simple. panda: Clothing that Embraces the Beauty of Simplicity

Too much of our lives is driven by social media and the need to look perfect all the time.

I don’t know about you, but it feels that every time I open my phone there is a new product or item of clothing you ‘have’ to buy (or otherwise face not being ‘trendy’ enough!).

I’ll admit, I haven’t posted a picture many of times before thinking that I didn’t look good enough because of what I was wearing (and I often find myself comparing my wardrobe to those online when doomscrolling!).

But what happened to using social media as a platform to express who you are and celebrate your identity? Whether you love to upcycle your clothes, keep it simple, or throw patterns together, social media should feel like a place where you can shout about being you and connect with likeminded individuals to make a difference (and not worry about the brands that make up your outfit!).

I recently discovered a growing clothing brand that is helping bring the fashion industry back to its roots by celebrating the beauty of simplicity: simple. panda.

Their day-to-day leisurewear features the name of what you’re wearing, on what you’re wearing – allowing us to take a break from our obsession over brands and celebrate the individual.

When did simple. panda begin (and what was the inspiration behind this)?

Simple. panda was an idea that I had over 10 years ago as I always thought the idea of garments that had their name on it, or named themselves, was hilarious. Also, if done properly, the garments could look really smart and fit in with the likes of big named brands.

I am not really into fashion and always wore plainish clothes so the concept of a t-shirt having just t-shirt on it removes all need to worry about what to fetch from the wardrobe!

When I met Luke, we often discussed business ideas like all friends do, but it wasn't until last year we kind of got serious about some kind of enterprise and he fully supported me in giving this a go.

Once we had landed on the idea, we moved quickly - and by June last year we had registered with Companies House, bought the domains, started designing concepts and finding potential suppliers.

We were fortunate that our supplier, who is based in Great Yarmouth, allowed us to go and see them and explain what we were looking for, explore samples and get some products to look at.

By August, we had set up our socials, the website and had the products ready to go - so we launched!

What products do you offer?

At the moment, we have a wide range of colours of t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies.

The t-shirt is a heavyweight, oversized and relaxed fit which feels premium.

The sweatshirt is that perfect snug, soft and cosy garment that you want to reach for when getting comfy on the sofa or smarten up when you head out.

Our hoodie has some great features, such as the soft fleeced lining, metal tipped drawstrings and the incredibly popular waffle knit hood.

However, we are excited to be releasing some new garments coming soon that our wonderful embarrassment had requested.

What was the inspiration behind the name (and how does it capture the identity of the brand)?

The idea behind it is 'simple', because that is in essence what we do, simple designed clothes.

Now although they are simply designed does not mean by any stretch they are simple in quality, far from it.

We ensured and took pride in knowing that all our garments are thoroughly thought through and whatever we sell, we would wear ourselves.

The 'panda' is due to my mild obsession with the fun and fluffy animal! They are playful, silly, fun and encapsulate everything we are as people - which we wanted to put into our brand.

A group of pandas is called an embarrassment and we love it knowing that people who join are like us who aren’t embarrassed of being an embarrassment.

What was the biggest challenge you faced when launching the business (and how did you overcome this)?

When starting a business, everything is daunting. Without sounding too cliche, the biggest challenge is often just having the confidence and determination to just begin!

However, we have been extremely lucky and fortunate to have such an incredible network of people around us who have supported us in many ways which has allowed us to get to where we are today. We’ve learnt a lot ourselves, such as making TikToks and working the backend of Shopify - but a lot of it just comes with trying, making mistakes and learning from it.

Our world seems to be driven by social media, which can make many of us compare our lives to those that always look ‘perfect’ and ‘have it all’. How does simple. panda help combat this expectation that we need to be wearing designer/ expensive clothes to be ‘liked’?

Really great question and something I think we stumbled upon without almost realising in a way.

It’s a shame that in this day and age we still sometimes see people judged on what they are wearing and the potential cost of an outfit reflecting their status, when in reality it makes absolutely no difference at all.

You can of course wear that t-shirt with a certain logo on it or that jacket that has a certain badge everyone tries to get in (you know the brand I am on about), but we are just offering an alternative - where you simply don’t care.

We offer great quality clothes, likely the same (or arguably better!) than these big named brands but don’t feel the need to tell everyone who we are.

We put the garment's name on it and that’s that. We believe you should judge the person on who they are, not what they are wearing.

How important have the relationships you have created with local businesses been to simple. panda (suppliers, branding, etc)?

We are incredibly grateful for the support we have received from our local network, whether that is from aiding our ad accounts, helping us connect with people or finding ways of getting into new places.

I believe that Norfolk businesses almost have an unwritten rule about helping one another, as we have such a collective spirit and desire to see each other do well and be successful, which so far, we can attest to!

Because we are people people, forging relationships is imperative. We believe in success and growth and one thing we are keen on is giving back to other Norfolk businesses in any way we can. If we can pop up at your shop, eat at your restaurant or have a go of your activity, we will!

We also are a charity partner for the wwf-uk via WorkForGood, which allows us to donate to the charity which provides such outstanding conservation efforts for the endangered animals in the world.

What do you love most about the community you have created, ‘Join the Embarrassment’ (and how important is this message in a world that seems to be so serious/ negative most of the time)?

Times are tough, anywhere you look it seems to be doom and gloom which for even the brightest and happiest of us can start to take its toll.

This is where we come in, providing that slice of joy that’s good for your soul and reminds you it’s not all bad.

We love fun, we want people who love fun and who are up for having fun, together. What better place to do it then in an embarrassment where no one cares!

Often people work long hours and feel like they have no respite, but if you can have us pop up on your feeds and give you a smile then for us, that is worth its weight in pandas (which is heavy!).

What has been key to your growth so far?

A lot of our growth has come from our own passion in what we are doing.

Running a business alongside working full time is hard, as it is easy to just let things slip or say ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ - but that doesn’t get you anywhere.

Creating content, thinking of new ways of getting yourself out there and forging new relationships both partner wise and customer wise is the main motivation, as they are the real driving force behind our momentum.

But luckily because I love everything about what we are creating here at simple. panda - it never feels like work.

What do you love most about being part of the community at Black Barn Farm (and what impact has this move had on your business)?

The community aspect of Black Barn Farm is just incredible. The warmth, care and actual interest that they all provide just makes it a joy to be at.

For any small business, having the backing of others who are always looking to promote and champion you is exactly what you need when you first start.

For us, having a physical location for our clothes to be is just so important.

We wanted to be able to provide the opportunity for current and new customers to come visit us, see the quality of our garments for themselves and feel confident in what they are buying.

We have also used it as an opportunity to engage more with people who are either interested, seen us on ads or just wanted to see what the embarrassment is all about!

What do you hope to achieve this year?

We would love to see the brand and embarrassment continue to grow and reach more and more people.

We are currently targeting Norfolk and Suffolk primarily first before looking to expand to the rest of the nation.

It would be great to be able to walk around Norwich and see people wearing our clothes in the street - that would feel surreal.

To keep up to date with the brilliant work of simple. panda, you can head to their Instagram (@simple.pandauk)!