Meet The York Entrepreneurs Behind The Inhaler Tailor
Many people with asthma feel uncomfortable using their inhaler in public
Will and Harriet Hogge are the brains behind the business. The Inhaler Tailor began when their daughter’s best friend Martha was placed into an induced coma following a severe asthma attack. Her parents had struggled to get her to use her preventer inhaler, but asthma is one of the most common childhood health conditions, affecting one in 11 children, according to Asthma + Lung UK, and studies show that approximately 50 percent of asthma patients do not take their preventer inhaler as prescribed.
’It’s really medical so it’s quite scary,’ says Will. ‘I’ve had an inhaler and remember as a kid I used to hate using mine too. I thought that there’s got to be some way of making these a bit more appealing. I started looking into it and found it’s a common issue that many people have so started working on a prototype and Martha’s parents just loved it and said that it really helped her to feel comfortable using her inhaler. I made a unicorn case for her and she called it her “unicorn puff puff”.’
Will had been working for a robotics company so was exposed to a lot of product development, but had never developed anything himself – he taught himself everything in lockdown. ‘I taught myself how to use 3D modelling software and started knocking up my own prototypes at home, and then outsourcing 3D printed models of it,’ he says. ‘I did have to learn a lot.
‘It seemed there were so many people out there that had an inhaler but hated using it that I thought it’d be cool to help as many people as possible. I wasn’t really expecting the business to grow to the point that it is now. I thought it would just be almost like a little hobby that would help me figure out how to run my own business and be a good learning experience. Then it really took off.’
Harriet had been working in marketing for Haribo. Seeing Will’s success, she caught the buzz and excitement and wanted to get involved. ‘The real catalyst for me was when he filmed for Dragon’s Den,’ says Harriet. ‘I thought, I should just go for it. I wanted to be involved because there was more of an emotional passion there. I felt like we were doing something meaningful. Will was getting testimonials back from customers about how it’s transformed their relationship with their inhaler and they’re not in hospital as much. It’s also given us a very different work-life balance and a huge amount of flexibility that has come at a time in our lives when it couldn’t have been better.’
The Inhaler Tailor launched its range of colourful, protective inhaler cases in 2022, and now stocks cases in all sizes for all kinds of inhalers, plus spacer cases, dust proof bags, spare parts and accessories (carrying straps and lanyards that you can attach). The classic designs include houndstooth, navy tartan and ‘Van Cough’ inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night, there’s a floral range, sport- and animal-themed designs, and even a ‘Wizarding World’ pattern for Harry Potter fans. They’re sold around the world.
‘We still make the vast majority of things ourselves, here in York,’ says Will. ‘I bought a huge printer that seems like half the size of a car (pretty much), and we do all the printing, we cut all the fabric out, it’s all hand cut, and then we do all the manufacturing and assembly here in York too. I first launched with two different types, a really classic one and the one that’s a little bit shorter than that, and many people were writing in asking if we could make one for their particular type of inhaler. So over the years we’ve ramped up.’
Harriet says manufacturing in York allows more flexibility. ‘We’re able to tailor the designs and the inhaler case types to customer needs, which are ever-changing and quite broad too, given the number of inhaler types that there are now. And it’s given us the control over quality. Manufacturing for ourselves in York is a key part of our success really.’
The feedback from customers drives Will and Harriet to keep creating. ‘You’ll get people writing more or less an essay on how, even for a 90-year-old grandma, this inhaler case has really helped her find joy,’ says Harriet. ‘For something that they’re using every day, that is a bit of a burden, to suddenly have something that makes them smile, it really helps. We’ve also got really positive feedback from the respiratory professional community (asthma nurses, doctors and consultants) across the country who are advocates for us. They’ll put up posters and hand out leaflets, and a lot of doctors and nurses out there at the moment have our cases on their demo inhalers. So when they’re telling patients how to use their inhaler that can be a bit of a talking point, and I think it helps with the clinics. The support we’ve had from the business community in York and North Yorkshire has been fantastic too.’
’It’s an interesting place now, York, because I do feel like there’s more happening within the business community,’ says Will. ‘Patch, for example, which is a shared office space, has opened up in the centre of York, and they do so many activities and you get to meet other business startups quite easily now. It’s a really good place to be starting a business.’
Expert guidance and advice has helped The Inhaler Tailor expand to the US with Amazon, but the goal is to keep driving awareness. ‘We feel like we’re at the tip of the iceberg in terms of awareness within the UK because there’s no real competitors out there,’ Harriet admits. The Inhaler Tailor is working with Asthma Friendly School (AFS) initiative and Harriet has been leading that project. ‘Alex Oliver, an Asthma Friendly school nurse, has been tasked with trying to get as many schools in York (both primary and secondary) to be asthma friendly,’ she explains. ‘It means that teachers have to have had a certain level of training in how to deal with an asthma attack, or recognise the symptoms of an asthma attack coming, and they should have an emergency asthma kit. If a child forgets to bring their inhaler in and has an asthma attack not all schools (in fact, the vast majority of schools) aren’t prepared with a backup inhaler. That could be fatal.
‘No parent should be worried about sending their child into school, and worry that the school can’t recognise the symptoms of an attack coming and have an emergency inhaler kit if it’s needed. We’re really hoping to make a big impact with that.’
Harriet and Will are also hoping to continue their international expansion. ‘We’ve got a partnership with Asthma Australia, they list our cases and our bags on their website, so that’s hopefully going to be a revenue stream for us, and then the US as well,’ Harriet continues. ‘Long-term we’re wanting to expand to more countries internationally. From here in York, we ship internationally through our website, but that means longer shipping times and higher shipping costs for our customers, so we’re trying to get the products directly into their hands through distributors. It’s really just growing the business. We’ve got a really broad range of products and have just launched some new designs, but it’s about scaling up and getting the word out there.’
