Between The Lines 011: Industry Synergy With Mathieu Hagelaars
Facilitator, Collaborator, Founder
Democratisation of the footwear industry has always been a key fundament of CONCEPTKICKS. Since our beginning, we have charted the development of mobility, collaboration and independent design within modern footwear. In doing so, one conclusion that’s become evident is that all three of these qualities and entities are not only self-reliant but they coexist to form a global creative industry that works in synergy.
One name at the forefront of facilitating, collaborating and developing our world is Hagel. Known for its hype-inducing #MakersMondays, the studio have always existed to disturb the material, silhouette and structural status quos. From Off White and Valentino to Stepney Workers Club and Puma the studio’s direction has seemingly hit all four corners of footwear design.
However, if you were new to footwear and simply had a penchant for innovative, cutting edge product, you probably wouldn’t grasp that the Amsterdam-based label had anything to do with its portfolio of brand-work. Don’t worry, we can’t pull you up on it because the thinkers behind the collaborations mostly stick to their spellwork in secret.
Then, something suspicious got posted to the newly-named @hagel Instagram account last month. An orange air-bag covered car popped up across the grid, a stark removal from the archetypal concepts and flatlays that usually grace the feed. It sent us whirring, what was Mathieu doing? Well, here’s your answer: “The focus now is to grow into an international brand and I definitely think that’s possible.”
I could stop there because, with just one quote from Mathieu Hagelaars (the founder of the, now, brand), we’ve probably given you more than you bargained for when you clicked through to this read. But, that’s not how we do things. We’re here to unpick, investigate. How has the leading creative facilitator become a brand founder? And, more importantly, why?
“Hagel is where our customers will be able to find the purest designs from our studio.”
Mathieu Hagelaars
“We started as a design studio and that’s how we grew to collaborate with international brands,” starts Hagelaars, who kick-started the industry initiative back in 2015. The name quickly became known for reforming the omnipresent shoes of the 21st century - think AF1s and TNs - and bringing them into new realms. #MakersMondays became an inspirational weekly alarm for designers, consumers and creatives across the internet, and, as Hagelaars puts it: “There are products out there that have sold crazy, crazy pairs that all started from a Maker’s Monday.” (Yes, you had seen the beginnings of the Off-White Off-Courts before they hit shelves).
But, as lots of us know, collaborating with the conglomerates of the world can lead to the imposition of restrictions and the dilution of creativity and branding that can sometimes reduce the destined direction that designers aspire for. “Be it a creative director or a merchandise team, there are always other people that are going to interfere with the process. This is completely fine but we always think that there is so much more we could be doing,” explains the founder of Hagel. That’s part of the reason why the much-welcomed move to becoming an independent label is such an important move for them, “Hagel is where our customers will be able to find the purest designs from our studio.”
Don’t worry, the studio work is not coming to an end and you will still get your fix of Studio Hagel’s intuitive design. But, you’ll probably want to get on the brand’s mailing list if you want a slice of their eponymously named pairs. The first drop, an orange leather toggle-fastened shoe that features a double-injected outsole, is both reminiscent of a 90s hiking style and a futuristic approach to mixed textures and form. Really, the shoe is the perfect brain-child of the studio - something that pays homage to the past and acts as the basis for succeeding designs.
“We are doing it our way and we are going to grow our way, organically,” states Hagelaars who has always imbued his outputs with a sense of time travel. Every design is the start of something, as he writes on the reveal of the first drop: ‘Our design process is an experiment, an ongoing exploration of ideas. This model is both a result of that process and the start of a new chain of thoughts. No state is final.’
The team is also applying this philosophy to the logistics and business outlook of the brand. “I don’t have big investors so it’s going to be done in the same way as before but on a new level. It’s not about investors, it’s about working with the right partners,” Hagelaars continues. Hagel is hitting the industry when collaboration and the opening of the iron gates of industry are reaching fever pitch. With sustainability, smart design and new material innovations at the forefront of both indie and conglomerates gameplans, more and more companies are sharing things they would have previously kept shut.
Together, Hagel and the forward-thinking pioneers at Ecco are set to push the boundaries of production and consumer expectations. Hagelaars explains, “I have always had a long relationship with the people at Ecco and Ecco leather and I have always been blown away by their innovation. Although their highstreet consumer might be more conservative, it has never stopped them from evolving.” Here, Mathieu references the brand’s direct injection moulding techniques as well as their work in the field of bonded leather.
“Ecco has enabled us to rethink materials and silhouettes via their innovations and we have pushed their thinking further,” he continues, making us go slightly green-eyed at the perfect brand relationship. “The team at Ecco said it was their toughest construction yet, but that didn’t stop us from trying. It’s just the start and I am super excited about what is to come.”
On top of collaboration, making small runs feasible is a key factor in becoming scalable so the brand is relying on small drops. This also ensures that their output is sustainable too. This less waste thinking is also being applied to their packaging which features a recycled cardboard box that houses a black protective dust bag - which doubles as a messenger bag that can be used throughout the lifetime of the shoes. You might also want to turn it inside out because you find the entire design process of each pair depicted there. Transparent and planet-friendly, this decision not only removes the brand from traditions but it also fulfills the wishes of the wearer to be in on Hagel’s secrets.
Let me reiterate: Facilitator, collaborator, founder. Mathieu has been in and of all three states since he started in 2015, finally finding his feel where we have always wanted him to be. However, in a sort of Benjamin Button way, he’s also going backwards. His brand is founded on collaborations in which he and his designs are the facilitators for more innovation.
The HAGEL SHROUD in RTE MANGO is set to release 21st of February exclusively through the brand’s new online store.
Click here to register.
Imagery by Gilleam Trapenberg, Fernando Pata and Louis Flashman