Han Ates's family has deep roots in the textile industry. A second-generation Londonder with Turkish-Kurdish ancestry, Ates set up his first tailoring business in Blackhorse Lane, Walthamstow in 1996. In 2015 he established Blackhorse Lane Atelier (BLA) in the same building, a renovated 1920s factory with high ceilings and big windows. He also operates a shop in Coal Drops Yard, King's Cross. Every year, BLA's workshop staff make 10,000 pairs of ready-to-wear jeans from selvedge (high-quality denim woven on an old fashioned shuttle loom) and organic raw denim. The team researches traditional manufacturing techniques and combines them with tailoring rules, which dictate that garments must be beautiful both inside and out. An example is their 'one-piece fly' construction that was patented in 1887 and was discovered by the team in a denim archive.  Ates and BLA are part of a rapid revival of tailoring and garment production in London in recent years.The workshop as an 'open-door policy' which has led to a steady flow of pop-up events attracting students, tutors, designers, brands and local residents.