Meet the Sheffield freshers who run a clothing brand from their halls

Managing a degree and a part time job is difficult at the best of times, how about managing a degree and owning your own company? Nord Clothing CEOs, Jack Masterman and Alex Cook do just that. We sat down for a chat with Alex, to find out how they do it.

What is Nord Clothing, and what do you stand for?

Nord Clothing is a rapidly developing clothing brand started by myself and Jack in the summer. We aim to provide quality clothing at a price that is affordable but also reflects the quality of the garments and the effort we put in. Accessibility and good customer service are key, as nobody wants to buy clothing from a company who don’t respond to messages or don't have an interest in who they are selling to.

Nord Clothing founders, Jack Masterman (Left) and Alex Cook (Right)

When was Nord Clothing created?

We had a couple of lowkey clothing companies during our GCSEs and Nord was born after those. We opened our online store in early June 2017. It has already been a rapid start and it will hopefully carry on and develop further!

What do your family think about your business?

My Mum and Dad ask about our progress a lot and I’m always talking about how we’re doing and things that are going on, so they either pretend to listen or they are genuinely interested! There is also a bit of mocking from my brothers, but that is expected. They do take an interest and own a few pieces of our clothing too. I know Jack’s family are also very supportive and fully behind what we’re doing so it’s good to have that support and encouragement from everyone.

How do you manage a work/life/study balance?

It’s been difficult so far but we’re still learning and adapting. There have been times where we struggle to keep on top of it when we have busy periods of time with lots of Uni work, but overall we still make time for normal activities. I feel it is quite a productive use of my spare time and I don’t mind occasionally sacrificing other things to go through orders or other tasks.

Does being a young student in business, intimidate or inspire you?

I would say despite the difficulties of being a young student it inspires me because there's still so much time to develop and improve. There are many opportunities out there waiting and it’s been well worth the risk of trying it out so far. We aren’t the best with things like photography or graphic design, so hopefully we can improve in these areas too.

Nord Clothing takes on Spain

How do you feel about being men in a stereotypically female dominated industry? Do you ever get worried about stereotypes?

I haven’t really thought about this to be honest. I’ve seen other male-run clothing brands on Instagram or in Facebook groups, so it isn’t something that has really attracted my attention. When people find out about what we do we’ve only had positive responses, so I guess there hasn’t been any issues in terms of stereotypes and it’s something that isn’t so prominent as it possibly was in the past.

What's next for Nord Clothing?

We’ve got a lot of improvements lined up and we’re always trying to work on new products/designs. Ideally, we’ll work to develop the brand and give it a more professional feel, with improved modelling pictures and general design.