ImagesMagUK_September_2021

Charlie and Freddy Craze Quality, not quantity ADVERTORIAL www.images-magazine.com SEPTEMBER 2021 images 03 Freddy Craze talks about the buzz he gets from building his business, Master Stitch, into the best in the industry W hen he was younger, Freddy Craze loved staying up late partying. Now he loves staying up late looking after customers at his business, Masterstitch, based in Watford. “I wake up every morning and I’m raring to go,” he says. “I don’t ever clock off. When I get a job, I get such a buzz. It’s like a drug. Seeing a customer smile or tag you on Instagram because they’re really happy with the goods and service gives me the biggest high.” It was Freddy’s love of music from a young age such as drum ‘n’ bass that inspired him to form Master Print in 2015, and then Master Stitch in 2018. “I used to like going to all-night parties and saw artists wearing T-shirts. I thought, I love this scene and I love the print industry so how can I bridge that gap.” He began contacting artists and soon secured his first customer. His initial interest in garment decoration came from his father, Lee Craze, who has been in the industry for over 40 years and owns leading screen print and DTG company Fresh Air. But it wasn’t love at first sight, Freddy recalls. “At the age of 15, my old man wanted to teach me what hard work was so made me work in the factory, cleaning squeegees and screens and being on the dryer. Very early on I realised I was never going to be someone who could work for someone else. I always knew I wanted my own business.” Building a business Freddy wanted to build up a business without help, starting out by himself in a tack shed on a farm in Tring in Hertfordshire, with a manual six-colour, six-station M&R Kruzer press. “The first year was the hardest of my life. I had just become a father and I worked 18-hour days, seven days a week for a very long time but I knew if I wanted to build my “No-one else wants to do it. It’s very tricky and takes a large amount of time.” Expertise and time are the currency that Masterstitch trades in. “We aren’t trying to compete with other embroiderers on price. It’s about quality for us. We take time to make sure every garment that leaves here is perfect.” High end retail Masterstitch supplies brands and high-end retailers specialising in urban streetwear but is able to produce any garment for customers of all sizes. Minimum orders for embroidery are 24, with an option to mix and match. “We make it easy and affordable for smaller brands to start up without laying out lots of money,” Freddy explains. “We focus on low volumes and high quality. We will take your idea and make it come alive.” Masterstitch sources from a range of suppliers but mainly Absolute Apparel, which distributes Atlantis headwear. “They are amazing,” Freddy says. “It’s a family business and they provide the best service. I’m attracted to working with people who stick to what they say and I can honestly say they have not let me down once.” Freddy has kept it in the family with the latest addition to the team, his sister, Charlie Craze. She helps manage the day-to-day running of the business while still looking after a few accounts for Fresh Air. Another key member of staff is Emma who has been working for the company since day one. Her expertise in 3D embroidery is highly regarded in the industry. With no website and only an Instagram account, Masterstitch has so far grown through “word of mouth”, Freddy adds. But he has ambitious plans. “We want to take the business to the next level by increasing its capacity with more machines and expanding our client base. I want to lay strong foundations for the next Craze generation.” instagram.com/masterstitch_ client base, this is what I had to do.” He moved into embroidery a few years later, and Masterstitch was born. Masterstitch offers a range of decoration services, carrying out embroidery in-house and working closely with partners Fresh Air, based in north London, and Kwik Shirts, based in Harlow, which offer DTG and screen printing. Masterstitch moved to its base in Watford last year but soon expanded by doubling its space to 3,000 square feet, adding a sleek showroom and large office area. On the ground floor are three Happy embroidery machines, supplied by Midwest Machinery: a six-head, a high-speed eight-head HCR3, and a six- head stretch machine for larger-format jobs. “They are great machines,” Freddy confirms. “The tech is brilliant and the support is second to none.” Digitising is by David Sharp because of its “very efficient, quick service”. The Happy machines are particularly good for 3D embroidery, especially caps. “That’s our main thing,” Freddy says. FIRST LOOK The next newCraze