Creative Industry Finance

Percival designs menswear and accessories and runs a shop in Berwick Street, London.

Percival designs menswear and accessories and runs a shop in Berwick Street, and currently employs two people. My business partner Chris and I had talked about starting a label for a while through a shared interest in menswear.

We started Percival in 2009. Chris had moved into a shared studio space with menswear designer Olivia Hegarty and things started to take shape. Soon after, Jake Sorkin joined to assist us with finances and other business matters.

“We received nothing but really useful, constructive advice from friendly people who either had been through similar experiences themselves or understood our situation”
– Percival

Cash flow has been a really hard part of the business to manage, especially in the current economic climate. We applied to Creative Industry Finance to obtain a loan that would enable us to be able to start our first physical retail space. Throughout the process we received nothing but really useful, constructive advice from friendly people who either had been through similar experiences themselves or understood our situation having advised on a number of other familiar cases for other designers and brands. Opening the shop was a moment to be particularly proud of, as was our first order for a multi-brand store.

For us, creativity is borne through collaboration. We all chip in with ideas for everything, from the design themselves, to shoot direction or video content etc. It tends to lead to unique solutions. In 5 years we would love to have another 1 or 2 stores – possibly one abroad. We’d also hope to have an internationally expanding wholesale business. In 10 years time, who knows!