{"id":6416,"date":"2019-09-04T17:04:30","date_gmt":"2019-09-04T16:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/?p=6416"},"modified":"2019-09-10T09:23:59","modified_gmt":"2019-09-10T08:23:59","slug":"launching-brand-stain-shades-james-brackenbury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/launching-brand-stain-shades-james-brackenbury\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch: Brand Tips with Stain Shade&#8217;s James Brackenbury"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>A Gap In The Market<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">James\u2019 love of tie-dye dates back to long before he started Stain Shade.\u201cI chose tie-dye and hand-dying because I just really liked it and wanted to try the process for myself,\u201d he says. It\u2019s a story that goes to show that sometimes if you\u2019ve noticed a gap in the market, other people will have too, and you might be the one who can fill it. \u201cI looked around for ages for someone who was tie-dying in the UK for various other projects I was working on and couldn\u2019t really find anyone,\u201d he says. \u201cThis lead to me exploring the process and figuring out how it all works.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"max-width: 1778px;\">\n<div style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Z0_QwaGLbt0?rel=0\" style=\"border: 0; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;\" allowfullscreen scrolling=\"no\" allow=\"encrypted-media; accelerometer; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h4>Don\u2019t Hesitate<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first concrete step towards building any clothing brand is to start making products. While it\u2019s great to take your time developing your concept and working out exactly what you want to do, there\u2019s no surer way of getting your brand off the ground than by making tangible pieces. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6521\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6521\" style=\"width: 1080px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6521 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-2.jpg\" alt=\"stain shade tye die\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-2.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-2-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-2-768x959.jpg 768w, https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-2-820x1024.jpg 820w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6521\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image courtesy of Stain Shade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cJust start producing things,\u201d James says. \u201cYou can think and talk about it as much as you like but until you have a product you can hold in your hands then it doesn\u2019t exist.\u201d And don\u2019t be afraid of trial and error either. It\u2019s a cliche, but we tend to learn more from our failures than our successes \u2013 even if a product doesn\u2019t turn out how you like, or doesn\u2019t get the reception you\u2019d hoped for, this will just give you a better indication of what you need to be doing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Until you have product you can hold in your hands then it doesn\u2019t exist<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4>Perfect Your Process<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A big part of what makes Stain Shade so unique is James\u2019 commitment to quality. When he talked us through how he makes his tees, his total dedication to making garments he was proud of really stood out. \u201cEverything I do is by hand,\u201d he explained. \u201cI apply the dye to individual sections of the garment directly, this allows you to be a bit more precise and kind of guarantee more uniformity across bigger orders.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6523\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6523\" style=\"width: 1080px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6523 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-3.jpg\" alt=\"Image courtesy of Stain Shade\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-3.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-3-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-3-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-3-819x1024.jpg 819w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6523\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image courtesy of Stain Shade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And he\u2019s all about making pieces that will stand the test of more than a few washes too. \u201cThe type of dye I use reacts to the individual fibres meaning the colour is very long-lasting and this combined with some treatments I use makes sure the items don\u2019t fade once dyed.\u201d This attention to detail is what can really separate your brand from the rest; people can tell when you\u2019re providing a product that\u2019s a cut above.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>You Never Know What Things Can Lead To&#8230;<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stain Shade started pretty organically. James had been pursuing his interest in tie-dye for a while, making bits and pieces for himself when a friend, \u201cwho\u2019s the top <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dog at LN-CC, asked if I could do some stuff for the shop,\u201d he says. It was the start he needed, with his early LN-CC pieces eventually becoming Stain Shade, the brand. James\u2019 origin story is a lesson for us in how any opportunity can end up being a catalyst, and a step to something bigger. As he put it, \u201cI\u2019m sure the brand would have happened eventually but this certainly sped things up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6520\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6520\" style=\"width: 1080px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6520 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/STAIN-SHADE-5.jpg\" alt=\"stain shade tie dye\" width=\"1080\" height=\"809\" srcset=\"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/STAIN-SHADE-5.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/STAIN-SHADE-5-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/STAIN-SHADE-5-768x575.jpg 768w, https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/STAIN-SHADE-5-1024x767.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6520\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image courtesy of Stain Shade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>\u2026 But Don\u2019t Just Wait For Opportunities To Come To You<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being proactive in chasing down new opportunities is one of the cornerstones to building a brand. Often getting started is just a matter of getting your ideas in front of people. \u201cWe operate within a saturated marketplace and there is always someone who will work harder than you so you can\u2019t miss any chances,\u201d says James. Key to this is not being afraid of rejection, even if someone can\u2019t work with you right now, that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t like your work and won\u2019t want to in the future, \u201cKnock on doors! Just go and ask people, worst that can happen is they don\u2019t email back or they do and say no thank you,\u201d he agrees. \u201cIf you don\u2019t ask you don\u2019t get!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Knock on doors! Just go and ask people<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4>It\u2019s Not All About How Many Followers You Have<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to social media, it\u2019s easy to get caught up in how many followers you have: more followers equals more sales, right? Well, while there\u2019s no denying the importance of your social channels (we are in the age of Instagram after all) numbers are by no means the be-all and end-all when it comes to getting your brand off the ground. James takes a quantity over quality approach, \u201cDon\u2019t get obsessed by social media following,\u201d he told us. \u201cI only have a few followers but they are all good people. I\u2019d rather have 10 followers who are going to buy something than 1000 who just like my picture.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6525\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6525\" style=\"width: 1080px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6525 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"809\" srcset=\"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-4.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-4-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-4-768x575.jpg 768w, https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/stain-shade-4-1024x767.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6525\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image courtesy of Stain Shade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Don\u2019t Be Afraid of Collaboration<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes bringing other people on board can be a bit of a challenge initially, as James outlined for us, \u201cI find it tricky when people don\u2019t have an understanding of the process and are asking for the impossible. Sometimes it\u2019s also a struggle on pricing as if you were to get something commercially dyed it would be much cheaper but you wouldn\u2019t get the same effect and skill.\u201d But ironing out kinks at the start tends to pay off in the long run, \u201cThat being said once I sort of break it down for people they generally get it and they love the work that goes into it all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>For more insights on building a brand around a love of T-shirts, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/teejerker-the-world-of-band-t-shirts\/\">interview with\u00a0<b>Teejerker\u2019s Matt Sloane<\/b><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We headed to Stain Shade&#8217;s (AKA James Brackenbury) recently to catch him at work, so we thought we\u2019d pick his brains on launching a brand while we were at it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":6524,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6416"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6416"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6518,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6416\/revisions\/6518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}