Brontë Che is the force behind Chë, The Label. Creator, fashion designer, and small-business owner based out of Vancouver - Brontë’s bold and timeless pieces are rooted in an ethical approach to fashion, repurposed from dead-stock materials and handmade in small batches.
By: Naomi Gwynn for LOOSENDS
We were lucky to sit down with Brontë to explore Chë, The Label’s evolution from a small bedroom hobby into a full-time job and full-time brand. We discuss everything from personal style and sources of inspiration, to social media growth and small business tips. Join us in getting to know Brontë’s unique vision for fashion that is resourceful, responsive, and creatively re-imagines a future rooted in sustainability.
LOOSENDS founder Bennett and Brontë’s history dates all the way back to 2021, when Brontë was managing a vintage store in Vancouver that began to stock LOOSENDS bags. The two were excited to reconnect over a zoom call in the LOOSENDS studio. Brontë logged in from the West Coast, wearing one of her own designs - grey off-the-shoulder top (which you can learn to make yourself), and a hand-made pink pendant necklace - the sun beaming directly into her living room.
LE: I wanted to start by asking you to introduce yourself, what's your name, where are you from, or where feels like home?
Brontë: Well, my name is Brontë. Brontë Che. Che is my middle name…I've lived in Ontario for most of my life. I moved around a lot. My dad was in the military, so we were always somewhere new every few years, but I'd say I call BC my home. It has been that for the last four years, and I intend on it being my home for the foreseeable future. I live in Vancouver right now with my boyfriend, and I just love it here so much. I don't really see myself moving away anytime soon.
LE: That naturally leads to our next question which is, what brought you to Vancouver?
Brontë: I lived in Whistler before Vancouver. That was where I had moved originally from Ontario, because I just had friends that had moved out there. I went to visit them one day and I was like, "what the hell is going on on the West Coast? And why did nobody tell me about this?" and then I moved pretty much right away.
She explains that upon arriving in Whistler, she got a job working at a vintage store. Joining a team of just two other people, she got first-hand experience running a business. “It made me feel motivated, like more creative things were possible in my career than I had originally thought” she says. “I started to do more with Chë while I was there, because my boss Amy was a huge supporter - she let me put pieces in the store which made me be like, oh this could actually happen”.
With Whistler being a smaller town with less access to fabric stores and a fashion industry, she felt the natural next step was to move to the bigger city, Vancouver.
LE: So Chë technically started when you were still in Whistler?
Brontë: It technically started before that. My logo was made before that and my name and everything, but it was very piece by piece. It wasn’t yet a business. I had an Instagram where I occasionally posted things that people could buy, but I was ever thinking, oh, this is going to be a legitimate business.
Upon arriving in Vancouver she explains that she was still working a full-time job for another vintage store, selling her pieces on the side until she took the leap to commit to Chë the Label full time.
Brontë: I realized, if I want Chë to happen I need to give it way more attention and direct my creativity right there - rather than it kind of being used up to build somebody else's business.
LE: Can you talk a little more about that moment, the catalyst to make that switch to working for yourself full-time?
Brontë: A huge moment was when I started making sewing patterns. [Bennett] I’m sure you know, you’re making pieces, selling them, but it can be very labour intensive - you are kind of tied to your sewing machine or crochet hook. She goes on to explain how releasing patterns brought in passive income which allowed her the time to work on other areas of the business.
“I just was upcycling vintage tees into baby tees and I posted a video - it was one of the first ones that got like 10 thousand likes and I was like oh my god. A few people commented asking if I had a sewing pattern for it and I legitimately almost didn't even know what that was. I was like ‘I have a piece of paper that I put on a t-shirt that's like crumpled up and three years old’ and they're like ‘do you sell it?’ I said ‘Oh, you don't want the one that I'm using!”
Naturally, she quickly did a crash course in Adobe Illustrator and prepared a pattern.
In the hours that were previously used for sewing and production, she was able to redirect her attention to conceptualizing new pieces, reaching out to stores, and doing the administration required to establish the business.
"I'd say that was a huge moment where I was able to make continuous and pretty steady income and just realize, oh, people will pay for this and buy this as well, not just my clothes, I have more to offer."
Bennett: “That's so cool. I feel like I had a very similar trajectory.”
The two dive into a conversation on social media growth and working at the intersection of craft and fashion/design. Both LOOSENDS and Chë the Label balance sharing their craft and the patterns used to develop products, but equally sell the products themselves. Striking a balance can be difficult and as both creators garnered online audiences through sharing the behind the scenes of building their brand and DIY content, they reflect on the challenge of working with the ever-changing algorithms to both share craft content while still marketing and selling their designs.
“I just keep it personal, rather than being a faceless brand” she says. Despite the challenges, both creators agree that there can be advantages to sharing the behind the scenes and letting their online communities see step by step how they built their businesses - the wins, the losses, how their voices have evolved, and all the growth along the way.
LE: I’m curious what your background is in sewing and fashion. What are things that inspired you, or what is your history with it?
Brontë: I always loved clothes and fashion [as a child], just drawing in my notebook and being like “I’m going to be a designer”, playing the myscene games, or Barbie fashion designer.
Growing up, she frequently went thrift shopping with her mom. After taking a sewing class at a local community centre she learned how to do small alterations to her thrifted clothes which quickly evolved into a hobby. After a long hiatus, the covid lockdown prompted her to rediscover sewing. She began cutting up fabric and making use of the materials around her, then sharing the designs on tiktok. She quickly saw a demand, receiving responses from numerous people looking to purchase them.
"There are so many little comments that people say along your journey that you'll remember that…those tiny little things they just compound until you're like: okay I guess I can do it. “[the first sales] kind of gave me a bit of a belief in myself like, oh, people are willing to spend their money that they've worked hard to earn on something that I've made”.
LE: How would you describe your personal style in 3 words and then maybe you can also speak to how or if the brand differs from that?
She reflects on how her style has evolved and shifted, especially in the last two years, from something eclectic or eccentric to a little more subdued.
I find myself leaning towards more mature silhouettes or more tailored pieces, like a better fitting jean. I am kind of done tying up my jeans to keep them on my body. But I still really like to have fun, especially with colour.
She lands on three words: “classic, fun, and then a little bit sexy…I'm still 27, I’ve got to be a little bit sexy”.
With many of the patterns and designs for Chë coming from something she has made for herself, she says that her own personal style definitely feeds directly into the brand. A key difference being serving a wide audience - “just because I love [something] and would wear it in a bright blue [for example], maybe I have to first make a black or white to be accessible to the most amount of people…I keep things pretty classic but I still like to be bold, with something unexpected.”
In discussing the ethos of the brand, Brontë talks about her belief in the importance of making beautiful things without harming people or the environment.
“We have so much that exists already…there’s enough clothes to clothe the next seven generations of people”.
For this reason, everything at Chë, the Label is created from dead-stock or repurposed materials, right down to the thread and buttons. She talks about her desire to create things that last and that people can feel confident, beautiful, and comforted by wearing something that was created by someone who was paid fairly, and didn’t create any waste.
"I think finding that balance and understanding that maybe to be truly ethical and sustainable, I don't ever reach a level of like H&M. I wouldn't want to be that big because I just don't think that could be sustainable."
“I really do think making things that people find joy in looking at is an important thing.” She emphasizes the role beauty plays in our life, the numerous forms it takes, and how lucky she feels to practice allowing people to feel beautiful, and to observe beauty.
LE: Speaking of inspiration, what inspires you?
Brontë: I get inspired by [seeing] girls out just doing their thing. When I see a group of girls out on the town, dressed up, laughing, smiling, I’m like yes, that’s it. That is what life is all about.
She references femininity as another source of inspiration, and although she doesn’t describe her personal style as particularly feminine, she names things like ballet - being drawn to its softness and vulnerability as sources of inspiration.
LE: Where do you see the brand going, or what is next for Chë?
Brontë: I think I am in a big phase of growth right now in terms of preparing for the future. Right up until two months ago I was doing everything myself and honestly looking at you Bennett, and seeing how you benefited by taking the leap of hiring staff and expanding your studio, it’s amazing. I am building a little team, hiring a sewist, which is going to help the business grow because I will be able to do all these other things. I am excited for summer, I have some really fun things in the works….I'd like to host more events. I have a workshop coming up this month and yeah, just deepening my roots in the community and then also expanding upward and outward to other places like online and getting Chë into more people's closets!
On the topic of workshops, we discuss her investment in making sewing accessible to more people. A large part of her work focuses on sharing knowledge, and giving people the tools to create their own projects. “I think it’s so important. I’ve found so much joy and freedom in my personal style by being able to do small amounts of sewing work. Just taking in a shirt, or adding a little ruche detail, it just opens up a whole different world of your own personal style.
Not only this but she discusses how arming people with these skills can remove a dependency on the fast fashion industry to achieve the styles that make them feel confident. By giving people the tools to make clothing themselves, they are less likely to go searching for the silhouettes and trends from massive companies.
LE: Last question: Do you have a piece of advice for aspiring small businesses?
Brontë: I feel like if I was to say just one thing, maybe it would be that I found taking things on my own timeline was really important. Make sure that you feel good about the trajectory of your business, or remember you’re doing it partly because you want to work for yourself so be a good boss to yourself. Be nice to yourself, give yourself grace, but also be firm and push yourself.
With deadlines, it’s not the end of the world if something gets pushed back a week, two weeks, even like a month, like it will still happen in like that amount of time. So, you can take things slower than you think you can. She advises people to push back against the hyper productivity narrative, trust that you can work in your own timeline, and remind yourself to find joy in the process.
A Taste of Brontë
You can shop Chë the Label online or in person at one of their retailers. Make sure to follow their instagram to stay up to date on new (small batch) collections, workshops, and upcoming events. You can also find Brontë on her personal instagram, and tiktok where she shares her personal life, thrift flips, styling, and behind the scenes of running Chë the Label! We encourage you to continue to follow Brontë’s journey as a creator who is a threadsetter - a force for a more ethical, sustainable, and stylish future for the fashion industry.
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