Hey, Jordan! Thanks for taking the time to do this interview with us, it’s great having you. Could you kindly introduce yourself to our readers and give us a bit of a background check to your brand and how you started out.
Hi guys thank you for having me. Hunger Club Clothing is a retro video game inspired brand from Staffordshire, UK. For any of you streamers and gaming mad folk out there.
We started back in 2014 in the wave of being in bands over the years and I myself was in charge of creating and distributing the merchandise so took it upon myself to start up a brand in the wake of the group disbanding.
With the help of my sister Liane Plant, who is a brilliant freelance illustrator with a love of early skate graphics to help along the way we were formed.
What do you think are the key aspects to grow a brand in the climate of the world in 2021?
I think with the current climate of the world and with most of us stuck inside during lockdown, social platforms have taken a huge part of our lives.
Content is a huge deal, getting posting on your socials and the huge escalation of interest of small businesses over shopping against bigger companies has taken off. Interaction with fans and creating a buzz will help your brand grow with people sharing and talking about your posts helping with the algorithms.
Have you picked up any trends that are looking to be interesting the year ahead in the gaming-inspired clothing industry?
The pandemic is accelerating existing trends within the gaming industry and gaming from home during the lockdown and the COVID virus has boosted user engagement with video games. There is also many anniversaries this year of many classic games such as the 30th anniversary of street fighter.
How much of a “tech-head” are you and what sparked your interest in video games in the first place?
Myself and my partner have just brought a new build house and we have packed the house with a lot of new cool tech, so I could say that I am a fair bit of a tech-head when comes to gadgets and new tech.
When I was younger I remember Christmas Day morning and my parents brought me a PlayStation 1 (I was born in the 90s era) I booted this up and started playing a little game called Rayman. I was instantly hooked and I have never looked back since.
What inspired you to take your love for gaming and technology, and build that into a clothing brand?
I think my passion for gaming over the 20 odd years has given me the drive to create something for ‘gamers by gamers’ as it were. I want to create a brand that is fuelled by the love I have for the games I play which have kept memories and thrilling stories in my head. I think any of us that play video games have always had one of those wow moments, and replicating this to a design inspires me to share this in my clothing.
What is your favourite old school game of all time and why?
Man, there are so many to choose from. I am a huge fan of the resident evil series in particular resident evil 4, it’s in my top games of all time. I played that game on a multitude of different generation of consoles from the GameCube to present-day PlayStation, I am not ashamed to of brought that game over and over, it still holds up today in the enhanced graphic cycle we are in, I would really recommend it to anyone who hasn’t yet played any games in that series to do so.
A piece of tech that revolutionized the way you think about technology?
I think Apple’s iPhone has revolutionized the way we ‘all’ think about tech. I remember back in the day when the old Nokia’s that had Snake on them with pixels black and grey screens, to where we are now with a device that you probably can’t live without.
It revolutionized how photography went from a hobby to being a part of everyday life in your hand.
As brand owner and designer this piece of tech is a huge help for on-the-go creativity.
Do you have any tips for brands that are looking to enter a niche market like yourself?
Do something you’re passionate about and love, learn from your mistakes it’s not always all smooth sailing, ride the wave and you will get through it. Do your research on your market. Don’t be scared to talk to other brand owners who specialize in the same area, always good to create friendships who can bounce ideas off each other and help share the new releases to their followers.
Any plans for Hunger Club Clothing in 2021 that you’d like to share with our readers?
Let’s just say there are a fair few ideas in the pipeline for this year. We’re working with old favourite designers as well as some brand new ones, On some of the most requested games from our fans. One of those being released from the depths of the ‘lost valley’. 😉
Where is the best place for people to check out what you guys have to offer?
We’re on most social platforms, you can find us at :
As a thank you to your readers here is an exclusive 10% off code for our store: PINSBLOG
I want to thank you guys at pins and knuckles for all the awesome work you have delivered for us when we have worked together and for inviting us to take part in this interview. Hope you guys look forward to printing some more of our newest designs as we are to receiving them for our fans.