whodareswears

Claire White

WhoDaresWears is an independent UK clothing brand founded in 2008.

Drawing influences from 90’s subculture of London, skate and tattoo cultures, music, pop art and graffiti; the brand promise to stay true to who they are.

Until now, the brand has been an underground T Shirt label available only to those who ‘in the know’, but now the word has spread and the brand have launched an online store.

We caught up with owner Chris Jepson to find out more.

What inspired you to start a clothing range?

whodareswears started as a bit of fun really, I used to doodle quite a bit and would come up with different designs and logos and friends would say that I should be a designer and work for a clothing company or design agency etc. Having no Art Qualifications to speak of and quitting my job to go and study was definitely not an option, I decided to design a few t-shirts and have them printed up. Those same friends saw me wearing my own T-shirts and said that they wanted one and then friends of friends and so on and so on! Knowing that what I was designing was getting a good reaction, I decided to come up with a brand name and have a website built.

Where do you originate your design ideas?

My ideas tend to be influenced by the things that I am into which include Tattoos, Pop Art, Music, Graffiti, Board sports etc. I basically come up with designs that I know me and my friends would like to wear and if other people like them too then that’s great!

Why did you decide to branch out your range for sale online?

Online is the easiest medium to be able to offer a product or service at a reasonably low-cost. The website is not heavily marketed or advertised and that is a conscious decision, as I want everything to be organic and have people stumble across it and tell a friend and then they tell a friend and so the word eventually spreads.

What is your most popular item for sale?

The most popular item is the Wam Bam Camper Fan T-shirt. I think it’s just a fun design that people can relate to especially the surfer, VW community

What is your personal favourite product?

I would have to say it’s either Wam Bam Camper Fan or the new Lucky 7 T-shirt that I will be releasing.

How would you describe your clothing range?

I would describe the range as fun designs for people who don’t take themselves to seriously, enjoy life and definitely smile a lot.

Who would be your dream person to wear the range?

I wouldn’t really say I had a dream person who I’d want to wear the range – I would rather people who wore the t-shirts chose them because they loved the designs or could relate it to the lifestyle they lead…If I had to choose one person though I guess it would probably be Kat Von D!

Do you endorse any bands at the moment?

I don’t actually endorse any bands, although one of my good buddies Anneliese Van De Velde who used to lead Silvermaker and is now with Kovack wears our T shirts. The drummer in Sense of Urgency and Only Strangers also wears them too.

What can we expect in the future from WDW?

We are only small at the moment and so as more and more people become aware of the brand and the sales increase – I can then look to add more designs and pieces to the range. I have over 100 designs ready to go to print and with a view to introduce hoodies, caps, skateboards etc in the future then all I can say is watch this space!

You can find out more about whodareswears by visiting their official website at http://www.whodareswears.com/.