British kidswear brand Scamp & Dude’s fast track to success

London - In just over two years since its launch, Scamp & Dude has become one of the most talked about and fastest growing labels in the childrenswear sector. At the end of last year, the British brand opened its first bricks and mortar store in Highgate Village in London, the culmination of an eventful 12 months for the company, which has become famous for quirky, cool and colourful clothes with its signature leopard and lightning bolt print and powerful slogan “A superhero has my back”.

Since its launch in 2016, Scamp & Dude has become an overnight success as well as Instagram sensation, with 91 500 followers to date - not bad for a small indie label - and a fanbase of celebrity supporters including Robbie Williams, Giovanna Fletcher, Billie Piper and more, as well as a raft of high-profile ‘Mummy’ influencers to match. It was this very Instagram community that had Scamp & Dude’s back last year when high street giants Asda and Next copied the brand’s signature designs, which ended in a legal settlement in November. The Instagram community called out Asda and Next and rallied around founder Jo Tutchener-Sharp in support of her label. It was the David vs Goliath battle of the fashion world – thankfully with a happy ending for Scamp & Dude.

“It was awful, when you first see the offending product and that someone had so blatantly copied your designs, it’s the biggest slap in the face,” says Tutchener-Sharp to FashionUnited. “I think it’s so embarrassing for our industry that brands allow this to happen, it shows a complete lack of respect. It isn’t only big brands who sail too close to the wind though, there was a small label recently who has clearly been heavily inspired by my brand. It’s so upsetting when it happens. But I’m so lucky that when it comes to our Instagram community, our supporters are so loyal and vocal, there’s so much support for small businesses on Instagram and I’m so unbelievably grateful.”

It was a life-changing experience that inspired Tutchener-Sharp to launch her label. She founded Scamp & Dude in 2016 after she suffered a brain haemorrhage and had to undergo brain surgery, fearing that she may never see her two boys, Sonny and Jude - who were 1 and 3 years old at the time - again. While recovering from the operation during an extended hospital stay and missing her children, she came up with the concept for Scamp & Dude, which is based on the idea that a superhero is watching the wearer at all times. Named after her two son’s nicknames, ‘Scamp’ and ‘Dude’, the range consists of superhero inspired sweatshirts, leggings and T-shirts, shorts, hoodies, jackets, scarves and bags, some featuring the brand’s signature leopard print with lightning bolts or little super heroes including Super Dino and Super Bunny, as well as a growing range of adult styles. The ‘superhero has my back’ slogan always features in some form, whether that’s running along the inner neck ribbon, written on the back of the sweatshirts / t-shirts, or simply on the underside of the label, and a neon pink lightning bolt is embroidered on every garment. “This is our ‘superpower button’ which kids can press when they need a burst of superpowers. The slogan and our superpower button are part of everything we do,” says Tutchener-Sharp. “I found it so hard being away from my children for so long and wished I could have given them a superhero to watch over them while we were apart. It was this that inspired me to create a brand that provides kids with an extra sense of security when apart from their loved ones. My slogan ‘A superhero has my back’ reminds kids that someone is watching over them at all times, even when they can’t see you, and our Superpower button gives kids (and grown-ups!) a burst of superpowers when they need it most,” says Tutchener-Sharp.

The range also includes special comforters, the Superhero Sleep Buddies, a cushion with a little pocket at the back to hold a photograph of someone kids want to keep close. The brand donates one comforter for every one sold to vulnerable children who have either lost a parent or are seriously ill themselves. It also recently launched its Super Scarves, fronted by actress Billie Piper, donating one of its leopard and lightning bolt scarves to women in need, whether it’s a mother of a very sick child or sick herself, for everyone sold.

It’s the mix of the brand’s distinct, fun and bold designs and high-quality materials combined with its strong ethos and social responsibility which has made Scamp & Dude so popular so quickly and resonates with so many people. “I had no idea that Scamp & Dude would touch so many people. The bond between a mother and child is like nothing else, and the emotion that comes with being a parent is so powerful, parents relate to the story behind Scamp & Dude and love the idea of a Superhero watching over their child,” says Tutchener-Sharp, who gave up her career as PR Director to launch the label.

Her PR background has no doubt helped in putting the brand on the map, but social media have equally been key in creating and maintain the continued hype around the label. “My experience in PR was the best training for starting my own brand, it all came very naturally. Also, the network I’d built during my long PR career has been integral, too,” she says. “But social media have also played a huge part in our success. I’ve had such amazing support on Instagram from customers, influencers, press and celebrities who know we are a brand with a big heart and want to support us.”

Scamp & Dude’s primary distribution channel is its e-commerce site, accounting for 90 per cent of the business, alongside a hand-picked portfolio of stockists, including high-profile key accounts such as Liberty, Harrods and Selfridges and independent boutiques such as Indi & Will in Scotland and Our Kid in Manchester, in addition to private member’s club Soho Farmhouse, which also stocks the range. The new store, which opened just in time for Christmas, rings in the next phase in the brand’s development, selling its kids and adult ranges, as well as Anya Hindmarch candles.

“The reason I opened a shop is because our team is growing and we needed an office space. The shop became available and had a workspace below it, so it made so much sense. It’s nice to have a creative base where we can work from as a team. I took part in a pop-up shop with Instagram in the summer and absolutely loved meeting our customers. I realised how much consumers still like to visit an actual store, touch the products and meet you face to face, so I decided to take the leap and open our own store. So far it has exceeded our expectations,” says Tutchener-Sharp.

Scamp & Dude's sights are set on expansion

This year the emphasis will be on further wholesale expansion across new markets – the US being one key target territory - though Tutchener-Sharp is in no hurry to export and instead is keen to grow organically and in a strategic fashion. “I do want to launch into other markets, but one country at a time. I want to do it properly. It’s so important that I can give it the focus and time it requires to be present at launch and communicate the story behind the brand to maximise on the opportunity. I don’t want to end up stocked everywhere around the world but no one really knows what we are about or what we are trying to do. The ethos of our brand is so important that it has to be communicated correctly,” she says.

For now, Tutchener-Sharp vows to stick to what the brand does best, namely creating quirky and fun designs that appeal to kids and adults alike and giving back to the causes that are close to her heart. One key initiative last year was a collaboration with five of the biggest names in the beauty industry – Sali Hughes, Sam Chapman, Ruth Crilly, Ruby Hammer and Caroline Hirons – to create a limited-edition collection of Swag Bags, a campaign that raised over 36000 Pounds for chosen charity partners, and this is set to continue, with more collaborations set to be revealed in due course - sounds like 2019 will be another milestone year in the development of Scamp & Dude.

Photos courtesy of the brand