reflected in the business’ timeline. Henry is kinetic, visceral. He is literally bursting with energy, moving faster than I would have thought possible, in all directions. Olympia stays close, moving at a slower pace, enjoying less speedracer inspired pursuits. I watch her reading and drawing, and I watch her watch us, analyzing me and following her mother. Olympia is the process and order, following Henry’s ignition spark of excitement.
The staff, who have helped me rearrange racks, move displays and set up lights keep a watchful eye on the children also. They move between the showroom and the storeroom in back, where clothing is received, checked, priced and photographed ready to be sold.
J: Were you a one woman band to start with?
“I was, but I very quickly hired 2 interns. I think it was April or May that we opened the site and Olympia was born in July. One of those interns was with me for four years, and now we are 12 on the team.” Given the brand’s success and ability to handle thousands of items every month, that number seems low.
“I remember feeling about the overwhelming nature of motherhood and feeling far more aware of the future”
Retykle is one of the few HK brands to espouse sustainability, creating and fostering an enclosed network of sellers and buyers, benefiting not just consumers, but also local charities. That message of sustainability, and caring for the planet is charmingly shared on their site – has been a cornerstone since launch.
J: When I moved here in 2016, there didn’t seem to be a preloved scene. I lived in Bondi for years, and there were always girls trading fashion, upcycling, thrifting… it was just the done thing. Yours was one of the first brands I was aware of when I moved here that preached secondhand and a circular life cycle for fashion.
“It wasn’t even part of the vernacular when I started. Sustainable fashion was still quite niche... a lot of the labels around what we’re doing have been developed in the last 2 years. It’s great that its part of popular culture now -people are starting to think about ownership differently and consider the afterlife of not just clothes, but everything they consume. I think we’re still at the very beginning, but at least it’s out in the world in democratized headlines that are reaching everyone as opposed to a targeted group.”
J: My Hong Kong Numbers was published recently. Is that a direction that you think you might like to go in the future?
“Books are a vehicle for learning and sharing. It’s such a meaningful tool of communication that I have dreams of another book that would be more environmental - lessons about what we’re trying to do around circularity and considering the use of things. I think that’s a really important lesson and something we’re trying to teach kids through Retykle”.
It’s getting late on a Friday. Henry is coveting a new pair of shoes, and Olympia is making sounds about dinner.
J: What would you say to other women who find themselves in a career and realize … "I don’t like this at all"?
“I don’t think you’d ever regret pursuing your passion. I have never looked back and I’m fortunate that I’ve been afforded the opportunity to go out and do something relatively risky … but, if you can, pursuing a passion and putting the building blocks in place to do so, I don’t think there would be regret. If you’re not happy, time can pass very quickly. I would always vote pursuing something with passion but also purpose. And if you can weave those 2 things together, I think you could - or can - have a very fulfilled career and life.”
You can visit the Retykle showroom at 8/F, 44 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Sing Teck Building, Wong Chuk Hang
Shop online at https://retykle.com/
