From the roads less travelled in a refurbed Volkswagon T3 you'll find the founders of do-gooder headwear label Will & Bear. To Loz and Alex a hat represents a life of adventure, a necessity to a healthy life outdoors with that in mind they set out to plant trees in their ongoing partnership with Trees.org.
INTERVIEW BY RACHEL ABBOTT
PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY WILL & BEAR
From the roads less travelled in a refurbed Volkswagon T3 you'll find the founders of do-gooder headwear label Will & Bear. To Loz and Alex a hat represents a life of adventure, a necessity to a healthy life outdoors with that in mind they set out to plant trees in their ongoing partnership with Trees.org.
INTERVIEW BY RACHEL ABBOTT PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY WILL & BEAR
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF
We’re Loz and Alex the founders of Will & Bear an Australian headwear label with a love for life on the road and a life lived outdoors.
We had just started a road trip around Tasmania and were on the hunt for a good hat for the trip. After searching a few store we were left feeling a little disheartened, sure we found hats but none from a brand that resonated with us or filled us with a sense of adventure. When we would stop in a town for supplies, we would inevitably end up rummaging through the local op-shop for hidden gems. We found incredible vintage yet timeless hat styles every time and this started the conversation of creating our own hat brand. One that connects you to and gives back to nature.
YOUR BRAND WAS BORN ON THE ROAD, WHAT INSPIRED THE HATS?
A hat to us represents a life of adventure, a necessity to a healthy life outdoors and an item that if designed well only gets better with age, lasting you a lifetime. We saw an opportunity in hats to work on new and innovative manufacturing technologies and materials to help reduce our reliance on new fibres.
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF
We’re Loz and Alex the founders of Will & Bear an Australian headwear label with a love for life on the road and a life lived outdoors.
We had just started a road trip around Tasmania and were on the hunt for a good hat for the trip. After searching a few store we were left feeling a little disheartened, sure we found hats but none from a brand that resonated with us or filled us with a sense of adventure. When we would stop in a town for supplies, we would inevitably end up rummaging through the local op-shop for hidden gems. We found incredible vintage yet timeless hat styles every time and this started the conversation of creating our own hat brand. One that connects you to and gives back to nature.
YOUR BRAND WAS BORN ON THE ROAD, WHAT INSPIRED THE HATS?
A hat to us represents a life of adventure, a necessity to a healthy life outdoors and an item that if designed well only gets better with age, lasting you a lifetime. We saw an opportunity in hats to work on new and innovative manufacturing technologies and materials to help reduce our reliance on new fibres.
As individuals we wanted to make a difference to the environment, create a business we would be proud to work for and create a community around those ideas. We designed a vehicle for change that you see today as Will & Bear. We wanted to build something we would be proud to promote and allowed our personal and business goals to align.
Truth be told it isn’t easy running a business with your other half but it does give us the confidence - along with a bit of blind optimism - to keep pushing forward. Our personalities complement each other and we know that no matter what direction we end up going we go together.
It was on a trip from VIC to SA, we were driving along the HWY at around 90km with pretty strong winDs when all of a sudden a massive truck passed up and a gust of wind unhitched our canopy roof and it flew open while we were still driving!! We quickly pulled over and Alex jumped in the back to hold the edges of the roof before it blew off completely. This was the first day of a 2 week road trip, meaning that we now had a convertible van for the next two weeks! We were lucky it was in summer and wasn’t raining!
We found the perfect Volkswagen T3 Syncro van on gumtree and Alex spent five months completely restoring the inside to include the creature comforts we needed for a home on wheels. Living and working from a van has its ups and downs that’s for sure!
When we’re on the road we have the most clarity, it’s where our best ideas and inspiration come from. Life on the road brings with it fewer distractions, time to think and the company of new and interesting people.
If we're not on the road, Alex is most likely surfing and Loz is cooking.
As individuals we wanted to make a difference to the environment, create a business we would be proud to work for and create a community around those ideas. We designed a vehicle for change that you see today as Will & Bear. We wanted to build something we would be proud to promote and allowed our personal and business goals to align.
Truth be told it isn’t easy running a business with your other half but it does give us the confidence - along with a bit of blind optimism - to keep pushing forward. Our personalities complement each other and we know that no matter what direction we end up going we go together.
It was on a trip from VIC to SA, we were driving along the HWY at around 90km with pretty strong winDs when all of a sudden a massive truck passed up and a gust of wind unhitched our canopy roof and it flew open while we were still driving!! We quickly pulled over and Alex jumped in the back to hold the edges of the roof before it blew off completely. This was the first day of a 2 week road trip, meaning that we now had a convertible van for the next two weeks! We were lucky it was in summer and wasn’t raining!
We found the perfect Volkswagen T3 Syncro van on gumtree and Alex spent five months completely restoring the inside to include the creature comforts we needed for a home on wheels. Living and working from a van has its ups and downs that’s for sure!
When we’re on the road we have the most clarity, it’s where our best ideas and inspiration come from. Life on the road brings with it fewer distractions, time to think and the company of new and interesting people.
If we're not on the road, Alex is most likely surfing and Loz is cooking.
Initiating an ongoing partnership with trees.org in 2016 has allowed us to successfully plant more than 100 hectares of trees across West Africa, sequestering over 1000 tons of carbon from the atmosphere, counteracting the effects of poverty-induced soil degradation and providing financial independence for hundreds of local farmers. This makes us immensely proud.
YOU HAVE SO MANY STYLES NOW, EVEN BEANIES! TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU'VE GROWN OVER THE YEARS - HOW HAS THE JOURNEY BEEN FOR YOU BOTH?
Taking Will & Bear from an idea to a full-blown company required a lot of coffee and some very long days. We were both working full time jobs during the first year of Will & Bear, and we both only stepped away completely from our old jobs after two years in business.
We really had to back ourselves, but we also sought advice every step of the way. We had a business coach and mentors helping us make the right decisions from the beginning… or at least helping us make informed risks. Four years later, we're still on the journey and wouldn't change a thing!
WHAT'S NEXT FOR WILL AND BEAR?
We're always experimenting with new materials from upcycled waste to minimize our carbon footprint while reducing the label's reliance on new fibREs. With that being said, you can expect to see some new styles in the near future!
Learn more about LOZ AND ALEX here
Initiating an ongoing partnership with trees.org in 2016 has allowed us to successfully plant more than 100 hectares of trees across West Africa, sequestering over 1000 tons of carbon from the atmosphere, counteracting the effects of poverty-induced soil degradation and providing financial independence for hundreds of local farmers. This makes us immensely proud.
YOU HAVE SO MANY STYLES NOW, EVEN BEANIES! TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU'VE GROWN OVER THE YEARS - HOW HAS THE JOURNEY BEEN FOR YOU BOTH?
Taking Will & Bear from an idea to a full-blown company required a lot of coffee and some very long days. We were both working full time jobs during the first year of Will & Bear, and we both only stepped away completely from our old jobs after two years in business.
We really had to back ourselves, but we also sought advice every step of the way. We had a business coach and mentors helping us make the right decisions from the beginning… or at least helping us make informed risks. Four years later, we're still on the journey and wouldn't change a thing!
WHAT'S NEXT FOR WILL AND BEAR?
We're always experimenting with new materials from upcycled waste to minimize our carbon footprint while reducing the label's reliance on new fibREs. With that being said, you can expect to see some new styles in the near future!
Learn more about LOZ AND ALEX here
previous entry
common people #29
From sketches to prints, Rachel Walker doesn’t follow an orthodox process for block printing but a self-taught a method of her own. Founder of the brand Little Beacon, which started out just for friends and now in a short time Little Beacon designs are being licensed abroad by European children’s wear brand Organic Zoo launching this March.
COMMON PEOPLE #29
From sketches to prints, Rachel Walker doesn’t follow an orthodox process for block printing but a self-taught a method of her own. Founder of the brand Little Beacon, which started out just for friends and now in a short time Little Beacon designs are being licensed abroad by European children’s wear brand Organic Zoo launching this March.
