How It Started: Cannabis Art & Fashion with Lana Van Brunt and Hayley Dineen, Founders of Sackville & Co. and Sackville Studios

As part of our “How It Started” interview series, we had the pleasure of chatting with Lana Van Brunt and Hayley Dineen, founders of Sackville & Co., a design-focused, fashion-forward contemporary cannabis accessories brand, and Sackville Studios, a multidisciplinary cannabis product design and production studio based in NYC.
What was it about cannabis that first piqued your interest, and when did that happen?

We’re both avid cannabis consumers and bonded over the fact that there wasn’t anything available in the cannabis industry that felt like it really suited our style or aesthetic. It was in 2017 when we saw the clear gap in the market for design-forward cannabis accessories that could live as art objects in your home when they weren’t in use. In early 2018 Sackville & Co. was launched and the rest is history.

How did Sackville come to life? What’s its origin story?

With Hayley’s background in luxury fashion design and Lana’s in branding and marketing, we realized that we had all the skills necessary to launch something ourselves. We started with the Signature Grinder, which was an instant hit, and from there we grew our line plan and redesigned all of the essentials.

What is it about your company that makes you stand out?

It’s sometimes hard to see the forest from the trees but we hope that our unique take on cannabis product design and our no f*cks ethos and branding sets us apart from the rest. Our goal is to completely reimagine the smoking experience and show a new side of cannabis, design and branding than what exists in the market today.

Being a brand born and bred in New York, we bring a different energy than most of the Cali brands that currently dominate the market. We love to celebrate the connection between creativity and cannabis and focus on bringing art and fashion into the cannabis industry.

What does your typical day look like and what do you enjoy most about your work?

Every day is totally different! We’re a small team so we all have to wear a ton of hats. That means that some days could be incredibly creative, filled with mood boards and brainstorms about all the things we want to create, and some can be heads down in the weeds of the business making sure that everything from production to the finances of the business run smoothly.

What has been the highlight of your cannabis career to date?

There are so many! It’s such a trip to create something that people are able to see themselves in. In the simplest form, someone being a fan of the brand you’re spending all your time creating is such an amazing thing to experience. There have also been “pinch me” moments like getting to work with Wu-Tang’s GZA, chatting with Whitney Port on a recent episode of her podcast about destigmatizing cannabis, and seeing our brand in Gestlaten design books. So many amazing moments, it’s really such a cool experience to be able to do this.

Can you give us one cannabis trend that excites you?

We are really excited about the state by state legalization and as a result seeing more experiential opportunities for cannabis brands. We’re looking forward to a future where cannabis can be seamlessly integrated into everyday life and see so much opportunity to activate and participate in a similar way that alcohol has been able to for decades.

Is there a product or service you hope someone creates to serve the cannabis community?

This industry is still so new there’s probably so many things yet to be developed that we won’t know we needed until they arrive. We love seeing the innovative products people create!

What is the biggest change you want to see in the sector?

The biggest thing right now is that cannabis is still federally illegal which makes it incredibly hard for small brands to exist in the market. We would love to see federal legalization take place in the US. It’ll be a game changer!

Any advice you would give to someone looking to enter the cannabis industry?

Just start! You may never find the perfect time to start something, and if you have an idea and a vision, don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. We’re all figuring it out as we go.

What’s next for you? What should we be on the lookout for?

We have a few launches coming out this year that we’re beyond excited for. We created a really cool tour kit with Brooklyn based legends the Flatbush Zombies that comes out in September. It’s limited edition and limited run so definitely scoop one up while you can!

We’re also launching a full collection this fall that’s our love letter to NYC. Being based in Brooklyn gives us such a unique perspective on design and we’re really excited to be able to continue to share that perspective with the world.