A short introduction about the inception of TIP.
A brand is the sum of how a product or business is perceived by those who experience it, including the name, design, logo, activity, creations and behaviour that distinguishes ones work from others. But when you are young and throwing yourself into a new pursuit you aren’t thinking about the definitions or meanings or restrictions. You are creating work with total freedom and acknowledging that mistakes now, are only lessons to learn from moving forward. When I spent my summer break distressing denim jeans and ordering sample blanks from gildan, Hanes and fruit of the loom I called whatever it was and whatever it would become TROUBLE IN PARADISE. Originally, HIGH MINDED until I realised that an inactive account on social media had claimed that title, not to worry.
My early inspiration can be attributed to times spent at the local skatepark, observing the loud, brand heavy graphic tees and hoodies of DC, QuickSilver, Santa Cruz and Supreme to name a few. They would be worn to death, oversized, washed out but loved items. In my mind the boxy and heavier fabrics achieved a unique blend of permeability and ease of care, an important value in what I wanted to see in my own work.
The first pieces developed were simple screen printed garments and distressed denim jeans. Labelled with the acronym TIP.LDN (TROUBLE IN PARADISE LONDON). These were sold and hand delivered in unbranded mailing bags within my social circle, and after gaining the attention of a local independent streetwear store I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to host a one day pop up retail experience. I further developed the initial collection to total eight pieces and the in store event was a huge motivator for me to continue this work achieving the highest gross one day sales for the shop since its opening.
I understood then, that to further develop the brand would not be the result of one persons effort but the joint efforts of a team. For the next six months I enlisted the help of two close friends of mine Ed and Ryan who later went on to form the beginnings of the company's core team members. We all came from different backgrounds, had different strengths and weaknesses, and this helped produce increasingly complex designs. Our second collection would now encompass garments, accessories, and a complete rebrand from the original name TROUBLE IN PARADISE to THIS ISNT PERSONAL, continuing the use of the acronym TIP but leaving behind the association to London (LDN) in an effort to distance ourselves from the oversaturated streetwear scene at the time. Following the rebrand we hosted our second retail experience for our second collection, supported by our first branded social occasion. It was at this point, with some experience behind us and fresh opportunities on the horizon we made the decision to collectively develop the brand.
