Young Goat are on the up. Begun in Bristol by six friends – Al, Aaron, Jack, Vincent, Arthur and Reuben – the unisex fashion brand seem to have cracked the code of how to make fashion stand out in a saturated marketplace: begin with the concept and design from there.
The company’s ethos emphasises confidence and empowerment. Starting with the slightly unusual name (GOAT stands for Greatest Of All Time), the brand seek to empower and embolden their customers at every turn.
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Strength and collaboration are the common threads that knit the business together, a theme that is grounded in long term friendship, echoed by their choice of logo, and demonstrated by the company’s support for mental health charities.
Fashion critics often wonder what makes a new brand stand out in a field of established designers. Young Goat seem to provide the answer. First: define your ethos (in this case inclusive clothing that empowers the wearer) – second: weave your ethos and values into every garment you make. Simple.
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Q. What made you want to start your own company?
Our case was somewhat unique in that we had conceptualized the brand before we’d even finished the logo. We were just messing around with ideas, however, once we saw the logo on a mock-up hoodie, we knew that it was perfect: striking in its simplicity and something we’d all wear. Fortunately for us, everyone who saw it agreed.
We made some samples for ourselves and then we started to think about logistics and how to actually sell items. We thought: ‘wouldn’t it be cool if people all over the world could appreciate this message as much as we do AND we could be wearing something that we had designed ourselves?’
Q. What is the significance of the term ‘Goat’ with regards to your brand?
At university (where we all met), we used the term quite regularly… and we still use it today. Whether as a compliment, a superlative, or just as an adjective – we have always used the term to empower people.
GOAT is an acronym for ‘Greatest Of All Time’. It has been used predominantly in the past to describe celebrities and sporting superstars, however, we decided to re-purpose it for wider application. We believe that the term can promote self-esteem and confidence in anyone.
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Q. How would you describe the typical Young Goat customer?
As far as we’re concerned each of our customers is the GOAT in their own right: someone who is confident and goes out every day being the best they could possibly be.
While the name Young Goat may suggest that our followers would be restricted by age (and animal), we actually have a wonderful array of different demographics who interact with us via Facebook, Instagram, email and the website. In fact, we now have customers in 30 countries over 6 continents. It just goes to show that anyone can be the GOAT.
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Q. Your brand was built by six people. How do your skills and personalities complement each other?
People told us that 6 individuals running a single organisation would be overwhelming. ‘Too many chefs in the kitchen’ they said. We chose to look at the advantages of having group working together, however: the different talents, strengths, capacity & contacts.
It did take us some time to adapt, however, and there has been quite a bit of trial and error along the way. Nonetheless, while we all have different personalities, we’ve known each other for a long time and we have a good general understanding of how each one of us operates.
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Q. What has been the biggest hurdle that you’ve had to overcome so far?
It’s too easy to say COVID-19 because it has affected every person on the planet. The pandemic has definitely had an effect on what we do, however. It’s meant that we have had to delay the launch of our website, for one thing, but we’ve shown resilience in the face of it.
Our biggest hurdle has actually been purchasing power – we’ve each had to contribute our own money to the business (by obtaining loans within our friendship group, for example) and our relatively small purchasing power has meant that the company has been limited in sampling size, stock order size and research and development capabilities (to name just a few things).
Q. If you could describe your aesthetic in five words what would they be?
This is a tough one but the words that spring to mind are: empowering, bold, minimalist, inclusive and timeless.
I love the fact that you partner with mental health charities, is this an important part of your brand?
Highlighting the great things that our partners do is really crucial for us. We currently work with 3 charities and each one of them provides amazing services and support for so many individuals in need. We’ll definitely continue to execute initiatives with these partners and more new ones in the future.
Being able to raise awareness of mental health and spread positivity is at the foundation of what we do. If anyone reading this would like to know more about this subject, I recommend they head to the Second Step, Off the Record and Black Minds Matter websites to learn more.
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Q. What is the best advice you have received?
Several of our friends run businesses and have experience of scaling, rapid growth, major setbacks and the other occurrences which can take place along the way. So we have a good base of experience to draw on. It’s difficult to say what the best piece of advice has been so far, however, personally, ‘take calculated risks’ is really good advice.
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Q. What are you counting down to?
I think everyone is counting down to the end of the pandemic but 2020 has also been a year of huge progress for Young Goat. We are really excited about what 2021 will bring and what we will bring to 2021.
Q. What’s next for the brand?
Despite the successes of our current clothing range, it is still small and there is plenty more to add to it. The next few months will see the release of some new colours, new items and new designs as well as news of some brilliant collaborations, features and competitions.
Our plan is to be even more active on more social platforms and to bring our clothing to even more countries around the world. So, the idea is to keep growing and keep learning!
You can find out more about Young Goat here.
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