ImagesMagUK-July-2020

IS DECORATOR PROFILE www.images-magazine.com 28 images JULY 2020 T he past few months have been a rollercoaster for decorators since the coronavirus hit Britain. After the initial shock and confusion, many have found ways to keep going by moving into new markets or diversifying their businesses in unexpected new directions. Some are even reporting record sales due to the boom in ecommerce. OHM Clothing Alarm bells started to ring at OHM Clothing in mid-March when this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo – due to be held in July – was cancelled. “They are one of our biggest clients. It was a massive knock to us,” recalls sales and marketing director Jemma Brown. “So we started to think what we potentially need to look like when we come out the other end of this because we thought, if we just pedal now, we’re just going to go round and round in circles, we have to keep a positive Anthony Brown at OHM Clothing outlook, we have got to think about coming out of this bigger and stronger.” OHM closed its shops in Swindon and Devizes, halted production and furloughed all nine staff, leaving only director Anthony Brown, Jemma’s husband, still working. He brought home a single-head Toyota Expert ESP 9000 embroidery machine and set it up in the garage. “What that enabled Anthony to do was all the jobs we still had, to enable us to tick over,” Jemma says. “We published that we were closed but we were still taking orders.” The biggest challenge was the supply chain, with many big suppliers shutting down. “Where they were supplying just their top 40 customers, we were able to get on to their list, which really helped us to keep our heads afloat.” In April, OHM Clothing created a clothing line to promote The Great British Campout, which encouraged people to “camp out at home” during lockdown, using the Lightweight Hooded Sweat and the Iconic 150 T-shirt from Fruit of the Loom. NHS Charities Together, which raises funds to help the NHS, received £5 from every garment sold. OHM Clothing has also stepped up services for charities generally, developing an online platform that takes over ordering and fulfilment of branded merchandise. Another project helped pub owners such as Wiltshire’s Stealth Brew Co raise money with T-shirts, hoodies and fleeces saying, “I’ve supported my pub during lockdown”. “It’s been strange because it’s been very different to what we’ve been Covid-19 diaries Five UK decorators recount their experiences of the coronavirus pandemic, the impact it has had on their business, and how they have responded