POAN is a luxury, sustainable fashion brand based in London. The acronym, inspired by J.A. Hammerton’s novel, stands for ‘Peoples Of All Nations’ and signifies not just a brand name but an approach to life and belief system – one that is inclusive and accepting of all peoples, no matter their ethnicity, colour or sex, set on breaking down barriers instead of building them. The brand’s strapline ‘Harmony Through Diversity’ perfectly encapsulates this ethos. The head designer and founder, Georg Weissacher, launched POAN in 2016 after a nine-year tenure as Vice Head of Menswear at Vivienne Westwood. A philosophical and thoughtful soul, Georg seeks to distinguish POAN with a focus on sustainability and traditional Italian artisanship, having built a tight-knit relationship with family-run workshops in Florence where all the clothing is lovingly made by hand. Signature pieces combine knit and woven elements of the same yarn, a novel technique that ensures a supremely tailored yet comfortable fit - a proud pillar of POAN´s ability to innovate. Rather than following the traditional seasonal fashion cycle, POAN develops and drops six Limited Edition ‘Love Collections’ a year – these are always themed around a specific topic (an example being the ‘SINAI Collection’ which takes inspiration from Ancient Egypt) and are limited in production with a maximum of only ten to fifteen pieces made of each item. POAN has recently launched a year-long, season-less ‘CLASSICS Collection’ which reflects the same ethos and creativity seen in each Love Collection, yet also honours the behaviour and needs of a modern global customer. An indispensable element of how POAN communicates its mission and vision is through the use of high-end, short films to showcase the collection in a story-telling format rather than via more traditional runway shows. POAN’s philosophy is to ‘make something once and well’ and takes a threefold approach to Sustainability – Ethical, Environmental and Social.
