“I love your top! Where did you get it?” What better feeling than when someone admires and actually comments on something new that you’re wearing? It may seem shallow to some but feeling good about ourselves is the main reason we all buy clothes. It’s the easiest way to express who we are as individuals and show the world without saying a word.
Everyone we know has a certain ‘style’ when it comes to their wardrobe and more often than ever I find myself in the middle of a shop saying “I like that, but it’s a very ‘Ben’ Jacket”. Meaning, of course, that my mate Ben wears this style of jacket and I couldn’t possibly own something remotely similar without fear of people thinking I’m copying his style. I know I’m not the only one thinking this way, so what does it mean? We are instinctively protective over our identities and believe that somebody else wearing the same shirt, dilutes our individuality and somehow lessens how unique we are. As we grow older, our fashion sense evolves along with who we perceive ourselves to be and how we want to be seen by others which is why we no longer tend to wear things that make us cringe when looking at old photos of ourselves.
There’s been a noticeable movement in the fashion industry in the past few years with independent ‘lifestyle clothing’ and ‘streetwear brands’ popping up to fulfil the needs of many that resent wearing big-brand apparel such as Topshop, H&M or even big, designer brands. We want something that people will notice, but also something they’re unlikely to own themselves. The answer? Small-scale clothing businesses that focus on unique designs, high quality materials, and more importantly, listen to what their consumers want.
Is that why people find themselves starting a lifestyle clothing brand? They just want to please the masses looking for something a bit quirky? Well… yes, but that’s not the whole story. It takes a combination of things to provoke someone to begin such a venture, and I believe they include, but are not exclusive to, the following:
- They admire and understand how design integrates form and function into our everyday lives, from the artwork on our walls, to the chairs around our tables.
- They appreciate fashion and what it means for people to express themselves through material goods.
- They see an opportunity to provide a unique or higher quality product for a specific demographic in what a lot of people would describe to be a saturated market.
Looking through copious piles of T-shirts I own, I’d hazard a guess that less than 20% of them are from independent and small lifestyle clothing brands, however they are pretty much the only pieces of clothing that genuinely get noticed and receive compliments. “That’s so cool”. “What brand is that?”. “I saw something similar to that on Instagram, I wish I’d bought it!”. The majority of these brands don’t have huge margins on their products when compared to the likes of fast fashion, but the attention to detail is high, the materials used are usually more economically friendly and more commonly of a higher quality. So why not give us little guys a chance and make us a part of your existing wardrobe? We’d genuinely love to hear what you think of the products we create for you!