Plain Tiger Spotlight: Leap Concept

Fashion Fundamentals 

By Renee Fortune

‘Take a leap of faith,’ is what the brand, Leap Concept urges people to do. It’s an open-ended idea that means different things to different people. And it’s something co-founder, Todor Stojanov did when he started his ethical knitwear brand in 2021, based on the principles of sustainability, innovation and contemporary design. 

Leap Concept is a luxury brand in every sense of the word. Cashmere is its hero textile, and as the ‘soft gold’ of the fabric world, you won’t find anything more sumptuous. What’s delightful about Leap Concept’s designs is how they bring the lavishness of cashmere to the realm of everyday essentials. 

In the range you’ll find knitted, round neck dresses, bodysuits, t-shirts and pants – basically everything you need in a capsule wardrobe. But going ‘back to basics’ has never looked this luxurious. 

As Todor explains: “Leap Concepts focuses on lifestyle essentials with the intention of producing wardrobe staples – the items every woman needs in her closet. We like to think of our garments as the building blocks of a capsule wardrobe. The Leap Concept aesthetic is decidedly minimalist but imbued with a sense of artistic appreciation for texture and quality.”

Every piece of clothing in the range lends itself to being styled up or down depending on the occasion. For example, the Knitted Cashmere Bodysuit has an iconic silhouette with asymmetrical ribbed detail that allows for a large degree of form-fitting flexibility. It features a deep scooped neckline and a low back that’s ultra feminine but also subtle and sophisticated. You can wear the bodysuit with a co-ord pants and blazer set, or with a maxi skirt. You could style it up with a brooch or intricate neck piece, or style it down with a pair of casual cotton shorts on a balmy summer day. 
The styling options are endless and the simplicity of the range invites customers to experiment and play with their fashion aesthetic, mixing and matching what they have in their wardrobe rather than refreshing their wardrobe to cater for each season. 

Sustainability is the golden thread that runs through everything that Leap Concepts puts out on the shelves. And with that commitment to sustainability comes an unwavering stance on quality. Every step in the manufacturing process is thoroughly regulated to produce pieces that you could think of as wearable heirlooms. 

No harmful chemicals are used during the production process and dyes are certified by multiple industry bodies that call for a dramatic reduction in pollution and waste, and ensure that brands like Leap Concept minimise their carbon footprint at every phase of the production journey. 

Leap Concept is committed to using only natural and certified textiles, including cashmere, wool and yak fibres for winter pieces and cotton, hemp and Tencel for summer staples. The cashmere used to create all the essentials you’ll find in the collection are sourced from ethical farms in inner Mongolia. These farms are run according to strict principles that govern the way the animals live, eat and breed.

Likewise, Leap Concept’s yarn supplier provides the brand with the finest quality wool, certified by the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS). All yak yarn is sourced in partnership with sustainable textiles company, SHOKAY, which acquires its textiles from semi-nomadic herding communities in the plateaus of the Himalaya mountains. A percentage of the proceeds from every garment made from yak yarn goes toward supporting the independently run community fund. And all the textiles used by Leap Concept are fully traceable back to their source – just the way it should always be. 

“Our customers connect with our brand because of our absolute transparency and the honesty with which we run our operations. They connect with our passion for what we do and with our mission to transform the market into a more sustainable, equitable industry. When we design fashion, we design with timelessness and inclusivity in mind. We are a brand for everyone,” says Todor.

Leap Concept stands for individuality, freedom and empowerment. It’s about how fashion makes you look on the outside but also how it makes you feel on the inside. 

So go ahead, take a leap of faith – go out into the big wide world and live deliciously, but don’t forget the beauty of the simple things. At the end of the day, those simple things are what matter the most.