June Update - Bath win and Robbie comes to town
Summer has started with a bang and we are absolutely buzzing here at Pastel co. In one weekend, we had a double header from Robbie at the Royal Crescent and Bath Rugby bringing the title home from Twickenham. Huge scenes.
Pastel is going from strength to strength, with the brand starting to get some real traction in the South West. If you haven't already, then tell a mate and ask them to follow the page; it is all super helpful.
Challenges we've had? Yes, there's been a few. To be transparent, a small number of people have messaged me to say they love the hat but it's out of their price range, which I totally respect. Supporting independent businesses is amazing in theory but not always practical; however, people's attitudes are changing and people are making extra effort to support local. Sure, you could pop to one of the big players and pick up an item of clothing for half the price, but they can afford those prices due to their scale. For now, we are small batch with careful considerations for marketing budget, tech (Shopify, Mailchimp, Google Workspace, etc.) and shipping. A blog for another time perhaps could be to outline the costs associated with creating a product from scratch.
I would like to point out that so many people have been incredibly excited about the brand and backed this up with purchases alongside sharing posts on social media. This has not gone unnoticed crew!
Another win has been how much traction the raw posts have been. As someone who is openly learning how to curate a decent Instagram page, it has been encouraging that the raw, candid posts are the most well-received. We gained a load of followers off the back of them, so thank you for all the comments, likes, and shares that boost content.
What is coming next?
Alongside some wicked new colours for the performance cap, we have a product coming which is potentially more accessible for all. I always knew a 5-panel sports cap wouldn't be to everyone's taste, so the next product is more aligned to those of you that want some Pastel Co bits for everyday use. Having said that, big up those who have been wearing our cap as part of an outfit for a day-to-day look; it's really cool to see a product wander and be used in all sorts of ways.
On that topic, epic to see the cap used for touch rugby, tennis, padel, podcasting (LOL), and golf. Remember, you can buy one here https://www.pastelcompany.co.uk/products/performance-hat .
Keep an eye on the Instagram page this July as we have some really exciting projects coming up. Run clubs and businesses are showing more and more interest in collabs, so I'll be releasing an info pack soon. Reach out via info@pastelcompany.co.uk for more info.
Keeping up traditions... I want to shout out a local independent business from Frome who has been an absolute champion in shouting us out, pairing our cap with outfits of his own brand, and being an all-round great chap to lean on for advice! Check out Johnny Szymanski https://www.johnnyszymanski.com . His products are epic and super high quality. If you're stuck for an outfit this summer and want to support local, I urge you to get around Johnny Szymanski!
That's all for now, much love!
Bibs