Fashion / AW 2017
Do the right thing
Following a busy summer working, with no less than 12 festivals under her belt, glittering up the masses with The Fash Pack, That Thing owner Joh Rindom still doesn’t take any downtime in the colder months?
For Joh, autumn is a really productive period. “I get lots of inspiration from doing the festivals, they give me a chance to step back a bit, which I think is really healthy when you are running a business first hand,” she says.
“You are so close to it, all the time, that it’s really nice to have some other input, it takes your mind off, it kind of refreshes you.”
is needed now More than ever
Cream & Grey oversized Fleece jacket £55, Black pocket pants with single white stripe down the side and embroidered logo £25
Photo credit Katie Soane Photography
Joh starts the design process for her next collections by sitting down with her fabric swatches and paint brushes and coming up with ideas. She look at what other designers are doing but says that she finds inspiration from outside fashion: street art, Bristol, interior design and lifestyles.
For Joh, it’s about making a collection and selecting pieces that work across menswear, womenswear and unisex. She will create around 100 pieces and then whittle it down to ten key pieces, then ten crossover pieces and ten accessories.
“It mounts up really quickly, although some things are not ready for release yet: they may become part of a bigger idea later. Some items benefit from being waited on, they’ll be fresher in the long run.”
Jamie wears Cream extended length t-shirt with ‘Victory’ logo back print £25 Amy wears Fleece Two-way Scarf: £19, Cream Embroidered beanie: £15, Brushed cotton turtle neck t-shirt £18, Black pocket pants with single white stripe down the side and embroidered logo £25 Photo credit Katie Soane Photography
That Thing were recently nominated for two prestigious Drapers Independent Awards, for lifestyle independent of the year and young fashion independent of the year.
The brand has gone from strength to strength since That Thing were forced to change their name from Dutty, following an unbelievable dispute with fashion giants Massimo Dutti. That Thing had to rebrand, in a process that saw them fight to keep their brand style, influence and the customer base they had as Dutty.
The rebrand paid off: That Thing have just been head-hunted by Asos Marketplace to join them. This independent streetwear label from Bristol is in high demand.
“It’s nearly our two-year anniversary as That Thing, and the new collection will show how we have grown over that time,” says Joh.
“Honing in on what That Thing is has been a learning curve for me too. It’s about giving That Thing its own identity, and being a bit different from Dutty. I really want it to become a stand-alone brand and not follow in the footsteps of something that was, and that’s been really exciting.”
Photo credit Katie Soane Photography
What should we expect from the latest That Thing drop? “It will be bigger and better than ever,” Joh explains. “There are about 30 pieces in the collection. It’s coming up to winter so we have cream, white, light grey, black and a burgundy colour palette.
“The creams and whites feature heavily and are my faves to work around for this winter look. The light tones echo soft pillowy snow landscapes: there’s a fluffy cream fleece that keeps the collection bang on trend, and represents a fresh, confident element in a season where we like to shy away from bright colours.
Black hoodie with cream fleece linining throughout £42
‘8AM’ cream Sweatshirt £45, Black ‘Vertigo’ high cotton Sweatpants £25
Photo credit Katie Soane Photography
“There are hats, sweatshirts, t-shirts and new leggings. It’s all very exciting, and it has been great to add a few luxurious touches to this collection, as we’ve had some bespoke elements made, such as patches and faux leather tabs that you’ll see used in various ways.”
Photo credit Katie Soane Photography
Joh’s collections have strong 90s vibes and this year sees the arrival of early noughties fashion influences too.
Does Joh see That Thing going full steam ahead into the decade that still seems too close to become retro? “Let’s see where this collection takes us. It is still really important to stay in the now and stay really innovative, but draw inspiration from the nineties and noughties. The items we have are not copies of items from the past.
“We use our customers as models for our photoshoots: real people who know our business and our style and support us”.
Photo credit Katie Soane Photography
That Thing is based on Stokes Croft, where so-called rejuvenation threatens to change the area hugely. “Naturally I worry that it might affect the business, and it would be a real shame to lose the edge that Stokes Croft has, but we have to be realistic,” Joh says.
“Stokes Croft is within inner city limits, just a stone’s throw from Cabot Circus, and it’s a really unusual set up: there aren’t many cities that have this.
‘ABC Jumper’ -all over lettered That Thing Sweatshirt £45, Black Beanie with Cream embroidery: £45 & Cream extended length t-shirt with ‘Victory’ logo back print £25
Photo credit Katie Soane Photography
“There are still lots of improvements that need to be made to Stokes Croft. There’s a lot of disrespect and vandalism, which is a shame. And independent businesses have a hard time trying to fight this stuff. It can be really hard. Other cities across Europe support their independent businesses far better than we do here.”
Visit That Thing at 45-47 Stokes Croft or online at www.thatthing.co
Read our Fashion Editor Emma’s blog No Debutante
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