In a climate synonymous with waste, commercialism and excess, Sam Nowell of Sam Nowell Studios does right by both the fashion community and the environment. He recycles anything and everything he can get his hands on, whether it be dusty old curtains from a charity shop or a scavenged pile of beer mats. With steady hands and quick wit, he repurposes these various materials into trendy, wearable clothing pieces that without a doubt stand out from the crowd. His clever mind allows him to take the most unique materials, like beach towels and tote bags, and turn them into sustainable fashion.
Sam graduated from the University of Liverpool with an architecture degree, but shifted gears and decided to pursue a career within the fashion industry. Sam started out casually doodling fashion sketches in the back of his university classes, which evolved itself into screen printing t-shirts and testing out his knack for creating garments. As a means of taking his newly acquired skills one step further, he pieced together his first ever DIY pullover with screen printed elements six months ago. From there, he decided to throw caution into the wind and commit himself to fashion full-time. Thus, Sam Nowell Studios was born.
Since then, he has rapidly risen the ranks to cult Depop fame, and has accumulated 13.6k followers on his Depop and Instagram combined. He also created a slick website presenting his archived work, and has collaborated with companies like Wimbledon, Selfridges, TATE and Depop. His social media biographies read: “Documentation Of My Trials And Tribulations,” which embodies his hardworking and ambitious spirit to seize every project he can and make the best of it.
In an oversaturated market, Sam is one of many rising designers making custom reworked clothing. However, he’s managed to make a name for himself due to the tongue-in-cheek nature of his work. His sneaky and intuitive use of materials reference themes which more often than not poke fun at UK culture. One such example would be the ‘Abbey Road’ trousers made of a Beatles tapestry, a sly dig at it being a quintessential name in British-born music. Every piece he makes is unique and 1-of-1, making shoppers of Sam Nowell Studios pleased to know their purchase encompasses its own history and story.
SHEESH! had the pleasure of speaking to Sam about how he fell in love with creating 1-of-1s, and uncovered his ideas and thoughts behind certain projects. As an accomplished young designer with a success story still in the making, he also offers pearls of wisdom to aspiring artists.
SHEESH: You studied architecture at Liverpool. How did you go from architecture to fashion? Where did you learn to make these garments?
SAM: “When it gets down to it, architecture and fashion are quite related really. They’re well linked in terms of the approach to the process and design. You follow the same process of coming up with an idea, developing it, changing it, and doing that all time, and you eventually find the final solution whether that be a building or a garment. It’s not as if it’s maths and clothes. It’s still sort of this art process, and the skills that you learn you could apply to clothes definitely. I found it quite boring really, designing houses, and it was quite restrictive. I wanted something that I could do quickly with my hands and clothes was just that. I also lived in a house when I was at university with 7 other people who all did architecture, but they all had their own sort of creative things happening. We all had architecture in common but we had different creative outlets that we enjoyed doing. So I think it was easy in that sort of environment of people doing these creative things to push your own stuff.
In terms of learning how to sew, it was pretty much self-taught. I had a friend who helped teach me. And I think going to university you wanna try to be as individual as you can and really push being your own person. I came from a little village in the north-west, and when you go to the city you end up seeing and being exposed to lots of different people. The best way to be as individual as you can then is to wear stuff that no one else is wearing. And that’s how it was all born, I’d see clothes that people were wearing on the street and I liked them, and I’d go and make it or mistake something for something else and make what I originally saw.”
SHEESH: I see the precision that goes behind your work and the way you reconstruct clothing can be described as almost architectural. How do you think you marry architecture and fashion, if at all?
SAM: “I’d say I’m a long way off from really marrying the two together, I think I’m just at that point now where I’m using my skills and maybe adopting styles. I think the most exciting thing is looking at architectural drawings and seeing how I can carry that across to my sort of output. I’m working on some lookbooks at the moment and sort of looking at Bernard Tschumi. It’s that sort of thing that sparks ideas for publications and posters. It’s incredible what can be made and how these things influence other sorts of art forms. Finding inspiration from anywhere is great, and it’s great when you have this architectural mind on your shoulders.”
SHEESH: What were your first steps in establishing Sam Nowell Studios once you left university?
“It was being at university and starting by looking at people’s clothing, and knowing that I wanted to make stuff for 4 months before I even made anything. I used to have a sketchbook that was given to us by university, and instead of drawing buildings I’d draw clothes I wanted to make or clothes that I’d think of when I was sat at the back of someone’s architecture crit.
It was then a case of learning things; I didn’t want to jump in without knowing stuff. So I started by just printing t-shirts – I always say t-shirts are the gateway drug into fashion. A lot of people will start there, they’ll create a streetwear brand and then print this logo onto hoodies, t-shirts, track tops, you know… fucking caps, that sort of thing, and people never want to push it any further, they’re very happy to just keep printing. There are limitations with the t-shirt, but I started with screen printing them, then realising that I wanted to learn more. I bought a sewing machine and started going into charity shops and grabbed whatever fabric I could find, whether it be an old towel or a set of curtains, or little beer mats, something like that, and I just bought them because they were cheap. I ended up making stuff out of them and not taking them too seriously, just being like ‘hey, here’s a pair of trousers from a curtain that I got for 3 quid’. I was a student at that time so I couldn’t afford to buy my own fabric, and that’s how I kind of started, by buying stuff that was around me and affordable to me and making stuff out of it. And that’s what developed into the stuff I’m making now, which is strange.”
SHEESH: You definitely managed to stand out with your material choice! So many people are doing these DIYs and customs, but there’s something about how well you craft it that is the art form. Your clothes have a certain theme sometimes like you’re trying to say something – where do you draw inspiration for them?
SAM: “With my 1-of-1 stuff which is everything you see on my Instagram apart from the Wimbledon collection, the inspiration I think comes from architecture stuff or the way someone did something or an architectural idea or style. For example, postmodernism is about making fun of stuff. They’re making libraries and the building will look like a stack of books, it’s fucking hideous but it’s like poking fun; it’s tongue-in-cheek. And that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to add all these little aspects to my work, like the cheeky little details. Like the Marlborough jacket that I made: all the pockets were exact dimensions for a packet of cigarettes. I also made a pair of trousers from a fire blanket and there’s a pocket up at the top that fits a pack of matches in. It’s these kinds of tongue-in-cheek things that I like to play around with and again it allows me to not take things too seriously. In terms of other inspiration, I get a lot of inspiration from Maison Margiela who was very ahead of his time. In the 90s he was just cutting stuff up and making jackets out of old duvets or bags out of leather gloves. It’s that kind of repurposing, kind of poking fun at fashion that I really connect with and love. But Maison Margiela is quite an obvious choice to cite as inspiration. My friends and the people I’m around will sort of suggest stuff or send me things and it’ll set my mind whirring of what I can make.”
SHEESH: My favourite piece by you is the “The Rise & Fall Of Cool Britannia” trench coat. I think it’s such a mock of the UK. What is your favourite piece?
SAM: “I have to say the Wimbledon collection as a whole is really, really special to me because my grandparents brought me and my brother up around tennis. And Wimbledon was always on, from 10am to 9pm at night. So the opportunity to work with Wimbledon and show my grandfather what I’ve created, since he passed away, was really special to me. It’s almost more exciting working as a collection to sort of explore all these different themes – I made these tennis balls with names printed on t-shirts. There’s a lot more work that goes into it but it’s rewarding because you get to show that you can work around a scene. In terms of my favourite piece that’s standalone, it would have to be the ‘Best of Britain’ trench coat because it’s created out of a load of beer mats and Burberry trench coats. It’s kind of playing around with the idea that there are only 2 good things made in Britain: Burberry and beer. So that was really fun getting all these beer mats. I had to go around to pubs in my village and try to scavenge these mats. That’s a big part of it, if you don’t ask you dont get. It’s going and asking and trying to push your luck with stuff. It’s a guerilla approach to things. The shorts that I made from the Southern Rail forms were literally taken off a train. I just walked down the last train at night and took all these first class napkins off every seat. That’s probably not a good thing to shout about but it’s that sort of approach where you’re pushing what you should be doing.”
SHEESH: You mentioned Wimbledon. You’ve done so many collaborations! What was it like holding your own workshop at Depop Selfridges? That must’ve been so exciting.
SAM: “Yeah it was very exciting to do the Selfridges workshop. To have arguably the biggest department store in the UK sort of stock my work that I made in my bedroom was really incredible. Depop has been trying to do stuff with me for a while, but it never worked out the way I wanted it to just because of logistics. The Selfridges thing ended up coming along and I probably wasn’t ready for it, you know, even now if they asked me I wouldn’t be ready for it because I feel like I could give so much more to them.
In 1 month my clothes were in Selfridges and also in the Tate gallery in Liverpool. To have those opportunities to be in the biggest department store and the biggest gallery in the UK was honestly incredible. It was a great experience and probably my favourite throughout all of this. I think I peaked way too early!”
SHEESH: How has lockdown been for you creatively, being stuck inside?
SAM: “This has been a really popular question. There’s a lot of pressure on creative people, there’s a lot of pressure on everyone. Everyone’s had it hard. I think for me personally since January I’ve changed the way I’ve approached things. I don’t want to just churn out these 1-of-1 pieces – I want to make something more substantial. So I’ve been quietly working on a collection which is due to be shown this month actually but it’s all been pushed back, which is frustrating really to sit on stuff and not be able to share it with people. That’s kind of what I’ve been doing so lockdown maybe didn’t affect me as much as it did other people.
I was fortunate enough to be able to keep working and doing stuff and it was pretty much business as usual for me. I made a couple of shorts with my friends out of Burberry towels and the odd piece here and there because I had a little more free time… or it was me kind of silently working on stuff. But it was great to see lots of people take up new hobbies and get creative. I did a talk with Depop and they asked a similar question. I said it’s exciting to see all these different DIY stuff on Depop now that a lot of people have realised, ‘oh I can cut up these old jeans I had in my wardrobe, and I can make them into something new or I can paint on these jeans or paint on this denim jacket’.”
SHEESH: I’m so sad to hear you’re not making any more 1-of-1s! I should’ve gotten my hands on a pair.
SAM: “I mean, there’ll be the odd piece but I think I want to shift into being taken more seriously, if we’re speaking from the heart here, which I am. Things that I make almost have a shock factor, and it’s all ‘wow, these towels! And now they’re shorts!’ and you know anyone can kind of do what I’m doing if you have the pattern for a pair of shorts and you have the towels. And I don’t just want people to think that I’m getting lucky with the fabric that I find and the things that I make. I want to show them that I do have a mind where I can design. And that’s how I see the next steps for me. I’ve constantly grown with my work; I started off with t-shirts and sewing, and now I’m outgrowing these 1-of-1 pieces and I want to take it to the next step which is taking on more work and working on these collections. But the really odd 1-of-1s will be popping up I’m sure, so don’t be too upset!”
SHEESH: Do you have any advice for aspiring designers, people picking up some fabric and scissors?
SAM: “The most important thing is to always keep creating. Whether that’s taking pictures of people on the streets who’s clothes you like the look of, or drawing stuff on the bus or the back of a lecture, or you’re actually making clothes. And keep looking for fabric, go into charity shops and find stuff. Just make sure you’re always doing something and if you have a passion for it it’ll come naturally. As long as you’re always working and pushing yourself and bettering yourself.
And also don’t be too precious, a lot of people are so, so precious. With any creative thing you’re making yourself vulnerable by sharing what you’ve made and that you’re proud of with people that hide behind screens and can easily go ‘oh, that’s shit’. A lot of people are anxious and think, ‘oh I’m not quite sure…’ The stuff I made a year ago I’m not too happy with and if i had the opportunity I probably wouldn’t have posted it, but I think it’s about the process. Don’t wait for things to be right or perfect because they’ll never be, you’ll always be able to find something that isn’t right and you’ll never get anywhere.
So that’s the advice. Those are the 2 key things if you want to push anything. And that’s not even for clothes, it could be any art. Always keep pushing yourself to do new stuff, don’t just print t-shirts and think this is it. I see a lot of these DIY designers, and I hate to compare myself to other people or put other creatives down, but I think a lot of people would find something and then get comfortable with it and just make that over and over again. It’s good to have a USP, it’s good to have your own thing, but you know… push yourself! You never wanna get comfortable and reuse ideas. I’m always conscious to create something completely new and that I’ve never done before. And whether that’s learning a new technique, learning how to do a different zip or a pocket… I’m always kind of looking for the next thing that’s gonna make me learn more. It might not be perfect but I want to do it.”
As Sam Nowell Studio’s website aptly reads: “These Ideas Just Happen To Be Real, And You Could Do It Too, If You Tried”.
Stay in the know of Sam’s new collections by following him on Instagram, and take a look at every piece lovingly handmade by him on his website.
For more unique and sustainable fashion check out Introducing FancyClub: Your New Obsession and EB Denim: The New Face of Sustainable Denim
