A first-year Enterprise and Entrepreneurship student from
Coventry University is set to launch his own urban fashion range
today (Thursday 14th July) at the Inspire Café Bar in the
city centre.
Owen Deneny, 32, took inspiration from aspects of modern urban
culture and street art to design and produce a unisex streetwear
line to introduce his new label, Dead Kingdom ClothinG.
The launch event, which will feature a range of premium fabric
graphic t-shirts bearing Owen's own street art inspired designs,
marks the culmination of over 12 months of market research and
deal-making which he carried out during his first year at
University.
With the help of a £3,000 grant from the nationally-funded
SPEED programme - offered through Coventry University's Student
Enterprise Centre - Owen was able to put resource into researching
the market, evaluating different materials and travelling around
independent UK retailers to pitch his products.
Owen has had the entrepreneurial spirit since his late teens,
and has never shied away from experimenting new and unusual
business ideas - when he was 22 he even started his own carpet
cleaning business.
With no prior experience in the fashion industry, Owen relied on
his business instincts and creative flair - as well as a little
help from his friends, including two fellow students in graphic
design and fashion - to produce Dead Kingdom ClothinG's first range
of garments.
Owen said:
"I'm very excited to be launching the Dead Kingdom ClothinG
label - it's quite an adventure! Starting a new business is always
a step into the unknown, but I've had some great support along the
way, including funding from the SPEED programme and some helpful
advice from my course tutors at Coventry University.
"I wanted to create a unique range of t-shirts, with a meaning
behind every design. They couldn't be too generic, but they
couldn't be too niche either. What I've come up with will hopefully
appeal to a wide range of people and prove popular enough to help
build the business."
Owen will start the second year of his BA Enterprise and
Entrepreneurship degree at Coventry University in September. The
course encourages students to start up their own company, embracing
the concept of 'learning by doing' and providing help and support
where required.
The launch of Owen's new fashion range will take place today
(Thursday 14th July) in the Inspire Café Bar, from 8pm-12pm.
Everyone is welcome.
To find out more about Dead Kingdom ClothinG visit
http://www.facebook.com/DeadKingdomCLothinG.
For more information about Coventry University, please visit
their website here: www.coventry.ac.uk