Founded in 2023, Hannah Creak is the kind of label that already feels sure of itself – like it didn’t need much time to figure out what it wanted to say. Based in Paris, it carries that effortless French energy, but the kind that comes from paying attention to everything.
There’s a Paris it-girl aura in the background – one with a slightly chaotic, very aesthetic Instagram feed: part archival deep cuts, part street finds, part things that maybe shouldn’t work but somehow do. But it’s not just images. The practice behind the product is thoughtful and hands-on, built around deadstock and discarded materials that are reworked into pieces that feel personal, a little ironic, and quietly bold.
Hannah Creak exists somewhere between romance and resistance – pushing back against fashion’s obsession with constant newness, while still holding onto the fun of getting dressed.
(PAULA) You describe the brand as sustainable, but that word’s been stretched so thin. What does it mean in your practice? Where do you draw the line?
(HANNAH) Sustainable to me means using upcycled and deadstock fabrics consciously, and developing pieces slowly. We don’t drop entirely new collections; we add pieces to our existing ones. We also don’t abide by fashion week schedules. It’s true slow fashion.
(PAULA) Do you have a motto – or just a sentence you come back to when things start to unravel?
(HANNAH) “I just want to create.”I would have been content nannying for the rest of my life if I was able to create clothing. I just got lucky that people wanted to buy what I make, so I was able to build it into a brand.
(PAULA) You work a lot with deadstock and upcycled materials. Do limitations ever frustrate you?
(HANNAH) Oh yes, for sure. With each new fabric, we have to alter patterns to fit the stretch. Most of the time there isn’t much of it – it runs out, and we have to pause that garment for a while. It’s not the most business-savvy way to work, but it does make our pieces unique and special. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.
It’s something I’d like to scale slightly. One of my dreams is to grow the brand to a point where we can hire a permanent team. We just need a bit more stability first.
(PAULA) When you pick up something discarded, what tells you it still has a future?
(HANNAH) I love old materials – things that have faults in them, and 100% natural fibres. They have such a unique hand that new fabric just doesn’t give. Anything like that, I know I can use in a project. I also like to play with traditional subcultures and styles, mixing them to create something a little more unique.
(PAULA) It sounds like the one-off nature is built into the way you work. Does that make scaling feel complicated, or is that intimacy something you don’t want to lose?
(HANNAH) I do feel pressure to scale in order to function as a business. The biggest challenge is how to make a truly ethical and sustainable brand profitable. Right now we break even every month, but I think that’s because we make everything in-house. I would like to collaborate with other small studios working with craft in France or around Europe, especially for leather and knitwear. But for now, I love that the pieces feel more intimate.
(PAULA) Your upcycled “I Love Paris” T-shirts feel like both a love letter and a quiet roast. Were you more interested in critiquing tourism culture, or reclaiming something kitsch?
(HANNAH) Honestly, I actually just love Paris. I wish it had a deeper meaning, but there are just so many of those “I Love Paris” tops, and we wanted to repurpose some for our Paris pop-up. It just felt like the perfect piece to make.
(PAULA) Paris is so over-romanticised it almost collapses in on itself. Does it feel that way when you actually live there?
(HANNAH) It is so fucking romantic, and I’m just so grateful I get to live here. It definitely has a special charm, but I also think I have this view because I come from a shitty town near Nottingham that is the least aesthetic place – so Paris feels like a dream in comparison. I also found an amazing group of international friends, so I’m not really living the true Parisian life.
(PAULA) You’re originally from the UK – how did you end up in Paris, and what made you stay?
(HANNAH) I moved to Paris for a nannying job. It’s something I did to support myself throughout my degree, and after graduating I knew I had to find another job to survive while looking for work in fashion. I didn’t want to stay in England because I felt like I wasn’t growing. Paris was just the first place that came up when I looked for nannying jobs abroad.
(PAULA) Moving countries right after graduating is a bold move. What did that transition actually look like behind the scenes?
(HANNAH) Honestly, it was really tough in the beginning. I was working full-time looking after four children, and it was 2020, so there were still COVID restrictions, which made it extremely isolating. But I was lucky that the family I worked for were so kind and generous – they’re still part of my life now.
(PAULA) London vs. Paris – which feels more honest? Which feels more performative? Are they both home to you?
(HANNAH) I recently went back to London, and it was so nice to see how people dress and live – it’s so raw, passionate, and real. But I do prefer Paris. I like the intimacy of living in a smaller city, and the quality of life and opportunities here are much better. Paris is definitely my home now – I’ve spent five years of my adult life here, and it’s where my friends are.
(PAULA) Fashion loves to talk about sustainability while still overproducing. Do you feel like you’re working within the system, or actively against it?
(HANNAH) I would say I’m just trying to do my own thing. Sometimes I feel the pull of the industry and it can get overwhelming, but taking things slowly is working well.
(PAULA) What part of the industry do you find hardest to respect right now?
(HANNAH) That there aren’t enough women in creative direction roles, and that everything is so overproduced and saturated that it’s lost its meaning. But that’s also why people are turning to smaller brands – it feels much more personal.
(PAULA) Is the title “independent designer” still romantic, or just code for doing everything yourself?
(HANNAH) For years, that was the case. I did everything while also looking after four kids to support myself, which meant working ridiculous hours, seven days a week, and being very broke for years. Even now I still nanny one day a week – though my intern is starting to take over, which is quite cute.
It is a lot of work, but I’ve always felt like this was the only way for me. I’ve always been so driven to change the industry and make my own way. So in that sense, it is romantic – I’m actually doing what I dreamed of as a teenager.
On one hand, it’s getting easier now and I feel like I can breathe a little more. On the other, it’s still scary that it could all crash if people stopped buying the clothes. So yes – thank you, thank you to all the customers.
(PAULA) What would you make if there were no expectations – no customers, no audience, no Instagram?
(HANNAH) I would only create one-of-one pieces that take weeks and weeks to develop. I love things that take time and are pushed to the max.
(PAULA) Speaking of Instagram, how do you balance making work for the feed versus real life?
(HANNAH) Honestly, I’m so grateful to social media. It gave me this platform to grow a company. I also feel like I’m kind of good at it, so it comes naturally. I don’t think too much before posting – I just capture what we’re working on in the studio each week and share it.
(PAULA) What are you currently obsessed with – material, idea, or mood?
(HANNAH) Recently I went to see Smerz perform, and it was fucking amazing how sexy and powerful they looked doing what they love. The concert felt like watching someone perform in their bedroom – like no one was there, just doing exactly what they wanted and feeling amazing.
I want my customers to feel the same. You know that feeling when you’re in your bedroom, just playing around with ideas, completely in your own world? I used to do that all the time when I first moved here. I want to bring some of that back – reintroduce those ideas and create pieces that really empower the wearer and give them creative control.
Material-wise, I’ve recently started a collaboration with a women-led knitwear studio in Paris. I’m really excited to work with knitwear – it’s actually one of the most sustainable things to produce because there’s zero waste. I also found some vintage floral leathers that I can’t wait to start working with.
(PAULA) What do you want people to feel when they wear your work?
(HANNAH) I want them to feel empowered, unique, and like they aren’t killing the planet.
CREDITSInterviewed by Paula-Stina TasaneArchive photos by Hannah CreakCover collage by Elina Kuhta