Harti is a painter, composer, animator and shrink – a unique creative.
As a storyteller, a truthsayer, a deep-thinker, Harti otherwise known as Sascha Hartmann, has waited 25 years to graphically convey his voice through his dramatic artistic commentaries, calling it ‘brain food in colour’. He was invited to join selected creatives from every continent to showcase his work to a global audience at the independent START Art Fair at Saatchi Gallery in London in October 2021 and has been hailed as ‘one of the most exciting discoveries of 2021’ in the international art market.
Influenced by his intercontinental heritage, professional career, politics and global cultural genre, has resulted in a body of unseen work that is 21st century commentary pop-art, which is been scooped up by some of the art world’s leading collectors.
Together with is his wife, fashion expert and TV personality Tessa, they have run a branding and creative consultancy for over 25 years. Tessa was so enthused by his bold and audacious graphic prints she came up with the idea of creating an ethical swimwear label using the statement prints from Harti's giant canvases and thus HartiSWIM was born.
Over the course of 18 months, the small team set about their mission to create a truly ethical label. This is a sustainable statement print collection of swimwear made from recycled plastic bottles from our oceans - an ocean focused story for a brand that is based on the island of Jersey. By using this new sustainable fibre called ‘Repreve’ for HartiSWIM, allows their customers to play a role in solving the ever-growing problem of ocean plastic. The fibre is made from bottles collected within 50 kilometres of coastlines in countries or areas that lack formal waste or recycling systems. This premium fabric also features built in sun and chlorine protection to +50. HartiSWIM believes in a salutary re-birth of our broken planet.
Sustainability is at the forefront of HartiSWIM's business practises and focuses on a full transparent supply chain that aims to lower their negative environmental impact of plastic ocean pollution. Having worked as a consultant in the fashion industry for over 25 years and the founder of The Scottish Fashion Awards, Tessa recruited her old friend and UK lingerie industry veteran David Finlayson, former president for Sales and Marketing for Calvin Klein Underwear Europe. Together they have seen first-hand how the sector is one of the major polluting industries in the world. Authentic and original the pieces can be worn from beach to street, any time of the day. The collection encourages imperfections as Harti’s paintings are filled with blotches of colour, glazing streaks, because to be perfect is boring, artificial, one-dimensional and intrinsically robotic. Tessa wanted to create a label that is inclusive in terms of its sizing, ageless and environmentally conscious. She has banned photoshop from her shoots and aims to use models who represent ‘real women’.
Tessa Hartmann stated: “We have created HartiSWIM for the women who regardless of their size or age are invested in glamour with a conscience. Our collection of wearable art pieces portrays thought provoking narratives and at the same time offers the consumer something stylish, original, and unique. We hope our customers will collect our swimwear like they collect art, we will encourage them to buy less but buy better like our luxury products that are made to be loved forever.”
At their heart, HartiSWIM is a new generation eco-luxe label that is based on an island that is shaped by the sea - Jersey. Despite its small size the island boasts several ambitious environmental plans including a marine conservation park and a ‘plastic free’ Jersey. With the tourism industry supporting this eco drive, Hartmann is determined to get the fashion industry to follow suit. One has the feeling this is just the beginning.
