Jameson Carter: The Manc streetwear brand that kept its cool in a pandemic
Not even a pandemic could slow down Jameson Carter. This Manc streetwear brand has flourished more than any other local clothing line in recent history.
The founders of Jameson Carter know how fast things can change.
In February, the three childhood friends were all over Manchester news trying to make sense of their rapid rise through the fashion world.
Local media had picked up on their incredible three-year story – which had seen their streetwear move from pokey bedroom surroundings into holiday homes on peak-time reality TV shows and adverts starring Premier League footballers.
At the turn of 2020, the name Jameson Carter was everywhere. The brand had gone from obscure to in-vogue in the blink of an eye.
But then came March. And with it, more sudden change.
News had surfaced that the virus moving into Britain was actually a pretty big deal, and within days the entire country took cover indoors.
Shops shuttered-up. Staff scooped up their belongings and hastily set up makeshift work stations at home. Business owners scrambled to readjust their service offerings and create new revenue streams to keep their heads above water.
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It was a commotion the likes of which we’d never seen before. But through it all, Jameson Carter took inspiration from its own streetwear: It kept its cool.
As it turned out, this proved to be the best possible move.
The fashion brand, still fresh in everyone’s minds from all that promotion in February, began to enjoy an uptick in traffic as people stuck at home found more time to shop.
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All of a sudden, Jameson Carter was enjoying more interest than ever before.
“Lockdown has gave us 100 percent growth online as people had more money to shop,” explains co-founder Craig.
“They couldn’t go out and spend it on a night out or in restaurants. They froze their mortgages and bills but many were still getting paid – so they had spare cash they didn’t have before.
“Lockdown played out to be a positive thing for us in the end.”
Sales boomed to the point where the brand was tipped to turn over millions by 2021.
Not many businesses enjoy that kind of success in a recession, but this lockdown prosperity is a demonstration of Jameson Carter’s habit of repeatedly defying expectations.
The odds were stacked against the brand right from the beginning – but they’ve continued to beat them ever since.
When Jameson Carter launched in 2017, for example, all the business had was £3,000 and a handful of caps in stock.
But opportunity knocked when co-founder Mike revealed his brother had been booked into ITV’s Love Island programme.
They convinced him to take a cap into the villa and wear it by the pool.
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It was a stroke of genius.
The Jameson Carter name was subsequently seen by millions – and demand poured in.
It should have been a one-off, crazy flash-in-the-pan slice of good fortune. But somehow, Jameson Carter continued to find new ways to get their products out there.
Their clothing started appearing on other reality TV shows like The Only Way Is Essex, before deals were struck with Foot Asylum and JD Sports – which culminated in Wilfried Zaha donning the Jameson Carter threads for a Christmas advert.
A snowball effect ensued, and according to co-owner Craig there’s more exciting discussions taking place with other huge brands behind the scenes as we speak.
“We also are about to sign a deal for this month with a new potential big name,” he confirms.
“All will be revealed soon.”
The guys at Jameson Carter certainly know how to tap into popular culture and engage with the top brands.
But customers also keep coming back because these products ooze quality – whilst being sold with reasonable price tags attached.
Craig says the brand is committed to offering ‘affordable luxury’ – giving people the chance to get their hands on great-looking garments without buyer’s remorse or an empty bank account.
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But out of all the words you could use to characterise Jameson Carter, Craig has cited ‘longevity’ as perhaps the most important.
Not only does ‘longevity’ describe the products; it’s a word that ties into the wider brand philosophy at Jameson Carter.
They’ve got ambitious plans to be a long-term player in the fashion world.
“We knew the long-term game was to make the brand cleaner and have a premium look using quality fabrics – but offering it to people for an affordable price,” says Craig.
“For the future, we plan on taking the brand to America and breaking into international countries.
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“[We also want to] grow the women’s collection and break into footwear.”
Not even a pandemic could slow down Jameson Carter.
Just think what they might be able to achieve when the world opens back up again.
Learn more about Jameson Carter via their website.
You can get 20% off everything by entering the code JCMANC at the checkout.
Drama Call opening first-ever flagship shop in Manchester
Danny Jones
Streetwear superstars Drama Call are opening their new flagship store and first-ever permanent site in Manchester city centre this weekend.
Expect massive queues and lots turning up wearing the increasingly recognisable starry logo.
Already a much-loved brand not just here in 0161 but across the nation at large, the native independent business turned street-style favourites and UK fashion phenomenon are no strangers to HUGE pop-ups in their hometown.
However, they’ve never had a mainstay location anywhere in the country, let alone Greater Manchester – well, until now, that is…
Credit: Press shots (supplied)
Debuting in the Northern Quarter this Sunday, the venue located on Tib Street will effectively serve as Drama Call‘s new HQ.
The local label has done everything from popping up vans with Manc rapper Aitch to collaborating with Man United for multiple limited edition collections, so it only felt like a matter of time before they’d make a big brick-and-mortar splash in our fair city.
Most notably, they’re also taking over the same unit as the Sheep Shop, a former skate shop and legendary urban clothing tastemaker of the 90s; they were one of the first places in Britain to stock famous names like Stüssy, Supreme, Carhartt, The North Face and many more.
With that in mind, it feels only fitting that they carry on the trendsetting tradition from the same premises, and just spitting distance from the likes of Note, as well.
And that’s not all, either: before the full launch, they’ll also be holding an exclusive cash-only shirt swap event, where a limited number of certain collector’s items will be sold for as little as £10.
Other things to note are the additions of signed vinyls by homegrown artists such as the aforementioned Aitch and even The Smiths.
In fact, the store will also feature strictly Mancunian exclusives, too.
Everything from polo shirts and tees to branded mugs, matchboxes and other accessories will be available in-store only.
NQ is bound to be buzzing across launch weekend, with doors officially opening to the public on Sunday, and we wouldn’t be surprised if you see people camping outside the front well ahead of time.
What a moment the Manc shopping scene is having right now.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Pear)
Style
Keo play Projekts: garage and grunge revivalists crush Manchester skatepark for new music video
Danny Jones
This past Thursday evening, fast-rising rock band Keo took over Projekts MCR skatepark for a special pop-up gig and to film a brand-new music video for their latest single, ‘Pistol’, starring some of their biggest fans here in Manchester.
In fact, it didn’t take long for us to suss out that plenty of them had flocked from far and wide to be there, and let’s say we’re sure they’ll say it was worth the journey.
We caught Keo’s well-attended festival set inside the Woodlands at Kendal Calling 2025, not to mention their completely sold-out show at the O2 Ritz back in March – their biggest headline date up to that point – and we’re more certain than ever that they’re going to be absolutely massive.
And if they keep up doing more memorable stuff like this, it’s just a matter of how soon…
Packing out Projekts to the point that people were literally hanging off fences and standing on electrical boxes at the side of the street to try and get a peek at the post-punk, grunge and garage rockers, some of their most enthusiastic young fans had been waiting outside the location as early as noon.
For context, doors opened six hours later, and the boys didn’t come on until 7:30pm.
Those who signed up to Keo‘s mailing list were sent information regarding securing a spot at the one-off performance earlier this month.
While you would have seen the place fill up even if they were just standard concert tickets, the fact that the band were taping the whole thing to use as the visuals for their newest single, as mentioned, meant that Keo’s avid followers were literally clamouring AND clambering to get the best view position possible.
Turning the popular skaters’ hub’s central bowl into a makeshift stage, with lights, camera, booms and various crew surrounding the entire venue, it was a surreal experience to say the least.
And, of course, they were absolutely brilliant – just as they were at the Ritz at the start of the year and Kendal before that, playing a short but sweet set that left everyone wanting more and choruses of punters chanting Keo long after the final song.
We can’t wait to see how the video itself turns out, especially seeing how much the people who wrapped around them and the skatepark were lost in the moment, and we’re also looking forward to them headlining Neighbourhood Fest in Manchester city centre this October.
You can grab a ticket to see them and the rest of the NBHD lineup right HERE, but until then, give the full studio version of ‘Pistol’ a play and get ready for their debut album.
The Manc -
30th October 2020 
