Tell us a bit more about Lost Ghosts Clothing? How and when did you start? What was your inspiration?
We started in 2016, originally part of Jess’ Final Major Project at Uni. Jess was studying graphic design at Leeds Beckett. The FMP was the perfect opportunity to create the brand we had always wanted to do.
We would always talk about how cool it would be to have strangers wearing our designs. Not just a tattoo design like most independent clothing companies out there, and so we just jumped right in and started to create Lost Ghosts.
What pitfalls did you discover along the way?
Neither of us had the first idea about running a business or had any experience in running a business. That was really hard. We had to learn all the boring stuff like registering the business, filling in tax returns etc.
We’re still learning new business things every day as we progress the company.
Also, we didn’t realise how expensive it would be to get it up and running. So many ideas ran through our heads of what we wanted to make. We decided to build the brand in such a short space of time. We didn’t have the money saved up to do so!
What advice would you give to yourself when you first started Lost Ghosts?
Save up and do your research first! Sometimes jumping straight in at the deep end isn’t always the best way and also to not feel defeated so easily!
There were moments during the first year, and even now, that we felt like giving up as if a product didn’t sell well. We doubted ourselves, but persistence is key and the rewards outweigh the negatives!
What has been your most successful designs and why do you think that one specifically did so well?
We’d have to say either the 2017/18 Halloween release or the 2017 Not Alone release. Our Halloween designs sold out within 24 hours for the last 2 years which was so awesome! Halloween is our favourite season so we really get to have some fun with the releases for these.
Our 2017 Not Alone design was the first tee we had made for a cause really close to our hearts. To have these tees sell out so quickly and help to not only raise awareness for mental health illnesses but also raise money for two amazing charities help people with mental health illnesses, really was special.
Knowing that we were helping to do something good. Possibly to help change someone’s life in a positive way is a feeling we’ll never get over.
Where do you think the trends are heading in 2019?
At the minute, it seems that ‘tattoo inspired’ clothing is the current trend, but we want to try and break free from that mould and create designs that are timeless, not just in line with another trend. If we keep creating designs for things that we love, then we know we can have something different to every other company.
How do you make the most of social media for your brand?
Social media was the key component in getting our brand off the ground and getting our name out there. Instagram was really the platform that helped kick start our brand and is the place where we have most of our followers.
However, with the way that Facebook and Instagram have changed. It’s become a lot harder for us to continue to grow our Lost Ghosts family in the way that we had hoped.
We know that we are not the only small business that is struggling with the change, and it’s really upsetting to see many businesses have to shut down because they can no longer compete with the new algorithm.
We can only hope that Facebook/Instagram will take note and make a change to help small businesses not be lost in the algorithm and help to support these independent companies in a better way. For now, we will just continue what we’re doing and hope that word of mouth will help us too!
Are there any other brands that you would recommend our readers to check out for inspiration?
We’re big fans of Johnny Cupcakes and MNWKA from the USA as they’re both so unique. We also think what Stay Close is doing is really cool. Like us, they’re real animal people and are bringing out stuff that’s different from everyone else!
Any motivational words for potential clothing line owners?
Don’t copy what your favourite brands are doing! Take inspiration, but use that for that only – to inspire, and not to just take their idea but make it different.
There are hundreds of clothing brands on social media now that all look the same. It’s easy to jump on that bandwagon. Think that because everyone else is doing it if you do it your designs will sell too, but it’s not the case.
Create a vision for your brand first; Do you have a vision for the end product? What do you want to achieve? What are you passionate about? If you put your passion into creating your designs, you’ll make your best work!
Where can our readers go to buy your clothes?
We sell all of our products on our online store: www.lostghostsclothing.com
You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you sign up to our newsletter via our website. You’ll be emailed a discount code to use on your next order to as a thank you! We look forward to having you join our family soon!