Laird Hatters’ Alex Torun-Shaw on growing Laird and being a Father

Discover his hat box of lessons for what makes fatherhood so special

Alex and his wife Zofia, founded Laird Hatters in 2009, with a clear mission: to make hat-making more relevant and accessible, proudly British, and more contemporary while keeping a rich, ‘Hatters’ heritage. Over the years, Alex has seen Laird grow from their first East London store into a bustling business with 5 stores in Central London, Cambridge, and Oxford, with the most recent, Jermyn Street, opening in March this year.

When we started Laird, Zofia and I had 3 children under 4 years old, so we’ve always had to find a balance between work and homelife; being parents and starting a business was tough. The story didn’t end there with our fourth child arriving during lockdown 2021, which was intense!!

Father’s Day always gets me thinking about the, at times, insane ride with been on, and how we’ve juggled work and family life, but also making decisions that made it easier. For me, the biggest priority has always been keeping things close, manageable, and practical.

We made a conscious decision to base our head office and workshop just two villages away from home. It has meant that we can drop the kids at school and be at work within five minutes. Just as easily, one of us can be there to collect them in the afternoon. That’s the kind of flexibility that’s hard to put a price on.

All our stores are within a sensible commute in fact, and at one point we only considered locations along the Central line! It meant that family life didn’t have to take a backseat to the business, but there were still sacrifices to be made, and our family dictated our roles. When the children were small, Zof was more office based while I was in the stores, though as the business grew, production at our Hertfordshire workshop became ever more demanding.

Of course the balance to work has always been being a father. Whatever trials and stresses you might carry with you from the day, they disperse almost the moment you’re home and have to focus on the round of dinner, bedtime and story time, with the occasional dispute resolution, always took me away from work.

Even as I write this, our youngest Cressida, who is 4, is sat on my lap trying to “help” me type.

Thankfully, we’ve grown since those early days; we now have a brilliant team and solid infrastructure, which has given us the freedom to expand into more retail stores outside London, expanding our white-label, wholesale production for other brands, and exhibit at shows like Royal Windsor, Game Fair and Goodwood Revival, and taking opportunities we couldn’t have taken before. But even with growth, that original ethos of staying grounded and close to home still guides us.

Alex’s Favourite places and gift ideas:

Well, I’m never without my Kindle e-reader. I love reading and Kindle means I can read anywhere and download a sequel in seconds. Reading takes you somewhere else and I always find, helps me get to sleep. On the few occasions I have to travel for work, it’s a great distraction.

I wear beaded bangles, made by two of my daughters every day. Sometimes I get raised eyebrows, but as a Dad, they’re very special. Jemima, now 16, made me one when she was 5 and the other by Cressida last year when she was only 3, both for Father’s day. How I’ve managed to not lose them, I didn’t know, but they have been re-elasticated a few times and some of the beads replaced. 

I’m fortunate enough to have a small collection of watches, and what Dad doesn’t love a watch as a present? My Gran always said you could tell a gentleman from his watch and his shoes, and as someone who doesn’t often wear a suit, I’ve always worn a nice watch, generally and Omega Seamaster Chronograph. I loved Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye, which created the “new” Bond, and Omega’s connection with the series.

I wear Loafers most days, and love Church's Shoes. Of course, I’m never without a Laird Hat or Cap. We must have at least 50 knocking around at home as samples and prototypes invariably end up there. I wear an Alfred hat as my ‘go to’. I’m not very careful with my hats, chucking them in the back of the car or boot, but they’re easy to reshape and I kind of like the slightly beaten look. I like the stories hats tell the minute thy leave our stores, how each owner treats their hat forms it and makes it individual. Cap wise, I usually wear one of our Brooklyns newsboys, in Linen at this time of year, which is cool and practical if your hair isn’t quite as thick as it used to be.

I absolutely love sunglasses and never leave the house without a pair, and have them in every car and bag just in case. When I was a kid Bon Jovi was on a Saturday morning show and when asked what advice he had for the kids at home, he said “never go out without sunglasses kids”. Now it seems funny, but at the time I thought “yeah, cool advice”. Glasses are a great gift and Tom Ford glasses are consistently supercool!

I always keep a notebook with me and Smythson’s slightly odd Wedgewood blue paper notebooks are simple and elegant and you can have them monogrammed too, which make great gifts!

I have to mention restaurants as I love eating out, especially at lunch time. The Delaunay in Aldwych is amazing, especially the schnitzel they’re famous for. Smith & Wolensky for amazing steaks just off Strand. I have to mention a very unassuming place in Cambridge, Taj Tandoori which has to be the best South Asian food I’ve tasted and every bit as good as Gymkhana!!

To Laird’s Community of Fathers, Grandfathers, and Father Figures

As we celebrate Father’s Day, we want to take a moment to thank the dads, granddads, and father figures who shape our lives in quiet, powerful ways. Their presence, their lessons, and their values leave lasting marks in subtle and significant ways.

Like a well-worn hat, their wisdom sits with us, carried on our heads and in our hearts wherever we go. They’ve shown us how to lead with patience, work with purpose, and love without condition.

From all of us at Laird, thank you, today and every day.