The announcement came on Tuesdsay and in the following days there has been further updates so we have waited for those and added anything that we feel we need to to our guidelines for our reopening.
It has been an incredibly difficult period of time for everyone and I thank you all for your patience in regard to bookings, and subsequent changes to the dates we could reopen from, but we are nearly there, and we cant welcome you all into the new Clique.
Below are the points we have put together and further information will be released early next week which will expand on these points, however if you have any questions regarding your upcoming appointment please get in touch via email at info@cliquecustoms.com
No walk ins will be available, an appointment has to be made via our online booking system.
Please arrive 5 minutes early for your appointment.
Please come alone for your appointment. Children must be able to sit by themselves with a mask on for the duration of the appointment.
All clients are required to wear a face mask.
Please do not enter the shop until you are welcomed by your barber.
Please use the hand sanitiser available at the entrance into the shop.
Please limit the amount of personal belongings you bring to the shop as our waiting area will be out of use.
If you are more than 5 mins late for your appointment unfortunately your appointment will be marked as a no show due to the time required to throughly clean down after each client and you will be liable for the service charge. Please ring the shop if you are going to be late and we will do all we can to reschedule, please don’t just not turn up.
If you are feeling unwell or are displaying any symptoms we ask you not to attend your appointment, cancel online and reschedule your appointment.
We reserve the right to refuse service if we feel you are not in a suitable condition to get your haircut or are a risk to other customers or our staff, or fail to follow the above procedures we have in place prior to your appointment.
No hot shaves will be available until further notice, however all other services are available.
We will not be accepting cash payments at this time. All payments must be made by card.
All barbers will be wearing gloves and face visors in line with the governments guidelines.
Disposable gowns will be used during your service.
Each station will be fully sanitised between each service alongside our normal cleaning routines.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
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The barbering industry has been placed into the 3rd phase of the lifting of restrictions in the fight against COVID-19. As an industry we work in close proximity to our clients and therefore the issue of social distancing safely becomes an increasing issue that is incredibly difficult to control.
We are all incredibly disappointed that our doors remain closed, however we understand the decision that has been made and will continue to follow all the governments guidelines. The online booking system has been suspended until the 4th July, however as we all know this is only a guide as to when we maybe able to reopen, so any bookings made after this date are subject to change and if need be they will be cancelled and you will be notified of the cancellation via email.
We completely understand how frustrating the situation is for you as our customers, however I urge you not to be tempted to use any barber offering home visits, this completely negates the efforts being made to control the virus, and will only serve to elongate the reopening of ours, and many others businesses.
We massively appreciate all the messages we have had of support and hope you understand our chosen stance on not being able to offer any services at this time.
Let it grow out, we will look after you as soon as it is safe to do so!
Stay safe.
Tom.
]]>Myself, Lev and Dan are all well, healthy and can not wait to return back work. We have all kept ourselves busy with various projects, and I am pleased to say that we have all, including our families stayed safe and have observed the necessary restrictions of lockdown.
We have our part to play as an industry to ensure we are doing all we can to protect our health, our family and the safety of our wider community, and that responsibility spreads throughout the barbering industry, so I have been disgusted at recent news reports that some barbers have been risking people's health by going out and doing home visits. This goes against everything we have all been trying to do as a nation and those people have decided to put money above the health and well being of countless people, and its my opinion that they should be ashamed of themselves.
Despite numerous requests for cuts, we at Clique have all explained to those clients the importance of the lockdown, and why we won't be doing home visits.
As soon as it it safe to do so, we will reopen the doors to Clique and I have taken every available measure following the limited amount of information available to us at this time to make sure we have everything in place to keep everyone has safe as we can, and will continue to adapt the way in which we operate as a shop when further guidelines are released later this week.
Further updates from the Government are due on Sunday and we will be updating our online booking system to reflect this date, so if you have an appointment booked in from the 7th onwards you will receive and email cancelling that appointment.
Finally we hope everyone is well and please hold on a little longer, hopefully we will all know more on Sunday.
Stay safe
Tom
]]>Thank you so much to everyone that has placed an order. We are in the process of working with our manufacture to have the t shirt produced. We have been able to get this design off to them a little earlier than expected, which is great news, however we are unable at this time to give a definitive date as to when we will receive the order due to the current COVID-19 situation.
We will be keeping everyone that has placed an order updated via email, however if you have any questions relating to your order please don't hesitate in contacting us at info@cliquecustoms.com
We hope you are all safe and well, and thanks again for all your support.
Tom.
]]>We will continue to monitor the situation and will provide further updates as to our reopening as soon as we can.
In the meantime we still have the High Seas Preorder T Shirt open that you can purchase here, a massive thank you to everyone that has purchased one to date, it means so much to us all.
We also have the clearance sale on the site as well, where you can find up to 70% off Clique Customs, and none of these designs will be available again, so it's a great chance to get a bargain. Click here for the sale.
Please stay safe during the lockdown, keep busy, and we will be back before you know it.
Tom
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The High Seas T is now live and available to pre order.
We are all in such unprecedented times, socially, financially, emotionally, and this is my small way of bringing something positive out of all this, bringing our customers together in the knowledge they have help this company so much during such a difficult time.
]]>The High Seas T is now live and available to pre order. We have had so many of our customers asking about various ways they can support the brand whilst we are currently closed, from paying for services they are to miss during the temporary closure, paying upfront for future cuts and other purchases or buying gift cards to be spent in store.
Whilst all massively appreciated, it really didn't feel right taking money and not being able to provide something physical to show for it. So I came up with the limited edition preorder only design, as a way of supplying something to our customers, and in having purchased one you will know how much you have helped us during this difficult time every time you put it on.
And it's that simple. We are all in such unprecedented times, socially, financially, emotionally, and this is my small way of bringing something positive out of all this, it may just be a t shirt, which seems ridiculous during this pandemic, but to us, it's so much more and by purchasing one of them it really will mean the world to us.
So if you are able to, and want one please jump onto the preorder here.
Thank you from us all at Clique.
Stay home and stay safe.
Tom
]]>So.... its been just under a week, hows everyone doing?
It was this time last week I took the decision that for the first time ever we would temporarily close the doors of Clique.
]]>It was this time last week I took the decision that for the first time ever we would temporarily close the doors of Clique. It was an incredibly difficult decision for us as a team to make but ultimately it was the only decision to make. Having to cancel all the upcoming appointments and without a clear picture of how long it will be before we can turn the sign on the door again is an incredibly daunting experience, and I thank each and everyone one of you for your understanding.
The time away from the shop has given me the opportunity to look at everything we should be thankful for. We have an amazing client base at Clique, and we will never underestimate the support that you have all given to our shop, making the decision to sit in our chairs and buy the clothing brand, and it is because of that support I am so determined to come back stronger when the relentless wave of this pandemic finally releases its grip on us all enough to return to some form of normality, however different that normality will look like.
I am truly amazed by all the well wishes and offers of clients still wanting to support the company by paying for services they are to miss due to the temporary closure of the shop, in the midst of the financial strain you will all be experiencing during this time, its an incredibly heartwarming gesture.
Whilst truly thankful for that gesture it just isn't something we feel comfortable accepting, so I have been working on a pre order t shirt design so we can offer a way for people to support us if they are able to and choose to whilst our door is closed. This will only be available as a pre order and only produced to the numbers of that pre order and will not be released in store or online for general sale.
There will be further information on this pre order in the coming days.
This is by far an ideal situation for us all to be facing, but it is a humbling one and offers time for reflection, and makes me thankful for each and every customer that has ever engaged in any way with this company.
Please keep an eye on our social media channels and the website for further updates.
Please stay home, stay safe.
Tom
]]>When you walk through the door of 91 Cornwall Street in Plymouth and into Luka’s Barbershop you immediately feel at ease. The staff are engaging and the atmosphere has a purity about it that is hard to achieve. There is a natural balance, one that you feel must have been curated over a number of years, by someone who holds that same serenity, balance and focus.
The truth is that it has, and his name is Luka Chitty. However, the road that has brought Luka to this place has been a torturous one that has challenged every part of his being along the way, and that serenity, balance and focus is so hard earned that finding inspiration in this man is incontrovertible.
Luka was born into a military family, spending the early part his life moving around between England, Germany and Cyprus. Born in Bath, a town set in the rolling countryside of Southwest England whilst the family were passing through, his Dad wasn’t with them as he was working in Salisbury, just getting to the hospital in time for his birth, arriving after a high speed journey in a Citroen 2CV.
The earliest memories for Luka were created in Cyprus, enjoying the life of “a military brat” embracing the sense of belonging that the extended family of the military can bring, and I sense that his formative years within that situation have formed a large part of his character. Family is extremely important to Luka.
It was his relationship with his brother, Aaron, he held in the highest regard, entirely inseparable from him, idolising every aspect of his elder brother. Whilst this isn’t uncommon, the unbreakable bond between them was deepened by the knowledge that they would not grow old together. Aaron was terminally ill and had been given a life expectancy no longer than his 10th birthday.
The heartbreaking fact that one day you will lose the person that is closest you is an incredibly grievous notion for anyone to carry, but having to do it from such an early age will invariably have an enduring impact, affecting so many aspects of your development and characteristics. Luka was more than aware that his childhood was not “normal” conceivably missing out on a large part of what being a young boy is, carefree, full of hope and endeavour. However, Luka embraced the lack of “normality” and engulfed himself in providing his brother with the best life and care he could.
“ I grew up very quickly in that environment, I knew I had to own my own feelings of personal grief, understand them and know why they were there. I don’t regret a single thing of my childhood, yes it wasn’t normal, but it made me who I am, and I had an amazing childhood. I looked after my brother, when all my other mates were out playing, I was sorting out my brothers oxygen and playing inside with him”
Aaron was born with his heart on the wrong side of his body and he had a hole in both his heart and in his lung. With no known cure to his condition he grew up knowing that the chance of finding one in time was incredibly unlikely, however he had the foresight to know that by entering into the various attempts at new procedures, trialing new medicine he may well be assisting in finding that cure for children born with the condition in the future.
The family moved back to England when Luka was 6 years old, Aarons health had deteriorated and his Dad had made the decision to leave the army. Settling back in his home town of Taunton, the family made many visits to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, Luka vividly remembers the time when they were told Aaron had a matter of weeks to live.
“I’ll never forget it, the doctor had left the room and Aaron turned to us and said, I’m not going yet, I’m not ready yet. He had such a strong spirit”
That spirit the family held onto was to be further tested when Luka’s parents told them they were going to be getting a divorce. The mounting pressure had taken its toll on them as a couple and the decision had been made that they were to separate.
“That was really hard, and was the start of a lot of things. We all know what was going to happen to Aaron, we didn’t want to believe it, but we knew. My parents splitting up came out of the blue and tore everyone apart and I personally felt like that weakened Aaron, he had been so strong before that”
Luka didn’t spend anytime processing the split, that was to come later on in his life, he just further focused his attention on Aaron.
Aaron lost his battle just days before his 16th birthday.
The enormity of everything that Luka had gone through was now about to take its toll.
Luka attended the same secondary school that Aaron went to, describing himself as “never academic” he often found himself in trouble at school, finding it hard to engage in classroom structure, his dyslexia often a barrier and adding to the feeling he was constantly being judged against his elder brother, living in a shadow of someone who was very popular with students and teachers alike. This perpetuated his feeling of failure and heightened his sense of loss, Luka inevitably began to distance himself from formal education and his attendance at school was in steep decline, preferring to find solace in the freedom of riding his BMX.
Luka realised the path he was heading down was such a distractive one, very difficult to find a way out of, but he knew that he had to try, to find something that caught his attention and reignited the passion for life he held during the years he cared for Aaron.
Constantly searching for something to fill the void of loss is a futile task and Luka quickly came to the realisation he needed to learn to live with the empty space rather than fill it, and create new memories and find a focus he felt gave him a purpose.
The passion he held for riding anything with two wheels came from his Dad, constantly surrounded by motorcycles, Luka knew he wanted to involve himself in the freedom that those two wheels can give, and this was his driving force in finding a Saturday job.
Luka’s journey into cutting hair began with that Saturday job. Dispelling his early misgivings of working in a hairdressers, he very quickly became engrossed in the industry and thrived in the atmosphere created within the salon. The conceivably menial tasks of sweeping up and making the tea gave Luka the all important grounding and allowed himself to earn the respect of his co workers, and soon after starting he began his training to becoming a stylist. An unprecedented decision, at that time, was made by his school to allow him on day release to purse his passion for cutting hair in the form of an NVQ, 2 days a week. Looking back on that decision Luka realises that the teachers did have his best interests at heart, viewing him as an individual in his own right and values the support he was given.
It was during his time at Hair Associates that Luka began to feel part of a family again. For a long time feeling fearful of being alone, worrying what the impact of the feeling of isolation would have on him, everything began to feel like it was making more sense. The sense of belonging, being loved and needed gave him the platform to succeed within his NVQ and obtaining his full qualification at the age of 17 was the first time he felt he had a tangible achievement, something on paper that gave him self worth, Luka was in the most positive place he had been in a number of years. At 18 he was promoted to Creative Stylist, involved in editorial shoots for Vivienne Westwood, Armani and Greek Vogue, being flown around to various photoshoots and shows became a regular occurrence and looking back on this period in his life he realises that he never really appreciated the opportunity he had been given and at a relatively young age was unable to deal with the guilt he felt at feeling happy and content, the feeling he didn’t deserve to be happy was ever present.
Luka’s self destructive nature and the overwhelming feeling of guilt led to a mental breakdown. The feeling of belonging was quickly replaced with the more familiar feeling of isolation, it had all come too quickly and too soon for him and he made the decision to end his role of Creative Stylist, refusing to go onto any more shoots, returning to work in the salon and focus on his clients, the comfort he once felt in being considered part of a family again had gone. Luka puts his breakdown to having never fully dealt with his emotion over the loss of his brother and instead of facing the overwhelming wave of emotion in his current situation, he decided he needed to get away, to leave a job, the place and the people he had found comfort in, realising the support that was provided was cloaked in a vale of manipulation, and spend time on himself to re evaluate everything that had gone before.
This escapism came in the form of a short trip to Germany to ride in a BMX competition called BMX Masters for Motion BMX, Bristol, turning into a 6 month trip due to failure to book return flights, and was the catalyst in the decision not to return to the U.K, instead heading to Spain to visit friends.
“That period of time was so important to me. It gave me the space I needed to process the way that I was feeling. I got a job in a bar, my mate got a job in a restaurant, we stayed in the apartment that came with my job, it was the best summer of my life. I felt like I had a time to grieve, to concentrate on myself.”
Upon returning to England, Luka had conceivably got himself into a stronger position, with some balance and focus returning to his life. He began following his passion for music, having had turntables from an early age, and began producing with noted success, getting signed to a couple of dance labels and securing a tour to the US. Following the success of that initial tour he was re signed to return to the States. The whirlwind continued when he met a girl in the US and lived and worked out there for a year, however after a return trip the UK to play a few shows in London, Luka was arrested on his return to the US, and spent two days in a Downtown Los Angeles jail, as he had not secured the correct working Visa. He was deported back to the UK with a 10 year ban.
Coming back to the UK with the impending feeling a failure, Luka felt like he had returned under a cloud of a failing music career, without any money, his parents now living at opposite ends of the country, his pride prevented him from seeking solace from his much loved Grandparents, after working so hard to put himself into a position where he felt he had some balance, his recent actions had left him as low as he had previously been and the spiral into further depression began all too quickly.
The perpetual cycle of attempting to maintain some form of balance through drink and drugs was all to present at this time for Luka, creating further instability of his mental health, and a vicious cycle that was so hard to break, moving from sofa to sofa with little direction he found a helping hand in the form of a long term friend who offered to take him in, look after him, providing some stability, however the destructive path Luka found himself on continued.
“I felt like this was where I deserved to be, it wasn’t a conscious decision, but it was something I was perfectly happy to let happen, I felt like I deserved to feel the pain”
This was the moment Luka identifies as rock bottom, considering all that had gone before, this was it, this was the darkest place he had ever been with little hope of coming through the other side. He was loosing so much weight, his friends watching him disintegrate through constant partying into a complete mess.
“I had no money, no future, I ended up taking a job I hated at a fish market, I had been given the opportunity of work through a friend, I was there scrubbing out fishmongers boxes, scraping out all the shit, fish guts everywhere, it was fucking horrible. This is horrible, I am a fishmonger, well no, I was a fishmongers bitch”
In spite of his current position and turmoil of emotion Luka found the strength to recognise that he simply could not continue on this path. It is testament to his character that Luka once again found the strength and began to attempt to re build himself.
Lukas saving grace came when he walked through the door of Ashley's Barbershop in Taunton.
"I completely and utterly fell in love with barbering. I’d cut mens hair before, but not in a barbershop environment, and instantly it felt like this is what I had always been meant to do, it was a real lightbulb moment, a complete realisation, I had found a passion that hit me like a steam train"
Luka found great comfort in his new surrounds, the camaraderie found in a barbershop furthered his insight into the industry.
"I starting building up my confidence, just enjoying life again"
Life began to feel good again for Luka, having immersed himself in the barbering industry, he now felt like he had the platform he had been searching for to move forward and begin to truly heal the wounds of his past. This new found stability and positive, motivated outlook on life brought him to the stage where he felt the need to re-engage with his Dad. After an absence of 5 years Luka reached out to his Dad.
"I never really focused on the reasons why my Mum and Dad had split up, as I said at that time I was just focused on caring for Aaron, but there was so many things that had been said about him, him being the reason why the marriage had failed, and I believed everything that was said"
The re-connection with his Dad had given Luka a different perspective on the reasons why they had divorced, however Luka focused on that re-connection, and vividly remembers the first time he saw him in 5 years.
"We met in a pub, and I remember him walking in, and I was just like…..fuck, you have really aged, 5 years is a long time when your in your 50’s and he really had changed, I just cried. I felt a huge relief, I felt like I gained strength, my dad is such a strong person, it resonates from him"
With his relationship developing with his Dad, Luka finally felt like he was really feeling better about his situation, and himself as a person, and began to feel the need to understand his depression, to understand the reasons why he had been so destructive, and began reading around the subject of depression. He also thought back to when his parents split, the affect that the situation had on him, no longer harbouring any anger or confusion, he now understood how difficult it had been for them, for any parent to have to say goodbye to one of their children. Luka had looked after his Mum after they had split, always such a strong loving women, he had found himself in the position of the man of the house, he found it incredibly difficult to watch the demise of his Mum's health both physically and mentally. Throughout everything that had gone before, no matter what he had put his Mum through she has always been there for him, with unconditional love, something he will be forever grateful for.
"I knew all my actions had been because I was depressed, very, very depressed. The drugs didn’t help in any of that. I remember speaking to my Dad about it, open and honestly, I asked him what was wrong with me, and he just said, nothing is wrong with you, its just something that you have learn to deal with. I got a lot of strength from that understanding"
With the development of Luka's character, through all the work he had done on himself and the understanding of his mental health, gave him the ability to manage and for see situations that in previous years may have caused him to relapse. This ability was severely tested during his relationship with his then girlfriend. The relationship had been a very abusive, destructive one, with Luka often being the subject of violent outbursts.
"She just was not good for me. At all. She wasn’t supportive of me, she was just incredibly angry in her own mind, it turned into a very physical, abusive relationship, she used to hit me and stuff like that. It wasn’t nice"
"I found it really hard, I began to feel like I was regressing again, it was something I really struggled with"
The relationship ended, and during the period of time Luka afforded her to sort her stuff out and move from his house, he found out that she had slept with Ashley, the very person that had opened the barbering industry to him, the person who had been a major catalyst in the change Luka had made in his life.
"In a way it was the best thing that ever happened to me, it gave me full closure, I stayed at Ashley's Barbershop for a further 6 months, everyday in the knowledge of what he had done, letting him know that I knew without ever mentioning it. I was simply biding my time"
Sandymans Chopshop was the opportunity that Luka had been waiting for. Bones, the owner of Sandymans had seen Luka’s work on Instagram, and engaged with the talent he had, and was looking to open a shop in Exeter, Devon. For a long time Luka had been looking to make the move from Taunton to Exeter, and saw the opportunity of managing Sandymans as his way out, a fresh new start. Moving to Exeter knowing only one person, without a clientele was a massively brave decision. The development in Luka's character and his mental health had given him the strength to make that decision
"My mate James, the only person I knew in Exeter, introduced me to all his friends, help me build a clientele, he was a massive help, we all just got on and I found a whole new life"
"I felt like I could start that new life, I had no past, no one knew me, no one felt sorry for me, I had no memories. Anywhere I walk in Exeter, the only memories I have are really positive ones"
Creating and building a new life with that freedom almost came instantly to Luka and his life began to flourish, settling into a new life Luka began to follow his dream and began to make plans to establish his own business in his new found home. Always maintaining a huge respect for Bones and Sandymans and the opportunity he was given, it was his drive to create something of his own that became his new focus.
A chance meeting with his now business partner Toby Blatchford-Tagg on a night out, set in motion the start of a complete new chapter. An instant bond was created and the conversation quickly flowed onto the aspirations Luka held to start his own business.
"We just clicked, and very quickly became really good friends. Taggy hates the word entrepreneur, but thats what he is, he has an eye for business, but didn’t know anything about the barbering industry. He couldn’t see why I was working for someone else, creating their brand earning money for them. I explained I didn’t have the finances to open my own shop yet, and he was like, lets just do it. That was the start of it all for me"
During this period so many new things had started to happen in Luka’s life. Alongside the plans to start a new business, he met his now fiancé Nina.
"Nina is the best thing that has ever happen to me, she is my rock, my inspiration, she’s everything. She’s my best friend, we talk about everything, and she knows everything about me, what I’ve done, who I was, the dark places I’ve been in, and she loves me for that, and no one could ever ask for anymore than that"
With the full support of Nina, they found their shop in Exeter and began the journey.
Fast forward 2 years, with 3 successful barbershops, a brand behind him and with such a bright future ahead of him, the person that I have sat down with has come full circle. Listening to his story, and from my own person experience of loosing the person that is closest to you, I am in awe of his strength, honesty, determination and unequivocal drive and focus. Luka has truly been on a torturous journey and is an example that self acceptance and possessing the desire to grow, never giving up and to change any situation in front of you, you can achieve your dreams and ambitions.
"I now see myself as compassionate, caring, loving, driven, and it’s only because of the process of my life that has made me feel I know who I am, I never felt I knew who I was, now I do, I am happy with who I have become"
"If someone can say that they have been inspired by me, or something that I have done, a haircut, to my experience in America, to opening a shop, anything, just to inspire someone in some way is the best thing you can do. For someone to be inspired by a certain person, and that person just to be me………..it’s mental"
Having made so many changes in his life, changing who he is, where he lives, his perception of what he can be, the one consistent thing Luka has carried with him is the memory of his brother. He talks about him with such passion and love and it is clear that he has begun to learn to live with the hole left by the death of his brother instead of trying to cover it up, and the many years he was unable to process the grief he felt are now behind him. It takes incredible courage to open up and be completely honest about how you feel, but I feel that this is all part of the process of Luka’s healing, he has fully accepted his emotions and will continue to grow stronger each day knowing how to deal with the good and bad days.
Its this ability to process his feelings and channel them in a positive way that led him to take part in a charity ride called Barbersride, organised by his good friend Colin Petrie. The Barbersride was a four day, 900 mile fundraising ride from Dundee to London that raised in excess of £10,000 for great Ormond Street Hospital and The Lions Barber Collective, a group dedicated to raising the awareness for the prevention of suicide in young men. Riding a completely inappropriate hard tail Harley for that many miles is a gruelling task, but riding the wave of emotion and using it as the driving force behind why you are doing such a thing keeps you focused. There were many times during the trip where the emotion almost became too much, but none more so that when they pulled up to Great Ormond Street Hospital, the place where is brother had spent so much of his time, to be greeting by a strong crowd and presenting the cheque for the money they had raised.
"It was a very heavy, emotional experience. It was the first time I’d been back there since Aaron died, to be greeting by such a crowd, I was so tired physically but mainly mentally, I was drained and it opened up a lot of emotion on a large scale for me, but I really felt like it was some closure for my brother"
The ride back to Devon in a way was the real test for Luka. With all the riders going their separate ways, he was left to ride back to Devon alone, carrying the crash of that wave of emotion and with only a dark lonely road for comfort he was left feeling lonely, isolated, and after having many mechanical issues, fighting fatigue, the urge to drift off asleep and with a broken phone the anxiety of not being able to contact Nina to let her know he was ok almost became too much.
After 7 hours Luka arrived home.
"I just got off my bike, sat down on the floor and cried, I wondered if it was the right thing to have done, to open myself up to that emotion, the only thing that got me through it was him, the thought of my brother"
And that for me this is what Luka is about. He has learnt so much about himself, adapted, failed, kept going, never shying away from difficult emotionally draining situations, harbouring the pain of his loss and for many years unable to deal with that pain, now I can see how that serenity, balance and focus was earned.
Truly inspirational.
TU
Clique Customs
]]>When I think back to the day we first turned the open sign and opened the door to the public, I feel incredibly proud of what we have achieved in our first year.
]]>When I think back to the day we first turned the open sign and opened the door to the public, I feel incredibly proud of what we have achieved in our first year. Our aim was to bring together all the aspects of the motorcycle scene that we loved and place it under one roof, adding the our Barbershop into the formate and create something that was truly unique.
I believe we we have achieved that aim.
We focused on bringing a fresh approach to high street retail. We wanted to create a destination for those that ride, and those that don't to engage in the culture that extends from our love of two wheels and the freedom that a full tank can give you.
We felt the tradition of old school customer service had been lost in the age of internet shopping, we wanted to bring that service back and this was a key element to us bringing our concept of Clique to a physical shop, extending that service through to the barbershop and truly focusing on the person in the chair creating an overall experience.
Thousands of customers and cuts later, increasing the brands we have from 8 to the 21 it is today, becoming a motorcycle dealership, being featured in Built Magazine, hosting a Pop Up Barbershop in the middle of a Tesco supermarket, being invited to talk to Business Degree students at Truro College, being featured as a top 10 destination in Cornwall, collaborating with such talented artists for Clique Customs, forging fantastic relationships with our distribution agents and local businesses are all things we are proud of, but it is the relationships we have formed with customers and they're engagement in our concept that makes us most proud.
We have worked tirelessly throughout this year to establish the first stage of what Clique will be, but that work in itself wouldn't be enough if it wasn't for the support of our friends and family . There are far too many people to mention here, but you all know who you are and what you have done for us, and we are eternally grateful.
Here's to the next 12 months...............................
TU
Clique Customs
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But that in itself doesn’t do justice for the relentless passion I have for the industry. Having always used a barber since I escaped the clutches of my Mum and her orange handled kitchen scissors when I was a kid, the unique atmosphere created in Barbershops, the camaraderie between the barbers, those in the chair and those in the queue has a captivating quality. When the right balance is achieved it feels like a real brotherhood, all working under the same title, irrelevant of age or sex, creating their own style and stamp on each cut that leaves the door.
I often sit in a haze of jealously, just watching the guys at work. I think the ability to engage with someone in helping them create or maintain a look has a phenomenal draw, and it’s not surprising to see the industry going through such an accelerated resurgence. It’s often commented on in our barbershop how great it is to see this craft being performed in so many locations in what is a small City, and whilst I agree, it leads me to to ponder the question of how does the industry carry such an influx of new business and is the overall quality of the industry suffering under the weight of that influx?
If you wish, you can get carried away with the notion of opening a shop, and simply putting hair on the floor. That may be enough. The statistics speak for themselves with new business start ups, and the barbershop is not excluded from those figures. The running of a business is a multifaceted skill and doesn’t allow you to isolate your main skill set in the hope that the rest will take care of itself, and its all too easy in the modern age we all live in to view your life through the preconceived perception of what Social Media presents of what it is to be a business owner, or a barber.
We’re a new start up. We are part of that influx. I believe the difference with Clique is that it isn’t one thing. It’s not a clothes store, a motorcycle shop, it’s not a custom motorcycle dealership nor is it a barbershop. It’s all of them, and taking the barbershop into focus, the biggest thing is that I am not a barber. I have a fantastic team of barbers who are free to concentrate on their passion, their skill and constantly looking to improve the time served craft that is their chosen profession.
Running a business takes you on a roller coaster of emotions on a daily basis. There will fantastic highs followed by the deepest darkest lows, where you rely on the support of your family and friends, and its at this time when you need to place the trust you had in your product, into your brand that you had when you first put pen to paper and began to put your passions into a formulated business plan. And if that plan isn’t stable you will run into difficulties, but there is a lot of help and guidance that will help you pass through those moments. What can’t be found from anyone else is the driving passion you require, the determination to work late into the night, and what keeps you coming back in the early hours day after day. If you don’t possess that passion in the first place it's time to find something new.
Over the last 10 years of owning my own business, irrelevant of what form that business takes, I have learnt many valuable lessons, but none more so in the last 3 years of running Clique Customs and now Clique. The success we have achieved to date leans on those hard earned lessons but I feel that until you find what truly motivates you, to ride through those darks times and come back for more, do you really take on board what those lessons have to offer. I am humbled to be approached by other businesses looking for advice or inspiration for how to create, brand and develop their concept, and to extend a hand in assisting that development is a positive thing to experience.
What is an increasingly frustrating situation is when someone simply replicates what you have done in some form or another, be that with decor, styling, branding or simply using your model aiming to take a short cut to perceived success. The difference will be that they will always be reactive, not proactive. This situation happens across the board and many businesses experience the frustration of replication, and it will always be seen through. It can be taken as a compliment or you can see it for what it truly is, which is just plain lazy.
Inspiration is everywhere but the first place you should be looking at is from within yourself.
Everything on the 28th of October 2017 was meant to be about our Head Barber Levis's wedding. But it wasn't. Gary Pinchin, the Editor of Built Magazine, had called and said they would like to do the feature they had been planning to do on Clique on that day. This just added to the excitement of the day, but we knew the timeframes would be really tight as we had to have Lev at the Church by 12.30, everything would be fine, I'm sure Hannah wouldn't mind waiting!
The morning rolled around all too quickly after a heavy night, and as we were shut that day for the wedding we really didn't expect many people to turn up, yet not 5 minutes after we arrived bikes starting to rumble into Kenwyn Street, and it wasn't long before we'd pretty much filled the street.....I guess word had got around!
Photo: Gary Margerum
It was a real honour to have the guys from Built make the effort to come down and see what we had been up to since we opened the doors to Clique 6 months previous. It was with genuine curiosity they delved into what made us create what we had, the reasons behind it, and the how we have married all the different elements we have under one roof. Gary was delighted to see so many familiar faces from the motorcycle world drinking tea in and out the shop and it was a lovely feeling of confirmation that the little ripple we had set seemed to be growing, and the engagement in this scene in Cornwall isn't set to slow down any time soon. Its always been here, and the quality of custom motorcycles that are present outside the shop is testament to the fact that there are some fantastic bike builders in Cornwall, perhaps it just needed something to pull them all together.
Photo: Gary Margerum
With Built's photographer, Gary Margerum doing everything he could to dodge the buses, he made us feel at ease as he blended into the background as he snapped away, only to then ask for portraits of the boys, right.....just try and act naturally!
Time began to creep away and I could see Levis's nerves begin to build, and as we finished off the interviews with Gary and Helen, the sound of bikes setting off down the road, I looked around and felt incredibly proud of what just happened today, never in our wildest dreams would we have thought that just 6 months into our journey we would have the opportunity to tell one of the best custom motorcycle magazines our story.
We say our good byes until the next time, and now we really have to get our suits on as we should have left for the wedding half an hour ago.
The feature is now out and the reaction we have had to it has been phenomenal, there has been so many e mails and comments from around the world and in that I am genuinely blown away by the fact people have engaged so much in what we are doing in our little corner of Cornwall.
TU
Clique Customs
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The mammoth task we have taken on and the sheer amount of work that lay ahead of us pales into insignificance when compared to the sheer excitement we feel. This day has been a long time coming and for a few minutes we just stand there taking in our new surroundings.
Then it dawns on us. There is a lot of work to do. We have set ourselves the 8th May 2017 as our opening day, although a tight schedule we are more than confident we will meet the deadline.
We started straight away, ripping out the fixtures and fittings from the previous tenant, and once we had taken it back to a shell we began to think about what we needed to do to create the look we had spent so many late nights creating on paper.
The mixture of clean crisp branding set against an industrial background has been a key component of Clique Customs, and this is something we wanted to bring into the shop. Using a mixture of OSB boarding and scaffold display, keeping the paintwork consistent to our brand colours of Black and White, after the first week the shop began to really take shape. Finding the right balance of separating the barbershop section from the retail section was a challenge, as we wanted to use the divide for retail display without completely shutting off the two elements. We needed to ensure that it felt like one shop, with all the elements of what Clique would be placed under one roof, yet with a clear division. The detail we're going into about that division is bordering on the ridiculous, yet its that attention to detail we thrive on and as I look around, I can tell each person in this room has their heart and soul in what we are creating with Clique and it is one of the best feelings in the world and makes all this seem achievable.
We move on, and the shape of the shop and barbershop is apparent, the bulk of the work is behind us, and we can now begin working on the displays and more ridiculously long conversations on rail heights and motorcycle platform dimensions.
With the electrics, the two platforms, the ceilings, and all display units complete, it is now full steam ahead concentrating on final paint coats, and luckyily the weather has allowed us to get outside and work on the exterior. The vision for this was always clear. We wanted to have a presence from the roadside, clearly defining what we do, maintaining the clean lines of our branding set against the exposed brick of our 300 year old home.
As we near the end of the build, all the brand reps begin to arrive, this is the part of this business we aren't used to. We have run our clothing line online for the past 2 years and with that we know where we are, what we're doing and we have a fantastic relationship with all our suppliers and manufacturers. Talking to brands we have all ridden in, worn, used and admired for so long, is nothing more than exhilarating. Bringing this market and these brands to an area that has little to no representation is a brave decision, the market research tells us the market is there, we know its there, because we ride with so many of the brands target audience, but its a big commitment and looking at it now, the build was the easy part. All the brands are excited to be involved in Clique, which is a great feeling to have, and we are lucky enough to have Sailor Jerrys support our opening party. Tomorrow its the 8th of May and we are tired, anxious and if anyone can tell us how to get the card machine to work it would be a real bonus.
TU
Clique Customs
]]>Its been an incredibly busy time at Clique, our first Christmas came and went in a blink of an eye and we have yet to catch the time to reflect on what just happened, let alone the previous 8 months. Que a 5 hour road trip, the perfect time to digest all the events of 2017, and plan out our assault on the next 12 months.
Having been the South West Dealer for Mutt Motorcycles since August, we have had such a positive to reaction the stylish small engined machines, we felt we needed to put a visit together to Mutt, to put faces to the names we've been speaking to and to extend our knowledge of how the program at Mutt works.
We arrived, grabbed a coffee and took the tour with Bennie. They have been in this premises for about a year, the former industrial unit now houses the factory, a clothing store, a coffee shop, and an events space – creating a Motorcycle lifestyle hub that has the feel of a really cool place to ride to and hang out.
We go through to the large factory space where the Mutts are put together and seeing the guys at work on the new lines of Mutts ready for for 2018, the attention to detail that goes into each build is immediately clear.
The Hilts 125 Green
The new RS-13 125
The conversation quickly moves toward the plans Bennie has for 2018, and its clear that Mutt Motorcycles are building on the successful program they have created to date. With the 250 range increasing and the introduction of the stunning RS13, available in both 125cc and 250cc engines, its an exciting time for the Birmingham based company.
Moving back through to the Mutt shop and entrance area, with the walls adorned with some fantastic artwork, the subject moves onto the ever growing market for well built small engined custom motorcycles, and how they are such a good fit for the roads we ride day in day out in Cornwall, the go anywhere, do anything philosophy clearly runs right through the veins of Mutt.
We begin to say our good byes, our next trip up here will need to coincide with one of the Mutt Parties as they carry quite the reputation.
We leave Birmingham for the long road back to Cornwall with a greater appreciation of the work that goes into each and every Mutt, and as we leave we spot the bike that began it all...............
Click here to view the Mutt Collection
TU
Clique Customs
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