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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 co-founder 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."

Further Information

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