Meet Zion Dunn

At 21, Zion Dunn is building a fashion brand with a very personal story at its heart. He is the founder of Rumé, a brand he describes as being all about presence, identity and meaning.

More than a brand

For Zion, Rumé is not simply clothing. He told the investors on Pitch'd or Ditch'd that the brand is a representation of something precious his family lost before it ever had the chance to show its value, and that idea runs through everything he wants Rumé to stand for.

His aim is to create pieces that people choose and keep, not just things they want for a moment. In his words, the things we want always change, but the things that truly mean something never lose their value. Rumé is designed for longevity: clothing that holds its worth long after the hype and the honeymoon phase die down. Long term, Zion wants to take the brand into the luxury market.

Designed by hand, quality first

Zion calls himself a "doing person". The idea for Rumé came to him in a light-bulb moment, and he designed the first pieces himself on an iPad; art, he says, is his hidden talent. He works with a manufacturer to produce them, and he is clear that quality comes first: an idea is nice, but without a product to back it up there is no point putting it in front of a customer.

The brand's symbol says a lot about the feeling he wants people to have when they wear it. A bear, he explained, is powerful and composed, and you notice it in a room before it makes a sound.

Building towards the first drop

When Zion pitched, Rumé had not yet had its first drop. He brought sample tracksuits to the bench, and both investors were impressed by the quality. He has already attracted interest from models, professional footballers and an influencer promoting the brand, and his biggest challenge was finance. The investors' advice was to build pre-orders ahead of launch, and to keep telling the story behind the brand.

Zion Dunn joined us on The Legacy Bench for Pitch'd or Ditch'd, "6 Entrepreneurs Pitch for £5,000 — Would You Invest?" — read the episode story or watch the full conversation.