The Big Interview


point all cards were off the table and I had PenCarrie, Ralawise and Prestige Leisure all wanting a slice of the pie. Shortly afterwards BTC activewear also listed the B&C collection.”


Despite initial quick growth, B&C has not quite taken off in the UK in the same way it has on the continent. “I tried to explain to the management at the time that the UK customer is quite different to the European customer. I felt I spent quite a bit of time being Henry Kissinger in that role, acting as a diplomat, rather than selling to the customers, encouraging B&C to understand the UK market and customers,” says Pete.


In 2013, Pete was approached by relatively new brand Stanley/ Stella to undertake a similar role. This is because the CEO of Stanley/ Stella was Jean Chabert. Those in the know will recognise Jean as being the former owner of B&C and while at the helm he had failed to crack the UK market. It must have been frustrating to learn that after he had sold the business to the Kwintet Group, that success in the UK had been achieved. Pete introduced Jean to Jeff and Jon Batson, the brothers behind Ralawise, and subsequently Stanley/ Stella is now distributed through the wholesaler.


Decades of experience


After nearly a decade of working for other people in consultancy roles, Pete decided to utilise his decades of knowledge and experience to develop and bring to the market his own capsular clothing range called Original FNB.


“I was approached by one of Stanley/ Stella’s biggest manufacturers in Bangladesh and was told that they didn’t want to stop working with me and would support me if I wanted to launch my own brand. That just underlines how nice and supportive this industry is,” says Pete. Designing and launching a range of clothing is not an easy task and Pete is the first to admit it is a completely different to selling garments from already established brands. At B&C Pete had very little input in the design of garments but with Stanley/ Stella, he was able to have a little more input, bringing his expertise in printing to maximise the fabric printability and advise what cuts, colours and styles would work best for the UK market. “For example, the vast majority of continental brands are sized incredible small, so I managed to convince Stanley/


www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk


The Original FNB Hoodie


Stella to introduce dual sizing tabs for the UK (and US) markets. The labels were suitable so the same garment could be sold in the UK and in Europe and customers would understand what size they were buying,” explains Pete. With the development of Original FNB, Peter says he had complete freedom. “I could design exactly what I wanted, with the fit I wanted, with the hand-feel I wanted and with the printability that I wanted; in fact, all the things that I wanted previously but couldn’t fully do,” he adds. The range consists of a T shirt, a sweatshirt and a hoodie in navy, black and heather grey, plus white on the tee. The hoodie and the sweat are made from 80% organic cotton and 20% recycled polyester, while the tee is made from 100% organic cotton.


The three products are also available in an off-white, but not as you know it. Called RTD, all garments are made from 100% organic cotton fabric, ready-to-dye, meaning that brands and retailers can take their purchased garments to any dye house in the UK and dye them to any colour. This unique selling point is great for small brands who don’t want the cost of ordering hundreds of one shade from a factory. Pete explains the garments have been specially formulated and constructed ready to accept local dyeing. On a traditional organic cotton garment the threads holding it together are polyester, but not in this case – even the threads are cotton, meaning they can also be dyed. Each garment is pre-shrunk where applicable and/ or has additional fabric to allow for the dying process not affecting the finished garment size. RTD has the look of a natural ecru colour and doesn’t have any of the manufacturing softeners within the fabric, as these may detract from ultimate dye acceptance. At present the three-piece range is available exclusively through PenCarrie. Pete is just about to enter his third year


The Be Kind tee that used White Label


of trading with Original FNB and despite the 2020 lockdown affecting sales in year two, sales in 2021 have started strong. There are plans to add another colour to the collection, which Pete says has come at the request of customers looking for an anthracite shade.


Be kind


Not only this, but Pete has also been involved in the development of a 100% organic ring spun cotton range called White Label. This three-piece mid-range organic offering is available currently through Barlow Park. It has been specifically engineered for DTG printing due the low fibrillation of the fibres. Although you may not be familiar with the name or the products, you will have no doubt seen the T shirt in circulation for it was used for the Be Kind T shirts that were designed by comedian Keith Lemon following the death of his friend and Love Island presenter Caroline Flack in February 2020. The T shirt featured a black and white picture of Caroline along with the words Be Kind.


When lockdown lifts and we enter a post-COVID world, Pete can’t wait to get out on the road and showcase both White Label and Original FNB to printers. Products he believes they will find irresistible.


All in all, for Pete it has been a thoroughly enjoyable three decades in an industry that he loves.


He concludes: “I love this industry and love screen printing. If I do get the opportunity to pull a squeegee and produce a print, it’s still a great feeling. I’ve still got ambitions to bring out a micro-retail brand online. I never stop playing around with ideas like that, so watch this space.”


April 2021 | 39 |


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