| Howies | |
| Traded As: | howies |
| Foundation: | 1995 |
| Founder: | David and Clare Hieatt |
| Location City: | Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire[1] |
| Location Country: | Wales |
| Industry: | Outdoor apparel, Sporting goods |
| Products: | Clothing |
| Homepage: | howies.co.uk |
Howies is a clothing company based in west Wales.The company was founded in 1995 and produces eco-friendly T-shirts, jeans and sportswear, with the aim of having ethically correct practices.[2] [3] Howies use natural fabrics as alternatives to petrochemical-derived modern fabrics, including organic cotton, Merino wool and recycled cotton.[4] [5] Howies T-shirts often have images or slogans with political or environmental themes and are screen printed by hand in a workshop located at the brand headquarters.[5]
The Howies brand has a strong identity within many UK active sports, notably mountain biking,[6] surfing and skateboarding, and has sponsored a number of athletes in these disciplines.[7]
It has made a number of special edition products associated with the Howies brand, notably with Curtis Bikes who continue to offer Howies blue as a standard colour option on many of their bikes. The company is particularly well known for its T-shirt designs, notably the classic logo design as well as 9 bikes, CCTV, Life*, Blood Donor and Home Work. The Howies name is often written in lowercase - the company's preferred style.
Howies was founded by Clare and David Hieatt in 1995. The name "Howies" is derived from Clare's maiden name of "Howells".[4] [8] Howies first marketing and team manager was Jeff Boardman 1996 - 2001.Branding expert Mark Simmons was managing director from 1999 to 2001.The company relocated from London to Wales in 2001[9] [10] and the company's first proper mail order catalogue is produced.[10]
In 2003, Levi Strauss & Co. threatened to sue Howies over the placement of a logo bearing tab on the rear right buttock pocket of their jeans. The Howies Tab is grey, the Levis Tab is Red.[11]
In 2011, the Hieatts sold the company to The Timberland Company, for £3.2m.[12] [13] In November 2008, Howies was cited as the 6th most 'recession-proof' company in the UK.[14] In September 2009, David Hieatt, one of Howies' founders, mentioned on Twitter that he was due to leave the company at the end of October 2009.[15] In December 2011, Howies closed its London shop, which was situated on Carnaby Street.[16]
In January 2012, Howies' management team announced that they had purchased the company back and that Howies would continue to operate from Cardigan as an independent company.[17]