Urban fashion label celebrates successful first year
Urban fashion label celebrates successful first year
Keman Allen owner of Council Royalty, the urban clothing line, is celebrating a successful first year of trading by being appointed a Northwest Enterprise Ambassador for Enterprise UK.
Council Royalty is an urban clothing label which designs screen printed men’s and women’s t-shirts, vest and hoodies all available through an online store. Launched on a shoe string budget in November 2009, the designs are inspired by diverse people and city life. It operates as an ethical and carbon neutral business and only uses materials and suppliers signed up to the Fair Wear Foundation. Also, the clothing line has recently been awarded business of the month by Sage Pay, the internet payment provider, for its ethical practice and innovative urban designs.
25-year-old Keman Allen is the entrepreneurial driving force behind the business and is originally from Birmingham.
“Growing up I had no aspirations or goals in life,” he said “I got bullied at school and begin skipping lessons, which resulted in me achieving bad grades in school. However, I attended a talk from someone in the travel and tourism industry which really inspired me to see the value in hard week. I later went on to university and began working for the National Express.”
Long hours and little job satisfaction drew Keman to think about setting up his own business. He had always been passionate about fashion and wanted to explore launching a clothing line, so he contacted Blue Orchid business support agency for advice.
“I searched on the internet for business support and contacted Blue Orchid.” he said. “I was given a business advisor and attended several free sessions about exploring enterprise, sales and marketing and developing your business plan. Also, my advisor gave me advice specific to my sector such as customer rights, search engine optimisation and online selling.”
Keman’s support was delivered though the ISUS programme, in which Blue Orchid is the contracted provider for Wigan. It is provided by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). ISUS is part of Solutions for Business, the Government's package of publicly funded business support designed to help companies start and grow. The programme is funded by the NWDA, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Wigan Council.
Keman, said: “I came up with the name Council Royalty as a nod to my background. It doesn’t matter where you are from as long as you work hard you can achieve anything. I now work as an advocate in the community using my experiences to help young people begin their own journeys in life. Becoming part of Enterprise UK will allow me to reach a wider audience of young people and hopefully inspire them to set up in business. ”
For more information about Council Royalty visit its website on www.councilroyalty.com or email info@councilroyalty.co.uk
