We Meet The Founders Of Cult Dress Brand, O Pioneers
The Handbook meets the duo behind British slow fashion brand, O Pioneers, to talk dresses, dining and dream destinations. Clara Francis, an actor and jewellery designer, and Tania Hindmarch, a PR and home seamstress, were friends before they became business partners and the one thing they always bonded over was fashion. Their shared love of vintage clothing, feminine dresses and the ceaseless hunt for that dream frock, brought with it, not only a new business and vocation for both the women, but a standout fashion brand that has become one of our favourite launches of the last five years.
They launched O Pioneers from a kitchen table in 2019 in hope they would create the dream dress they both had been searching for. Now, approaching their fouth year in business, the brand is stocked in the likes of NET-A-PORTER and Liberty and has been spotted on the backs of actress Beanie Feldstein and Insta star Paula Sutton AKA Hill House Vintage. They are dedicated to a slow fashion model with a focus on vintage-inspired dresses using archival Liberty prints and designs that are wearable, flattering and ageless.
Read on to find out what makes Tania and Clara tick, what it’s like running a business with your friend and all their hidden gems, from where to get the best sandwich in London to where’s great for unforgettable gifts.
Where do you live in London and what do you love about it?
Clara: Just moved from Camden to Kentish Town – I’m North London born and bred and Hampstead Heath is my spiritual home. From my childhood to present day, I’ve had experienced my most precious moments there. It’s a place of wonder.
Tania: I live in Holloway. It’s quite urban but is close enough to the Heath to run there with my lurcher, Alfie, to get some green respite. Plus, there are some great little gems in the area too.
What’s your favourite local restaurant you return to time and time again?
C: Honey & Smoke is always a winner. My husband and I book the six-thirty slot – eat like kings, roll out stuffed and we’re home in our PJ’s watching telly by none-thirty. Bliss.
T: My absolute favourite local spot is Jolene on Hornsey Road. I pop by for coffee, fresh bread and croissants after my run with Alfie most mornings. And it’s become our favourite regular Sunday brunch haunt too. It’s just got it all – relaxed ambience, delicious food, great playlist, lovely staff.
What are your favourite restaurants if you want to book something special?
C: I absolutely love going to The Wolseley – doesn’t matter how many times I’ve been it always feels so special. The architecture is majestic the food is always excellent not too fancy – I don’t like restaurants that intimidate. The Wolsey, although huge and imposing, never feels intimidating.
T: The Clove Club – The team behind it have a summer pop-up called Outcrop on the Strand. I went recently and it was fabulous.
I absolutely love going to The Wolsey – doesn’t matter how many times I’ve been it always feels so special.
Where would you book for a cosy date-night?
C: I’d say Fischers in Marylebone. Cosy, comforting and very near our home.
T: Keeping it local again, Westerns Laundry in North London. Really relaxed, cool vibe, dimly lit and intimate, great sharing plates and, best of all, close to home.
Favourite places for a family day-out in London?
C: We love to walk along the canal through Regent’s Park into the West End. There’s always something going on. I did exactly this last week with my son, we headed to The Royal Academy to see his painting which has been accepted in this year’s Kids’ Summer Exhibition. It was all fun and free. London is brilliant for that.
T: My kids are teenagers now so they won’t be seen in public with me anymore!
Do you have any hidden gems in the city?
C: I got married in 2014 in Wilton’s Music Hall. I had been obsessed with the building for years and knew I didn’t want to get married unless it was there. From the outside it looks like nothing much, but once you walk through the door you walk into another world. It’s very theatrical and Lewis Carroll-esque.
T: The most idyllic spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner is Towpath Café, hidden away along the canal in Haggerston. It is literally a number of tables and chairs outside on the towpath – so consequently only open during the summer months and run by Lori who is utterly wonderful. We love going here for a Saturday breakfast with the dogs, too. We’ve been know to go for lunch and dinner on the same day, it’s that good!
What’s your go-to order when you’re staying in?
C: Always Dishoom – mattar paneer, rice and a plain naan, please.
T: To be honest, I rarely order in. If I’m home, I’ll cook and I am currently loving every dish in Meera Sodha’s East cookbook.
Where is great for a healthy, quick lunch?
C: I often forget about lunch, but if I do feel peckish at lunchtime whilst at work in our Marylebone Lane shop, I’ll pop across the road to Paul Rothe and get one of their custom made Marmite and cucumber sandwich. It’s the Sandwich of Kings.
T: I also love another of our neighbours, The GoodLife Eatery on Marylebone Lane.
Where does the best coffee in the city?
C: Bread by Bike on Brecknock Road. Well, less for the coffee (which is still great), but more for the bread and cakes. I’m obsessed with everything they bake and clearly have a sugar addiction.
T: Jolene on Hornsey Road or Green Room Café on the Holloway Road, a tiny coffee and snack shop and another regular of mine.
Do you have a favourite book store in London?
C: Daunt books on Marylebone High Street is so beautiful and unique. OWL bookshop on Kentish Town High Street for ease and friendliness. And I loved Foyle’s before it went all shiny, fancy and new. I also really miss Samuel French Theatrical Bookshop – very sad it’s gone.
T: I can while away hours in a book store. Daunt Books on Marylebone High Street is a great one to spend quite a bit of time in.
Where is great for finding unique gifts?
C: I’m getting fed up seeing the same old stuff in the same old shops over and over again, I want to find unique pieces to give to my friends. I love Camden Passage – and although Annie’s and Cloud Cuckoo Land have gone – if you go on market days there are still treasure to be found.
T: I always gravitate towards art gallery shops. The shop at the Courtauld is pretty great for interesting gifts.
Are there any independent stores you love to visit in the city?
C: I love Diverse boutique in Tufnell Park. The buyer Saskia is amazing and always seeks the best pieces. I also love SK Vintage, also in the same area, run by the wonderful Sarah Kah.
S: Retrouvé on Broadway Market has a beautiful selection of vintage clothes, and Diverse in Tufnell Park for current brands and jewellery.
What was the last thing you bought for your wardrobe?
C: I very rarely buy clothes or shoes these days – I tend to only wear O Pioneers and I’m very much trying to buy fewer items. I did buy a pair of bottle green Carel Kinas recently, though. I’d been waiting patiently for the exact right ‘green’ to appear and ‘ta-da’ – there they were. I will wear them forever.
T: A pair of Isabel Marant flats from Vestiaire. I rarely buy new clothes and if I do they tend to be pre-loved or charity shop finds. Pretty much my entire wardrobe consists of, not surprisingly, O Pioneers. It’s my uniform.
Which item in your wardrobe will you treasure forever?
C: I have been collecting Edwardian Lawn dresses since I was a teenager. In the ‘90s, when every one else was wearing baggy T-shirts, slip dresses and dungarees, I was wafting around town in my Edwardian frocks. I treasure those dresses, they are works of art to me.
T: The hand knitted jumpers my mum has made for me over the years and a few party dresses she made for me when I was at uni.
What are the hero pieces from O Pionneers’ latest collection?
C: I’m definitely obsessed with our new longer length Emily dress which sold out so fast – I didn’t even get to nab one for myself. I’m also loving our Isla tanks, which work over the top of all our dresses. They’re so practical and completely transform your outfit
T: Our Clara dress is consistently one of our most popular pieces. People are also loving our hand patch-worked Joan skirt and our short Belle dress with Peter Pan collar.
LEFT: CLARA DOLLY MIX DRESS / RIGHT: EMILY MAXI DRESS, BOTH BY O PIONEERS
Who would you love to see wearing your brand?
C: We are so fortunate to have had so many of our dream women already discover and wear O Pioneers, but if I had to pick one person it would be Kate Bush – my all time hero.
T: We’ve had lots of women that we ‘fan-girl’ over wear our dresses, most recently writer Alice Birch and Beanie Feldstein, who came into the shop and was divine. I’d really love to see Grayson Perry in one. I absolutely adore him.
What is it like working with your friend – how do you balance your roles and find your niches?
C: I had my own jewellery brand before we launched O Pioneers. I never liked working alone. I felt lonely and now I never feel lonely with Tania around. I love collaboration – we’re always bouncing ideas off of one other and feed off each others’ energy. But most importantly we support each other and pep the other one up if they’re feeling frazzled, which as working mums we often do.
T: We really do have a lot of fun and spend an inordinate amount of time roaring with laughter about something or other. When we set up the company we really didn’t know each other’s working styles, ,but by sheer luck, we seem to compliment each other very well.
Do you ever have difficult situations or disagreements?
C: Yes, of course. I suspect I’m probably very frustrating to work with as I can be rather scatty and in certain departments of the business lack concentration. I also spread myself very thin with all my other work commitments, but considering how closely we work together, we get on brilliantly well.
T: We really are both pretty much single-minded in our shared vision for the brand and its aesthetic. We don’t always agree on everything but rarely fall out over things. We realise we have something special together.
Invest in a piece of clothing classically designed, beautifully constructed and made exquisitely. Look after it and it will last you a lifetime
What are the biggest challenges that come with running a business?
C: Just the work life juggle. It’s exhausting. There was also a period of time when we had our pop-up shop in Belgravia, I was performing eight shows a week in a play in the West End and working for a charity, all whilst my husband was working away. It was brutal. I’m still not sure I’ve recovered.
T: Running a grown up business, being serious and concentrating properly, and scaling our business whilst staying true to our core ‘slow fashion, conscious creating’ ethos.
Your brand is still fairly young having only launched in 2019. What have been the highs of the journey so far?
C: I would say finding Annabelle (our third wheel) was definitely a high. I knew the second I met her I wanted her to work for us – she is the most amazing person and her energy helps propel Tania and I forward every day. Another huge high was getting onto NET-A-PORTER just over a year after launching the business. Launching our bricks and mortar shop in Marylebone Lane was pretty special too. There have been many.
T: We have had so many highs in our relatively short span. Our very first order – thank you, jewellery designer Jess McCormack. Our first pop-up shop on Elizabeth Street, getting stocked by NET-A-PORTER and our first permanent bricks and mortar store in Marylebone Lane.
You use beautiful liberty prints in your pieces. Do you have a favourite?
C: My favourite Liberty Print has always and will always be the ‘Betsy’ – it happens to be my middle name as well. My mother would make me dresses in this print and I’ve made my daughter dresses in it too. It’s timeless and nostalgic yet strangely always feels fresh.
T: There are so many but one of my favourites is an old one called Snowdrop Spot. My current fave has to be Hattie Park, which we use for our Penelope and Sophia dresses – it’s a fun take on a classic Liberty print and features little cartoon faces.
Tell us about the sustainability values of the brand and how you can still enjoy fashion whilst shopping responsibly?
C: Sustainability is at our core. Everything is made in London. Our fabrics and trimmings are all ethically sourced and we pay our makers properly. Our philosophy is ‘buy once buy better’ and to invest in a piece of clothing classically designed, beautifully constructed and made exquisitely. Look after it and it will last you a lifetime.
What are the three beauty products you couldn’t live without?
C: Tweezers, retinol cream and a hair de-frizzer.
T: Bria Organics Skin Balm, Jones Road What the Foundation and Neal’s Yard Wild Rose Glow Facial Oil
What was the last book you read and what’s currently on your nightstand?
C: I recently finished my friend Kate Hardie’s debut novel, This is Where We Liv. It’s brilliant and brave and really spoke to me. I’m going on holiday soon and taking some Patricia Highsmith and some David Sedaris for laughs; Emma Cline’s The Guest; a biography on George Michael; and I’m going to reread The Unbearable Lightness Of Being by Milan Kundera for the 1000th time.
T: I’m currently reading Lolita by Nabokov. I love his writing – Laughter in the Dark is another favourite – and despite the subject matter, it’s written so brilliantly that it makes for tragically hilarious reading. The last book I read was Contempt by Alberto Moravia, a twisted, male view of a marriage going bad.
What podcasts are you currently listening to?
C: I love ‘You Must Remember This’ all about Hollywood, old and new – it’s always fascinating. ‘Soul Music’ on BBC sounds always has me in tears, oh, and I loved ‘Hoaxed’ and ‘Sweet Booby’ both by Tortoise.
T: The Expectation Effect by David Robson was fascinating and ‘Dear Joan and Jericha’ was laugh out loud hilarious.
What music have you been listening to?
C: According to my Spotify, I’ve recently been listening to Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’, Prince’s ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ and Joni Mitchell ‘The Hissing of Summer Lawns’.
T: I listen to Radio 6 a lot, probably too much. Our playlist in the shop is a pretty eclectic mix of everything, from Talking Heads, Kate Bush, Asha Puthli, Minnie Ripperton and Fleetwood Mac to Say She She, Joy Crookes, CMAT, Yard Act and Anohni. Also loving Lie-Ning at the moment – the voice of an angel.
Let’s talk travel. What’s on your list for the coming year?
C: I really want to take my kids to New York. My son hassles me every single day to take him to the cool trainer shops.
T: Berlin – I’ve never been but looking forward to being shown around soon by someone who knows it very well. We tend to do beach holidays with my family and rarely do hotels – my Dad loves to sail so we’re recruited as crew! We love the Greek islands like Ithaca and Kefalonia, which are both stunning for discovering deserted beaches and bays and swimming off the boat.
I also really want to go to Seoul. I’ve heard its incredible.
Which UK country hotel do you love?
C: I went to Thyme with two best friends last year for one night only and it was paradise. I also became obsessed with their Bertioli Water Meadow Scent, it’s beyond gorgeous.
T: Barnsley House in the Cotswolds is idyllic.
Shop Clara & Tanias’ Edit Below…
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