ICT and Media

Rebus Collective

Overview
Having sailed the seas for over five years, Cambridge
born Hamish Barron returned to Cornwall with an
entrepreneurial idea. While away he was exposed to
many different cultures and influences and wanted
to find a way to bring these alive. Teaming up with
old friend Tom Sutcliffe, a designer and artist, Rebus
Collective was born.
The name "Rebus" (a representation of a phrase or
word using symbols and pictures) - is Tom's street
artist name ("Tag"). Rebus Collective is a new clothing
brand aimed at the youth market and influenced
by street culture using typography and graphic design.
The new clothing range initially is made up of t-shirts
and sweatshirts featuring the unique designs of cofounder
Tom.
Hamish recalls "Travelling around the world I was
introduced to many different art forms and it gave
me an alternative outlook on life. When I returned to
Cornwall, I knew I wanted to do something that kept me
in the county I had grown to love. I feel Cornwall has its
own unique culture which we also wanted to tap into
and illustrate through our designs."
Tom is an artist at heart and has exhibited and sold
work in Cornwall for the last five years. Having studied
History of European Fine Art in Italy, he incorporates
some of this learning in his designs.
Rebus Collective has adopted the slogan "A natural
progression". Hamish explains "the slogan could mean
many things to different people, but for us it reflects
the history of our friendship and also represents the
organic sustainable series which we are planning for
later in theOverview
Having sailed the seas for over five years, Cambridge
born Hamish Barron returned to Cornwall with an
entrepreneurial idea. While away he was exposed to
many different cultures and influences and wanted
to find a way to bring these alive. Teaming up with
old friend Tom Sutcliffe, a designer and artist, Rebus
Collective was born.
The name "Rebus" (a representation of a phrase or
word using symbols and pictures) - is Tom's street
artist name ("Tag"). Rebus Collective is a new clothing
brand aimed at the youth market and influenced
by street culture using typography and graphic design.
The new clothing range initially is made up of t-shirts
and sweatshirts featuring the unique designs of cofounder
Tom.
Hamish recalls "Travelling around the world I was
introduced to many different art forms and it gave
me an alternative outlook on life. When I returned to
Cornwall, I knew I wanted to do something that kept me
in the county I had grown to love. I feel Cornwall has its
own unique culture which we also wanted to tap into
and illustrate through our designs."
Tom is an artist at heart and has exhibited and sold
work in Cornwall for the last five years. Having studied
History of European Fine Art in Italy, he incorporates
some of this learning in his designs.
Rebus Collective has adopted the slogan "A natural
progression". Hamish explains "the slogan could mean
many things to different people, but for us it reflects
the history of our friendship and also represents the
organic sustainable series which we are planning for
later in the year. We started out in a band together and
then experimented with street art, so the interaction
between music and art is important to us and strongly
influences the Rebus Collective design."
Tom adds "Cornwall is the ideal location to launch the
business. It has such a strong creative community and
we wanted our designs to also illustrate the vibrant
environment in Cornwall. I am really excited about identifying
new talent and creating original and distinctive
brands." Hamish chose Cornwall as Rebus Collective's
location as he sees the county as 'inspirational'. "There
is no where else in the UK I would rather be".

Clients
Despite the business only starting in January, stockists
to date, include in Cornwall: Force Majeure at Discovery
Quay, Falmouth and West Coast, St Ives; and Fish
Boy, Penzance. Other stockists in the UK include: My
Yard (Bs8), Bristol and Unify, Cambridge. The Rebus
Collective range was also showcased at the London
Fashion Show.

Employees
Rebus Collective has ambitious plans for growth, with
hopes to discover and support untapped talent within
the South West. Hamish added, "Starting a business
was not our only motivation, but we also wanted to put
something back into the local community. We hope that
eventually we will be stocking designs from multiple
artists and designers, providing a varied clothing range
for our customers while supporting local artists"

Technology
Long term, Rebus Collective is looking at how to
develop an environmentally sustainable product as part
of its commitment to the environment.

Support
Rebus Collective has been supported by Cornwall
Pure Business which has assisted with marketing it's
arrival to Cornwall and also putting the business in
touch with key contacts from suppliers to business
networks. "Working with Cornwall Pure Business has
been invaluable, as starting a business is such a busy
time and we have needed to hit the ground running,
so being put in touch with the right contacts has been
really important year." We started out in a band together and
then experimented with street art, so the interaction
between music and art is important to us and strongly
influences the Rebus Collective design."
Tom adds "Cornwall is the ideal location to launch the
business. It has such a strong creative community and
we wanted our designs to also illustrate the vibrant
environment in Cornwall. I am really excited about identifying
new talent and creating original and distinctive
brands." Hamish chose Cornwall as Rebus Collective's
location as he sees the county as 'inspirational'. "There
is no where else in the UK I would rather be".

Further Information

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