SLIMSON
When you come across a relatively new and currently little-known apparel brand that has Robbie Williams modeling a tee, you tend to double-take. That's what we did, and after finding more out about the founder of Slimson, Oliver Jackson, we wanted to ask some questions.
Digging a little deeper we found that the name Slimson is actually Oliver's DJ name. Not only this, but it turns out Oliver is an actor with 20 years of experience already under his belt, still working in theatre, film and television.
This is a pretty unconventional career path, that's why we wanted to reach out to Oliver Jackson to find out what he has to say…
SLIMSON is a relatively new apparel brand. How did it come about and what's behind the word?
I DJ under the Pseudonym SLIMSON (a name which was given to me by BBC 6 Music’s Jon Hillcock) so thought it would be good to use the same name for my clothing brand. My initials are OJ (Oliver Jackson) and I have a ‘Slim Frame’. I’ll let your readers work out the rest…..
Who or what was it that gave you the idea of your strap-line ' If you know you know'?
I use this phrase lots when referring to things that mean the world to me but perhaps very little to other people who aren’t ‘in the know’. When customers celebrate their special memories and moments on our garments I figured this would sum up their feelings perfectly and it kind of stuck.
Looking back over your career, was launching a clothing brand always the plan or did it come about purely, let's
say, by accident?
I have been an Actor for over 20 years and a DJ for 10, so the clothing thing was definitely a happy accident. Having
said that the whole thing was born out of my passion for House Music & Club Culture, so perhaps it was always
meant to be.
Your target demographic is currently the 35 - 50 community – what is it you believe a younger demographic could -
and would - get from SLIMSON?
SOME OF MY BEST MEMORIES ARE FROM BACK IN MY LATE TEENS AND EARLY TWENTIES.
WHY NOT CELEBRATE THOSE AMAZING FEELINGS ON A HIGH-QUALITY GARMENT BEFORE YOU’RE TOO OLD TO REMEMBER!
Your website seems to feature some A-List faces - how did that all happen?
Having worked in theatre, film and television since I was 21, I’ve been lucky enough to make connections with some pretty amazing people.
When a couple of those faces are household names and they want to celebrate the Slimson
story, it definitely helps sell a couple of t-shirts!
As a young company what are your long term plans? Would you ever look to rival the big players, or would you
prefer to stay as a niche brand?
The ‘Slimson Font’ which features on all our garments can now be seen on thousands of people here in the UK. If
you suggested that a couple of years ago I would have thought it was impossible, so who knows where we will be in
the next 24 months. We are slowly introducing the ‘Little S’ range of Tees & Sweats, so the dream would be for those to capture the imagination in the same way that the slogan t-shirts have. Watch this space!
Are there any pieces or one particular piece in your current range that you are most proud of? If so, why is that?
The ‘Bagleys T-Shirt’. It was the very first tee we made and it sums up perfectly a time and a feeling for clubbers of a
certain age.
If you could collaborate with anyone, anywhere? Who and where would that be, and why?
Pharrell Williams seems to know a thing or two about collaborating with fashion brands, so he’d be my pick if there
was a slot in his diary. (Oh….and if Selfridges felt they were ready to stock SLIMSON then I’d be absolutely fine with
that too)
If you could have dinner with one person - dead or alive - who would it be and why?
David Bowie. If You Know You Know.
Love this site!! Already had the Bagleys sweater