Burnley teen launches fashion range

And 18-year-old Harrison Hunt’s Zard Clothing range of t-shirts is selling on the high street and online as he makes a bid to become the next hot young designer.

Harrison’s big break came when Blackburn-based streetwear store Remix Casuals agreed to stock Zard Clothing. As a regular customer, it was one of the only shops in the area that sold the brands Harrison was interested in. He mentioned his range when visiting the shop and after they saw the product they agreed to stock it.

Harrison, an Advanced Art and Design student at Burnley College, said: “That was the first step really to get the name Zard out there.

“I started designing my own clothes when I failed to find the look and product I wanted.”

Sales are also going well online and the Zard facebook page has around 600-plus likes.

Harrison’s designs begin the sketchpad as a general idea which he then draws in more detail before putting the finishing touches to it on the computer.

Lancashire seems to be inspirational to Harrison as the county is reflected in several of his designs and one of his best sellers is the Red Rose that has been given a street twist and looks like it is melting. It looks set to become the logo for Zard Clothing that will define it in the marketplace.

Another success for the young designer was when his designs caught the attention of home grown rapper J Short, one of the competitors in the cult internet based Don’t Flop Rap Battle. The rapper wore one of Harrison’s designs for his battle which was filmed in Manchester and watched by over 300,000 subscribers across the UK, America and Canada. Harrison himself was invited along to be filmed in the audience.

He explained: “With such a huge fan base it was a great opportunity for me to get my designs seen.” J Short has also made an online video sporting Zard Clothing designs.

Quietly confident of his future success, Harrison who lives in Lowerhouse with his mum Nicola, a practise nurse and sister India (13) is now considering his future, either university or becoming a designer full time possibly working as an apprentice.

But he plans to continue with expanding Zard Clothing with a view to introducing the line to more shops across the UK. He is also branching out into designing logos for hats and working on several designs for hooded tops. If you would like to see Harrison’s designs log onto www.facebook.com/zardclothing.