Women's Lifestyle May 12, 2026 0 Comments

Unlock the Secret British Knitwear Brand That Tilda Swinton, Alexa Chung, and Chloë Sevigny Can’t Stop Wearing—And Why You Should Care Now

Ever stumbled upon a moment so unexpectedly thrilling that it makes your heart skip, even in the quiet hum of your daily grind? That’s exactly what happened to Cassie Holland in 2024 when she spotted the name “Tilda Swinton” tucked among the orders for her modest knitwear label, Hades. Since its inception in 2016, Hades has quietly amassed a roster of high-profile fans—from Chloë Sevigny to Alexa Chung—but when Swinton not only shopped but reached out personally, the game changed. How does a small brand from Birmingham, fueled by passion and a dash of rebellion, catch the eye of an iconic actress fiercely proud of her Scottish roots? And what happens when art, activism, and knitwear collide? This is where bold designs meet radical living—and where Hades’ fearless journey brings us something profoundly unique in fashion. Curious to see how a leap of faith spun into a collaboration that challenges chaos itself? LEARN MORE.

3 min read

In 2024, Cassie Holland was combing through the orders for her small knitwear brand Hades when she clocked the name “Tilda Swinton” among her customers. Since launching in 2016 in Birmingham, England, Hades has had a number of high-profile customers—Chloë Sevigny, Alexa Chung, Lena Dunham—but a purchase from this particular fashion savant made her heart flutter. And then the actress “just dropped us an email,” Holland recounts. (Swinton is very proud of her Scottish heritage and loves that Hades is manufactured in Scotland using Scottish know-how.) After a bit of back-and-forth, Holland, along with her co-founder and sister Isabel, took a leap of faith and proposed a collaboration. Swinton accepted.

“It happened really organically,” says Holland. The first capsule, inspired by Swinton’s prior films, was released in September of 2024, but that was just the beginning: the second dropped last month. This one, titled “Notes from the Precipice,” draws inspiration from the film star’s 2025 Berlinale speech, in which the actress directly addressed “greed-addicted governments, planet-wreckers, and war criminals,” and her celebrated poem “Notes For Radical Living.” The poem, written out in Swinton’s own script, was screen-printed onto knit skirts and dresses. Says Holland, “she created these aphorisms for radical living as a tonic for these times about how art and culture and friendship can sustain you.” One of the aphorisms, “make friends with chaos,” is emblazoned on the chest of sweaters and across the center of knit bags.

Courtesy Hades

Hades x Tilda Swinton

Beyond their recent collaborations with Swinton, Hades’s signature pieces are inspired by band merch and often feature tongue-in-cheek screen prints. Neither sister has any classical fashion training. Holland founded the brand just after her 30th birthday, driven by growing dissatisfaction with her 9-to-5 and a complementary yearning for creativity (Isabel joined later). On a whim, Holland connected with a small knitwear manufacturer in Hawick, Scotland, to make her first batch—and she still works with them today.

Courtesy Hades

Hades Spring 2026

Hades has a classic gap-in-the-market founder’s story: “I’m a big music fan,” says Holland. “I like to show off my interests, but found that band t-shirts weren’t particularly flattering. The old school vintage ones are, but not the newer ones.” Holland initially reached out to four bands—Sonic Youth, Patti Smith, The Slits, and The Smiths—to launch with. The first designs were simple: brightly colored, single-hued, crewneck sweaters with contrasting text of the band name across the chest. “Each year, we reach out to bands that we appreciate from punk to post-punk,” she continues. Joni Mitchell was last year, David Bowie the year prior. “They’re really popular with our customers.”

Courtesy Hades

Hades Spring 2026

But Hades now goes beyond the band knit, as well. Take, for instance, their “Carrington” cardigan, emblazoned with novelty buttons like emblems of Greek mythology or ceramic cigarettes, all molded within their UK studio. They’ve branched out into cotton skirts and dresses made of deadstock fabrics, as well, most of which are screen-printed with images like a favorite image of the Scottish countryside by photographer John Hinde or another of the contents of one’s purse. One skirt is simply stamped with a faux iron burn. Later this year, they will release their first leather handbag, made locally in the Midlands, with a screen-printed panel. “Our customers prefer a conversation piece.”

David M. Benett//Getty Images

Alexa Chung in Hades at Glastonbury in 2016

Hades’s primary marketing channel was its Instagram account—luckily, this was before the proliferation of algorithms that often favor massive brands. She began posting, and “it sort of took off.” Quite early on, Alexa Chung wore a piece—a blue sweater touting her love for The Smiths to Glastonbury in 2016. Shortly after, a buyer from Liberty reached out to stock the pieces at the British department store. “I sensed that this was hopefully going to become something,” says Holland. “So I quit my job to pursue Hades.”

With no outside investment, Hades is not looking to become a huge label. Keeping it small “means that we can be quite radical in our designs,” she says. (And they can keep an eye on how everything is made.) “We can present really bold pieces because of the small numbers that we produce.” And that’s what their customers respond to.