Sweet! It’s the T-shirt that comes with candy
8:49am Thursday 7th August 2008
THERE is quite a gap in the market for men’s clothes in Worcester – while women are spoilt for choice with loads of High Street and independent shops selling some great items.
But if you look hard enough there are some really good shops about that do have some excellent pieces for men. So don’t give up the search just yet – venture further afield. There are so many T-shirt designs for men at the moment it’s easy to find one that suits you which isn’t only unique, but also pretty cool.
Former Hereford College of Arts student Tom Bennett is trying to get his foot in the door of this niche market and seems to be doing quite well.
Tom has recently launched his own clothing line called Pandy Cane which he hopes will cross the borders of music and fashion, and build a strong brand in the process.
After leaving college last summer, having completed a National Diploma in music practice, he went on to study music management, branding and promotion at Buckinghamshire New University.
He is running the business from his bedroom at university and doing all his trading and advertising online – and every order he sends out is packaged in a specially printed pizza box, full of free sweets. The idea came to him last summer when he went to Chicago to work for Victory Records on a placement. He went into a sweet shop and saw some sweets shaped like pandas – the rest is history.
While this is mainly a fashion venture, Tom plans to keep his hand in the music business by sponsoring new bands.
And he has already started by sponsoring new Hereford hopefuls Rupert and the Robbers. They will be going on a tour of university venues during their freshers weeks, and Tom will be going with them, trying to drum up some interest in Pandy Cane.
To keep in with the panda theme, Tom has also adopted a real one from the World Wildlife Fund, named Zhu Xiong – and 10 per cent of all money raised from his clothing sales will go to the panda.
For more details about his shirts, visit pandycane.co.uk
What we’re lovin’ 1. Worcester Festival, showcasing the county’s best talent 2. The beer and perry festival returning after being cancelled last year because of the floods 3. Brightly coloured clothes 4. Tasting the new lemon melon 5. An great weekend at the Big Chill What we’re hating 1. Getting back to reality when the festival’s over 2. The weather – it’s August and still grey and raining 3. Having to think about wearing winter clothes again 4. Big Brother – wearing thin now 5. Bad tan lines