Once upon a time... The Story of ThreadPepper
Shopping for men's clothing has always been a trial. Whether you're buying for yourself, or you're their wife or partner trying to get him to dress better, finding decent clothes for a man is anything but enjoyable. In truth, it's a chore, and so for most of us we just don't bother.
That was certainly me a couple of years ago. I was still just wearing the same old stuff I'd had for years, because quite frankly I didn't know what else to wear and where to get it.
I spent hours, sometimes days, traipsing round the shopping malls near where I lived, only to head home with a half-hearted bag of things I knew I was going to return anyway. Online wasn't much better. Nothing was quite right, or fitted properly, or was reasonably priced or the quality I desired. I was sick of getting something I thought was great, only for my wife to shake her head when I did the obligatory "fashion show" when I got home. It's not like I'm hard to please, I just wanted fashion that was designed for me. Everything was made for fashionista 20-somethings, and I was well passed pulling off skinny jeans and designer T's! And anything that was more my territory was bland or baggy. And I am neither.
So I decided to create it myself. I'd build a store that had all the things I wanted to wear. I searched out quality items that were decently priced, and then I tested them myself so anyone who bought that item would know it was just right. I didn't want anyone to have to go through the pain I'd had just to get a new pair of jeans or a jumper.
Initially I focused on accessories, and that went down really well, so now we're now doing the same with clothing and footwear. They're all items I really enjoy wearing, and judging from the feedback I get, our customers do too.
I'm very strict about what is allowed on our shelves. If it doesn't make us go wow, or we are a little unsure, we don't stock it. We get offered some amazing deals which would probably make a lot of money, but if it's not up to the high standards we set, we won't sell it. And if a product turns out not to be what we expected, we remove it from our range straight away, even if it costs us.
Most of our suppliers are small brands. We don't go in for big labels, or fancy marketing, or snobbish haute couture. What we do is quality you can rely on, prices you'll appreciate, and good old fashioned service so you know you've come to the right place.
This is our manifesto. It's what we hold ourselves to, and what you'll hold us to account for when you shop with us. It's been quite a journey so far, and it's great to have you join us to continue it.
Gary Baker
Founder