SHHHH

In 2008, I was 18 and studying art and design at college. My friends and I were immersed in street culture—creating art, designing graphics, DJing, and making skate films. But we lacked a platform to unify and broadcast our work outside our small town. We needed to create something that connected us to the wider creative world and showcased our skills to a larger audience.

As the founder and creative director, I conceptualized and built SHHHH Collective, a streetwear brand and artist collective that aimed to give emerging artists exposure through clothing collections, exhibitions, and collaborative projects. I wore many hats, from branding and graphic design to event planning and product development.

I started with my own artist tag—SHHHH—which quickly became the identity for a larger group of emerging creatives known as The SHHHH Collective. I pitched our vision at a local ‘Dragon’s Den’-style event and won a start-up grant, which enabled me to focus on building clothing collections and getting products into local stores. The brand was a blend of streetwear, art, and community engagement, all united by a shared ethos of ethical production.

The clothing collections were picked up by national stockists, and SHHHH was sold in prestigious stores like Dogfish, alongside brands like OBEY and Carhartt. We gained a 20k following on social media and collaborated with local artists and creatives on various projects. SHHHH Collective organically evolved into Compendia, a platform better suited to my refined purpose and a broader vision.