Mooch Loungewear

Loungewear you love

Interview with Sabrina, founder of Mooch Loungewear

Meet ‘Mooch Loungewear’, a UK made brand for lovers of soft stretchy female leisurewear. Learn how Bridge & Stitch helped founder Sabrina, a marketing expert for Disney, realise her vision for a UK female leisurewear using quality fabrics kinder to the planet and built to last.

How did your brand come about?

I love loungewear and dreamt of having my own brand. I’m always in comfies, my friends take the mick! I wanted a collection of stylish comfies, stretchy joggers and tops and the like. The name ‘mooch’ was inspired by my stuffed monkey Moochie who also loves to relax and chill.

I wanted to build a brand for lovers of the ethos comfy, sustainable, stylish leisurewear. Back in 2020 I did a business plan, found Bridge & Stitch online and took my ideas to Rachael the founder. I had no idea about manufacturing and production. But I knew I wanted Mooch Loungewear to support British manufacturing, have low carbon footprint and appeal to those who love living in comfies, that was all!

How did Bridge & Stitch help you?

I wanted ‘made in UK’ something Bridge & Stitch specialises in and needed to find manufacturers. Bridge & Stitch has a network of UK factories. They helped me source the right fabrics firstly, soft, comfy and stretchy but with a certain amount of sustainability. Such as our lounge pants – made from recycled polyester. Bridge & Stitch knew high-quality sustainable producers.

Rachael Hobbs drew up the designs. I had ideas, kind of borrowed elements of clothing I loved wearing. Rachael Hobbs helped me build my designs from these. Tech packs, specific drawings, sizing, and patterns and then a factory shortlist. Samples were made from 2 factories. You get what you pay for. The second one was more expensive and stronger; we chose this one.

My fabrics came from the UK, the rest Portugal. Rachael helped with the process in terms of sourcing, colours, getting it produced, handling Covid delays, Brexit delays, being stuck in ports. There were bumps along the road. Rachael project managed it all end to end, from design to production. This took the stress away from us and gave me real peace of mind. We launched in 2021 and haven’t looked back!

What stood out with Bridge & Stitch?

I needed a specialist and Bridge & Stitch stood out as specialists in eco-clothing production with over a decade of experience and lots of great feedback. They were able to take my vision and bring it to life. Rachael had a talent for transforming what I was describing into what I wanted in physical terms. Rachael knew all the fabric jargon and factory production elements and broke it all down in layman’s terms for me. Her extensive UK factory suppliers network stood out. They have a great relationship with UK manufacturers and that was important to Mooch’s brand ethos.

Their help with road bumps was also stand out. The world the way it was then in 2020 – factory closures, supplies stuck in ports, EU regs, loads of hiccups – was not easy. Rachael got the job done. Getting the brand launched was amazing and I’m delighted with the quality of my collection. We’re growing steadily, with a loyal fan base and Bridge & Stitch support with any changes along the way.

Bridge & Stitch ensures our choices lead to quality garments while making better decisions for the planet – helping to lower water, energy, and carbon emissions compared to some other conventional fabrics. Our joggers for example use 50% recycled polyester, 25% upcycled cotton, and 25% Tencel. The recycled polyester that we use is made from post-consumer waste, diverted from landfill. And our upcycled cotton is sourced from cancelled orders or end-of-line collections from fabric mills. This saves fresh cotton from being grown and reduces waste. Tencel, a fabric we use, is made from the wood pulp of sustainably managed forests. Some garments are made from 100% cotton sourced from Turkey with no negative social causes unlike say those in places like Xinjiang.