Back in 2012, when most 16-year-olds were just trying to survive high school, Callum Vineer and Joe Granger decided to take a different route and passion. These two friends from London skipped college and dove headfirst into the world of fashion, despite having zero experience in the industry. They wanted to create cool, high-quality streetwear for themselves and their friends without breaking the bank. So, they launched their brand, Unknown London, starting small with around just 50 hoodies and caps. They sold these initial pieces on Facebook, slowly building up a loyal customer base. Fast forward to today, and Unknown London has blown up into a streetwear sensation. Their clothes are now available in high-end retailers all over the world, including Italy's LuisaViaRoma and Hypebeast's HBX…quite the rising surge.
Unknown’s limited drops are insanely popular, examples raking in almost $380,000 in just minutes. Vineer and Granger have made a name for themselves not just with their clothes, but with their epic pop-up events. Imagine helicopter stunts and live DJ sets – it's no wonder their fans are willing to camp out overnight just to get first dibs on the latest gear. In 2023, Unknown London pulled in a whopping $5 million in revenue. And the best part? Callum and Joe are just getting started. They expect to double their earnings in 2024. Not too shabby for a couple of guys who started out selling hoodies on Facebook…
“People will try to make things that sell even though they don’t like it themselves, but you need to have that full passion towards it to make it work.”
- Callum Vineer
Just like other UK streetwear youth legends like Corteiz and Stitch, Unknown London has nailed the whole cult following thing. They've built a tight-knit community of streetwear fans by staying super active on social media using UK rappers such as Nemzz, Central Cee and Unknown T(very fitting) as ambassadors.
Almost seven years in, Unknown is still growing fast. They've got 30 international stockists and a killer direct-to-consumer setup, which makes up about 90% of their sales. This brand is seriously on the rise! The journey for the duo hasn't been a walk in the park however. One of the biggest hurdles has been production. When they started, they were hand-dyeing and distressing garments themselves, but as the business grew, they had to find manufacturers to take over. The founders admit they've gone through "around ten" different manufacturers in almost seven years, trying to find one they can count on.
“We had just splashed out on a nice showroom and had no stock,” … “We had the buyers coming in and all we could show them was renderings of the stuff on a computer.”
Unknown as a brand is all about getting their hands dirty. They once dyed their own garments, worked the tills at pop-up shops, and they chat directly with fans on social media. It’s this hands-on vibe that’s helped them grow into a multi-million pound brand. By teaming up with wholesalers, they've reached streetwear lovers all over the world. They're also branching out into new stuff like footwear, which is helping them set up for long-term success.
Unknown London will be hitting the shelves and racks at Story in the next coming weeks so be sure to not sleep on this exciting premium streetwear brand that is a must have in your closet.
