An Edinburgh designer is set to launch his first store in the city, after building a brand ‘out of nothing’.
Mickey Ellis, who grew up in Corstorphine, created a brand with an ‘important message’ after struggling through various roles in the fashion industry. Hit & Run, which is a one-man operation, creates made-to-order t-shirts and sweaters with an anti-fast fashion ethos.
The designer launched the brand as an ‘antithesis to a creatively barren and environmentally devastating fast-fashion industry.’ We caught up with Mickey on his home turf of Leith. He told Edinburgh Live: “Coming back to Edinburgh after 24 years, it doesn’t feel that different to me.
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“But I’m back and ready to go with Hit & Run, and as long as it has taken to set up, it's very exciting.”
The ethos of the brand is that no one needs ‘new’ clothes - and investing in something should always have a ‘bigger message’.
Everything is made to order, fair trade and produced in organic cotton or recycled polyester. The designs are printed using non-toxic ink, nothing is screen printed and there’s no plastic packaging.
The brand was born from Mickey’s passion to create something that wasn’t ‘ready for landfill’, and could give people one of a kind items. While he didn’t plan for a life in fashion, it happened ‘by accident’ after he moved to London.
“I went to Edinburgh University and did psychology, but I was always really into music and the arts. I played in bands, hanging out at the art college bar and that kind of vibe.
“I was just so into culture, and I used to take my little pilgrimages down to Camden. It just made sense as soon as I graduated university to live in London.
“The weekend I graduated, off I went. Stayed for 24 years.
“As for fashion, it was just one of those things that just happened. There was this one shop in London that sold these jeans I wanted, so I went in and got them and handed in a CV.
“I just had a burst of confidence, and the woman gave me a job on the spot. I was working in the coolest, most cutting edge shop in London.
“All the designers and big names were coming in and it just snowballed.”
After spending most of his life in London, Mickey is now back in Edinburgh and ready to set up shop.
Hit & Run already has big name fans including singers Olly Alexander and Sam Smith as well as designer Hiader Ackerman. He has also been featured in style guides such as GQ, Glamour, Stylist and more. T-shirts and sweaters explore various themes including LGBTQ+ rights, gender and race issues, female sexual exploitation, capitalism and pop culture.
Speaking on his brand, Mickey said: “I’ve got a bit of a passion for making the world a better place, and what better way to do it than a slogan t-shirt.
“I started my first brand in 2003 and it was very much about art. Over the years, fast fashion has become more dominant and the big brands have taken over.
“All the independent boutiques are getting put out of business. I found myself getting far less creative, and working for the money on throw-away products.”
Mickey decided it was time to throw in the towel, focus on his passion and decide what he stood against. He continued: “Hit & Run is something I’ve started out of nothing and the direction it’s going is really exciting.
“In a cynical world, I think doing something that isn’t about making money but is about having fun really resonates with people.”
You can find out more about Mickey, and his brand, here.
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