Watchlist Magazine

Very rarely do my senses pull me towards anything materialistic shouting ‘Must Have!’. But I’m hooked! Merrimaking is a new fashion brand founded by two inspired young fashion designers [a recent philosophy graduate and a fine artist]. In an instant, they started a cult following with their amicable, animated animal hoods. There is something undeniably energising about their good-times fancy dress. Merrimaking Hoods are a perfect accessory for partying or festivals, immediately reviving a childish rush of joy. It’s hard not to feel a little lift when you see people wearing them. But aside from the originality and aesthetics, there is inspiration to be drawn from their zero-budget start-up story. This is a tale of two best friends playing around, and hitting on something brilliantly fun.

Spending time with Meg and Harri was whirl of ideas and aspirations. They are imaginative and extremely comfortable taking the path less-well-travelled. But their story of getting ahead is rooted in being able to act on impulse, and to have faith in their ideas. There is a playfulness that runs through everything they do, and you get the feeling that this kind of cheek could get them very far.

The two energetic, creative graduates left university in 2009, looking to make the most of their summer, before working out what to do with their lives. Deciding to invent something fun – something hand-made, to take to a festival… has turned out to be a very fruitful idea for the pair, who now find themselves running a burgeoning fashion business. The big idea was to see if a festival could pay its own way,  by making something to casually sell to people they met. They are, in other words, accidental entrepreneurs. And they are clearly a little drawn to risk, having set off on a 270KM cycle to The Green Man Festival with their first batch of original hoods. With no tickets.

Meg and Harri started something of a gold-rush while modeling their designs around the park. People kept on coming, wanting hoods for themselves. Within hours they were taking enquiries and contact details from strangers who had been looking for them all over the site. This was market research heaven.

At least it was until a confrontation with the authorities! Uh, oh! No tickets?! It was a long cycle home. But here the disarming power of their hoods came into its own. Having gate-crashed into the festival, Meg and Harri persuaded the management to a) let them stay for free, and b) continue selling hoods without a permit. Such is the force of their charms. Their prototype hoods were sold-out in a flash, and the event a great success. MerriMaking suddenly found its feet as a design house dedicated to party-scene playmates. And fake fur got itself a much needed kick up the backside.

Tell us a bit about your beginning:

The name (Merri) comes from an original plan to merge our names, explains Meg… it began with a practical joke we were pulling on a friend a few years ago… leaving a note saying “you’ve been Merried!” So that kind of stuck with us. The two of us met years ago on an art foundation course in Brighton, and both ended up studying in Nottingham for University. After graduating, we were looking for fun things to do in summer, and to make the most of the UK’s great festivals. The response we got when modeling the hoods at The Green Man was overwhelming! People loved hearing about our willingness to experiment – we had no idea whether it would work or not! It was really touching how well everyone embraced that.

How do you see the business evolving, and have you grand plans for the future? H: We love the hoods but there’s room for more products and change when the time comes. M: Ha, I’ve always thought, you know you’ve made it big when you feature in the Simpsons, even if they mock you! I’d like to see Homer in a merri-made bear hood!

What has been the biggest lesson for you since starting up? M. probably just how generous people are. The number of people we have met along the way has been remarkable. We’ve had people come up to us a day or two later (at festivals) really excited having had an idea we might like, or the contact details of someone they think we might like to talk to. We couldn’t be more grateful for all that!

What kind of encouragement can you offer for other young creatives looking to be more enterprising? M. Have faith in your idea and go for it… push and play it as much as you have the energy for. And if you can do it with a friend and make it fun, you’ve nothing to lose. H: Also, you don’t need money to start something off if you have the time to invest in a project.

Can you signpost us to any resources/websites/organisations that have helped you get ahead? M: We’re lucky enough to have a whole load of really talented and motivated friends. And really generous ones too. There’s two Jen’s that we are friends with who have been particularly supportive, and a great fashion event called BANGERS&FASH – we were lucky enough to get involved with that in Nottingham.

Who are your creative heroes, and what do you owe them? M. is it too incestuous to say my friends? I find them really inspiring. And also contemporary fine artists. And film! Spike Jonze for making Where The Wild Things Are - the costumes are amazing! Also Sia. I think she’s bonkers, but brilliant. I’d love to work with her on a fashion range or costumes for a video.

What are the great advantages of working together on Merrimaking? H: There’s consistent energy put into it… I think if I had attempted to do something like this on my own I would have hit a lul in confidence or energy and not bounced back. But as a pair it’s really great as the other person is still busy with the business so you only need to chat to feed off one another and get really excited again.

What kind of compromises have you had to make? H: We havent had to make any big compromises as yet. So far we’ve either done things together as a pair without any problems or taken on the tasks that interest us and trust each other’s judgement on what the other does. It’s hard keeping up with demand, as our products are all hand made by us. It’s very time consuming! We might need to think about how we ago about that, and have some great ideas. It’s important for us to keep the brand very personal, and fun, so we won’t compromise on that!

What’s your favourite source of inspiration? M: The Secret Garden Party… where, as a good friend of mine put it, people “really embrace the ridiculousness”. Things like that really give me energy! H: Can’t wait for the next summer of festivals, everyone is always at their best and most fun!

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve bought/found/stolen in the last few months? M: I come across a bizarre amount of little toy hands. H: Meg bought me a pet rat a few days ago!

Tell us about an innovation/idea/product/service you have come across that you admire/got you thinking H: ’TED.com’ is such an interesting website full of incredible ideas. I love the idea of making a place to celebrate and spread people’s views and successes. You can see talks ranging from robots that live on a beach, to black holes, and exciting new technology made by very, very clever people.

See more at: merrimaking.co.uk