I sit here now looking down at my chest and see the word Smile emblazoned across it. It is faded now as the T-shirt makes up one of a limited amount I packed in my backpack to take on my trip to New Zealand, where I still am 2 years later. I still love it though, particularly when I forget I am wearing it and get a big smile from a random stranger in the street :)
The T-shirt is made by Howies and is made of organic cotton... Hooray! Howies started trading in 1995, a part time business selling politically minded biking T shirts. The business grew in an ad hock hap hazard way always driven by obvious passion for mountain biking and the natural environment. Highly creative engaging design sits at the heart of Howies and has helped to define and carve their vision and in some cases inspired their business. The telegraph recently sited Howies as 6th on a "survivability index" which looks at businesses likely to weather the recession storm. So how did a small company started in a flat become so well loved? From that same article: Howies has attempted to build a brand that sells an idea as much as it does clothes, Rupert Eastell, head of retail at BDO Stoy Hayward, said. “Howies, in particular, is creating something the customer comes back to time and time again. It is creating a community and is much cleverer about the bits around the edges than competitors.” he said.
The community that Hayward speaks of is key to a small brand's success, arguably any brands success. By using political slogans on their T-shirts which act as a brand beacon they give a voice to a community, and you can be part of it just by wearing one of them. The slogans are slightly subversive but not militant, always executed with wry humour of a British or maybe Welsh brand, they are accessible. They give the wearer a sense that they are part of something a bit 'underground', and you don't need to be into mountain biking or skating to be in the club. The designs do not follow strict visual brand guidelines and although there are many visual similarities in the branding they are more made into a family by the tone and spirit they adopt. You might argue that the logo itself is indistinct and lacks personality, but it is more a mark that says things should be simply put, no spin. It also acts as a blank canvas allowing a certain freedom in applications that other more 'visually distinctive' brand marks may not allow. Take for instance the Point Of Sale units designed by Carter Wong A brilliant piece of branding born out of solid guiding brand principles.
Sloganed T shirts are of course not the only product Howies sell, they pedal (excuse the pun) far more classic leisure items, that have a timeless quality about them. Like Patagonia their business ethics are based on truly sustainable principles concerning both the environment and the people that work for them. There is a naive quality that comes from Howies, adding to the sense that we are all in it together and that everything is far from perfect but with an intellectual optimism, we will endure, harmonise and more importantly enjoy.
The community that Hayward speaks of is key to a small brand's success, arguably any brands success. By using political slogans on their T-shirts which act as a brand beacon they give a voice to a community, and you can be part of it just by wearing one of them. The slogans are slightly subversive but not militant, always executed with wry humour of a British or maybe Welsh brand, they are accessible. They give the wearer a sense that they are part of something a bit 'underground', and you don't need to be into mountain biking or skating to be in the club. The designs do not follow strict visual brand guidelines and although there are many visual similarities in the branding they are more made into a family by the tone and spirit they adopt. You might argue that the logo itself is indistinct and lacks personality, but it is more a mark that says things should be simply put, no spin. It also acts as a blank canvas allowing a certain freedom in applications that other more 'visually distinctive' brand marks may not allow. Take for instance the Point Of Sale units designed by Carter Wong A brilliant piece of branding born out of solid guiding brand principles.
Sloganed T shirts are of course not the only product Howies sell, they pedal (excuse the pun) far more classic leisure items, that have a timeless quality about them. Like Patagonia their business ethics are based on truly sustainable principles concerning both the environment and the people that work for them. There is a naive quality that comes from Howies, adding to the sense that we are all in it together and that everything is far from perfect but with an intellectual optimism, we will endure, harmonise and more importantly enjoy.
