Courtney Brennan | Contributing Writer
From first impressions alone, Mark Hughes seems like the least likely person to spend his evenings by a sewing machine. Despite the apparent “therapeutic” benefits of this hobby, Mark’s interest in sewing has more to do with business. Last year, Senior Freshman BESS student Hughes established his own clothing brand, Mark’s Experiment. During his leaving cert years, when Abercrombie polos and Hollister hoodies were just as common as revision books, Mark spotted a gap in the market for an Irish alternative. With start-up capital funded by his parents, Mark bought a batch of t-shirts, got them printed with his logo, the distinctive “ME”, and sold them at a market in Temple Bar to test the reception to his simplistic yet essential collection. Fashion mavens Brendan Courtney and Sonya Lennon instantly took notice, featuring his collection on their app, Frock Advisor.
The ever-so-slightly cheesy slogan of “Made by ME, with YOU in mind!” seems strangely on point, as Mark argues that being a member of his target audience means he is able to anticipate consumer demands and keep on track of trends.
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Speaking frankly about his inspiration Mark says, “Mark’s Experiment and the ‘ME’ logo symbolise student empowerment.” The typical route of unpaid internships, a desperate attempt to get your foot in the door of a company, any company, was just not intriguing enough for Hughes. Mark wants to show us that being students doesn’t mean we can’t create jobs for ourselves, and even for others. It is easy to see how driven this young entrepreneur is, speaking enthusiastically about his big plans for the business. The ever-so-slightly cheesy slogan of “Made by ME, with YOU in mind!” seems strangely on point, as Mark argues that being a member of his target audience means he is able to anticipate consumer demands and keep on track of trends.
Looking through ME’s website, it’s hard to believe that the photos were taken from the comfort of Mark’s own home, transformed by Hughes for the day of the fashion shoot. With the help of his friends in the more creative photography and graphic design fields, Mark was able to create a clean, crisp website to show off his products. Mark looks content recounting his favorite parts of the job. “Doing something you love and being your own boss has been the best part of my experiment.” Unfortunately, establishing your own clothing line isn’t all fashion shoots and therapeutic sewing. Mark stated the main difficulties of being a young entrepreneur are “all the unexpected added costs and delays.” He expanded on how in the past he has received wrong orders and having disastrous photography errors. Taking a more serious note, Hughes noted that “the mountain of work that you are completely responsible for is what makes being a sole trader especially stressful.” Gaining recognition for your brand in the increasingly competitive world of online retailing isn’t easy, to say the least, but for Mark social media has clearly been his best friend, strategically marketing his products through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, with appealing, minimalist and engaging social media strategy. It can be hard when you first want to start up your business, about where you should go and what you should be doing, looking into starting your business whilst being part of a franchise might be a good start for you, check out https://poppies.co.uk/franchising/ to see what they can do for you.
As his company expands, so does the workload. That is why after Christmas, Mark is looking to bring onboard students studying computer science, graphic design, and art. So if you happen to have the cross-section interests of fashion and technology, get in touch.
After talking to Mark it’s clear he understands his own brand incredibly well. Through his enthusiasm and natural knack for business, I’d consider Mark nothing short of an inspiration to future young entrepreneurs. He advises budding entrepreneurs to ”do it now, have fun while you can before you have a wife and kids.” Mark has hopes for his brand to be endorsed by a major high street retailer like Topman or River Island. But even if this isn’t the case, one thing is for sure, the ”ME” logo will soon be making its first impressions on the world of fashion.
Photo courtesy of Mark’s Experiment.
