We all know about Drop Dead and Alice Takes a Trip, both brands that are UK and worldwide names and brands that I have both written about a lot on here in the past. But today, I want to shine a light on the under the radar fashion labels and stores in this fair city for you all to have a look at. There is some real talent here and it is exciting to see the range and level of fashion labels and lines coming out of the Steel City. I’ve always thought that we as a city were special creatively through our musical and film heritage but now the fashion sense I’ve admired of many has come through to prove that we are a fashionable city and it is now time to celebrate and showcase that fact.
Our Kid Apparel
These guys are one for the minimalists among us, those that like simple designs and classic styles all on crisp t-shirts in an array of basic colours – white, maroon, navy and black. The brands aim is to “provide aesthetically pleasing clothing and accessories in limited runs, maintaining an ethical mind when sourcing and producing our products.” If that doesn’t make you want to check out their stuff then you definitely should. Ethical clothing is something I am totally on board with and limited runs of products for me always makes your clothing a little more special as there are only a handful of other people out there with it. Inspired by Sheffield their line of tee’s, vests, long sleeves, outerwear and accessories featuring cool, simple and pleasing to the eye logos as well as lines of trees and references to our steel industry. A great and affordable brand that everyone should check out.
Find out more about Our Kid Apparel by visiting their website, their Facebook page or you can follow them on Twitter – @ourkidapparel
Don’t Feed The Bears
A label that could be simply summed up by their tagline as “T-shirts with Bears on” has become a pretty well-known name amongst those in the know fashion-wise on the streets of Sheffield. The company is essentially two people, Lucy [the designer] and Tommy [the screen printer], churning out handmade shirts since 2010. Every single t-shirt design starts off as a pencil sketch in one of Lucy’s overflowing sketchbooks before Tommy screen prints the images onto a set amount of shirts. There are some brilliant designs on offer from dancing bears with ice cream to parachuting bears to a bear with a camera for a head. All designs are on basic coloured shirts and sweatshirts with colours ranging from navy to light grey to the usuals of white and black. I genuinely love the shirts, such a simple design and idea but it works so well whether it is a slightly funny design you are after or just a sketched out bear there is something for everyone and I plan on purchasing one of these ASAP.
Find out more about Don’t Feed The Bears by visiting their website, their Facebook page or you can follow them on Twitter – @dntfeedthebears
Badger and Kingdom
The four people behind Badger and Kingdom started putting ideas together in halls at university while they were bored and realised between them they had the ideas, skills, drive and passion to start a business and hopefully it would become successful. That is has as well, taking off pretty much instantly and with new designs coming out all the time there is plenty of new material for people to get their hands on. The brand itself takes inspiration from wildlife and and culture of Britain [hence Badger and Kingdom] and with shirts that feature birds, badgers and cool logos that resemble good architecture and natural phenomenons of this country, they fulfil that perfectly. The aim to design and make shirts that “fit well, feel great and look even better,” they definitely look great and I’d love to get my hands on a badger shirt that is for sure.
To find out more about Badger and Kingdom visit their website, their Facebook page, their Tumblr page or you can follow them on Twitter – @badgerandkingdo
XCVB
XCVB is the brainchild of two Sheffield guys who had the idea to start a clothing company for years before actually doing it, when in 2011 they decided to do it they took the small amount of money they had a pumped it all straight into creating their first 3 products. 3 years later and the brand have plenty of shirts, jumpers, jackets and accessories with a number of different designs and in many different colours. From the traditional black tee with a white logo to tie dye prints shirts, cool beanies, hoodies, oversized jackets and sunglasses. There is something for everyone here specifically the street-smart guy or girl looking for a well made product that toes the line between sportswear, street style and alternative fashion. Nothing sums up a fashion label better than words of the words of those behind it so here they are spelling out the ethos of the brand; “we make the kind of clothes we want to wear ourselves. Of course trends and what’s ‘cool’ has a certain influence on us. You can’t help seeing what’s going on but we like to think we stay true to ourselves and try to do things our way.”
To find out more about XCVB visit their website, their Tumblr page, their Facebook page or you can follow them on Twitter – @XCVBclothing
Skull and Bones Boys Club
Sheffield may be full of streetwear style clothing brands at the moment but each does have it’s own unique characteristic, SABBC prides itself on being and making you a part of an exclusive club. I’d not actually heard of these guys until very recently until their pop up store in the Winter Gardens but the guys have some impressive wears and though this may be typically aimed at guys there were a couple of pieces I would definitely have bought for myself such as their Charros Raglan V2 shirt. With slouchy shorts, American style oversized tee’s and signature tortoise shell sunglasses, there really is plenty on offer at affordable prices to kit yourself out with some new wears. The brand also boosts a big family of supporters and wearers, including the likes of Disclosure, Feed The Rhino, Kitty Cowell and Malevolence, as well as their ever growing line which is receiving more and more attention from many online and around the city.
To find out more about Skull and Bones Boys Club visit their website, their Facebook page or you can follow them on Twitter – @SABBC_CLOTHING
Mixtape Couture 