Manchester-based SEVEN LAYER is a luxury performance brand known for its innovative designs, use of advanced technology, craftsmanship and unique styles fusing functional outdoor properties and philosophy's with everyday fashionable garments. Initially inspired by ECWCS (Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System), the archival foundation of the US military layering system, SEVEN LAYER integrates lifestyle-led functional garments with military inspired silhouettes, pushing the boundaries of todays urban fashion and outdoor adventure, seamlessly transitioning between both outdoor and urban lifestyles. We aim to create designs that blend modern attitudes with classic silhouettes, seamlessly merging fashion with function and performance with style. Our meticulous design philosophy and manufacturing techniques are intended to inspire not only the wearer, but also other creatives and younger generations who are passionate about fashion.

When you meet Jamie Lundy, CEO of Seven Layer, his charisma and passion for the product is evident. This energy is contagious, and his vision for the brand inspires others to adopt the same mentality. Jamie is quietly confident, and his forward-thinking decision-making has allowed this brand to excel in a brief timeframe. His meticulous attention to detail is second to none, as he leaves no stone unturned and no question unanswered. These skills stemmed from a twenty-year career in design, manufacturing, and project management. Jamie pioneered Major Engineering Works (signalling and electrification) for the West Coast Route Modernisation, which meant that Richard Branson and Virgin could run their tilting trains at 125mph, and commuters could get from Manchester to London in two hours.

He is a fearless leader and an incredible businessman with a very successful career. Despite his declining health as a result of the long hours in the rail, he continued to lead from the front. After receiving an ADHD and alcholoism diagnosis at the age of 38, the family business (Jamie worked for) decided to sell up, retiring Jamie from engineering for the foreseeable future. In his recovery, Jamie became interested in photography, and his passion for it grew with each passing day because it allowed him to be creative. After learning photography on his own for a year, Jamie’s friend invited him to photograph some products for 7L — an Hong Kong based menswear clothing brand. Knowing Jamie’s business skills, his friend asked whether he would be interested in joining the team as the CEO. A nod from him led to a one-year spell in which Jamie felt everything was coming back to him, such as design, manufacturing, project management, and, of course, photography. He would be the sole investor in the brand. Jamie upped the ante as CEO by establishing a contemporary garment design that would appeal to everyone, regardless of age. He focused on providing a functional yet appealing appearance across seven layers within individual and unique systems. brought the brand back to Manchester and lauched the ORIGIN SYSTEM in winter 2020, just before the pandemic struck and changed everything we know.

The interpersonal skills that Jamie has learned during his time in the industry have equipped him with a powerful set of assets for communication. This is then implemented on a day-to-day basis, the effectiveness of which compounds over time. He likes to communicate visually and face to face where possible. During these meetings, minutes are always taken, which then transcend into progress meetings with his team. He expects from his team what he expects from himself: to listen, be present, be accountable, reliable and committed. He continues to try and visit all suppliers within his supply chain to ensure the trust is established and a rapport is built to aid the longevity of the working relationship. “7 years ago, I had what can only be described as a breakdown, which resulted from years of working unhealthy, stressful and unsocial hours in the rail industry. Having worked away from home for over 15 years I had been suffering in silence with clinical depression,” says Jamie. “During my early, sobering period of recovery, I stumbled across a camera and photography. It unleashed an exciting new spark of creativity and innovative ideas I didn’t know even existed inside of me. Of course, they had always been there, but used in a different industry altogether.” With this inspiration, Jamie has created a difference for his brand and has been the main photographer Deleted. Back in 2020 he built the initial 7L website and has been the managing director, the accountant, the creative director, the pick and packer, the warehouse manager, and one of the designers, all in one. “This brand has been created through some major bumps in the road, including ex business partners, pandemics and warehouse fires. We hope all our bad luck has now passed and the brand can look forward to a successful future,” explains Jamie. “We are now recruiting more staff and scaling up for 2023, so hopefully we will be able to concentrate on running the brand with renewed efforts and motivations”.

7L is a brand devoted to ‘Layering the Global Nomadic Itinerant in Style’, a functional first performance brand fusing fashion with function and performance with lifestyle. An ethos born from the concept ‘7 layers for 7 continents’ with simplicity, comfort, and functionality at its core. Using state-of-the-art materials and technology with a meticulous design ethos, 7L provides a fashionable and functional aesthetic. The 7L collection is designed for all weather conditions within its considered range, honouring the military-created ‘7 Layer System’, ensuring any weather condition can be dealt with confidently. 7L is inspired by the multi-layered insulating system of the Generation III Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (GEN III ECWCS) from the U.S. Military that allows their Soldier to adapt to varying mission requirements and environmental conditions. The materials chosen offer a greater range of breathability and environmental protection, providing greater versatility in meeting Soldiers’ needs i.e. waterproof, breathable, yet very lightweight fabrics such as nylons. Their USP is that 7L are a technical brand fusing fashion with function and performance with lifestyle. 7 layers across 7 continents. These layers can be used technically or worn fashionably in conjunction with one another. “Our garments are made to the highest manufacturing specifications in the world, and we are creating a sustainability product and philosophy with the longevity of our pieces. With our systems (collections), we can be highly flexible in what we can technically offer, be it, golf, shooting, hiking, horse riding or going to the pub with your mates,” elucidates Jamie.

Jamie has consistently advocated for U.K. manufacturing, and this passion stems from the family-run business. Fast forward to Seven Layer; the Cottonopolis narrative surrounding Mancunian history during the industrial revolution has a certain romance that makes one want to implement that supply chain into their business. With the cost of import and export skyrocketing, Jamie wanted to provide the end consumer as much value as possible. He started to fine-tune his supply chain, so these costs were not incurred on the final retail price. During the pandemic, Jamie opted to stay closer to home with manufacturing, uncovering some incredible fabrics with U.K.-based manufacturers as well as exquisite CMT practices in old cotton mills located in and around Manchester. This meant that the import of fabrics from mills to the manufacturer was limited, and the import of goods from the manufacturer to the warehouse was eradicated. In turn, it was reducing the cost, footprint and retail prices. This encapsulates Jamie’s morals and values of providing value to the customer and operating within a lean supply chain that offers quality goods. “We have different customers with different age ranges and expectations, which means that we have to carefully create and execute multiple plans in order to cater for everyone.

At the outset, 7L introduced the AW20 TREK & ORIGIN Systems, in which some outfits could interact with one another. For example, the Modular Down Jacket (MDO), which is similar to a ski jacket, links zips within the triple layer (3L) waterproof shell jacket, resulting in a completely Waterproof Down Jacket. “With the ‘7 Layer System,’ I wanted to take the brand back to its military DNA and modular concept and create more masculine, gritty aesthetic garments that last a long time. The ‘7 Layer System’ was first devised for the US Marines to provide a less cumbersome standard uniform as a 12-piece kit with seven layers of clothing. Layer one would be the foundation layer, which may be a cotton-type clothing, undergarments, or a T-shirt. Layer two would be a lightweight shirt or jumper, layer three a fleece layer, layer four a field or combat jacket, and layers five, six, and seven would be a windproof jacket, a rain jacket, and an arctic cold layer respectively.” The most widespread misperception is that all of the layers should be worn together. This is untrue. One can pick and choose which layers to wear based on the current weather conditions. They are all meant to operate together or separately, layering up or layering down.

Jamie and his team have significantly accelerated 7L’s growth in the last three years, but it has taken a lot of heart and investment to get there. Launching a global brand so close to the pandemic had a significant influence on its business model, which Jamie handled admirably. When the world started to recover, so did the brand and sales began to rise on a daily basis. Then unfortunately 7L’s warehouse was wrecked (again!) by fire in February 2022, destroying all of its archive and current stock. “We were devastated, and I didn’t know what the next move would be. It took a week or two to digest the situation. I quickly had to let everyone go and jumped back on the drawing board. I designed, procured, marketed, photographed, and ran our flagship store myself trying hard to be ready for Autumn Winter 2022.