A local company with strong core values and ambitions, Random Happiness Clothing’s range includes some macabre designs, which are perfect for getting you into the mood for the spooky Halloween season!
The brand was founded by Charlie Harris, who wanted to build a business which would have a positive impact on people, but also avoid having a negative impact on the planet. Their mission is to produce quality clothing with minimal environmental impact, whilst taking inspiration from the world around them. They only use certified organic cotton garments, and all the printing is done by hand in Brighton & Hove.
The name Random Happiness speaks of the luck which is all around us. “If we can keep ourselves open to seeing them, we are surrounded by and often the recipients or donors of random acts of kindness and humour,” says Harris. “Whether you’re on the giving or receiving end, or are just an observer, these moments instil a sense of well-being which can have a marked effect on our state of mind…” He says a little random happiness goes a long way. With the state of the world right now, we could all do with a little more.
Designs are unique to them, and many carry a hidden message. Their Skull Kiss Heart design offers a statement about freedom of choice… As they say on their website “Love is free, Love is blind, whoever you love, we don’t mind!”, the idea being that people should be free to live their lives however and with whoever they please.
Meanwhile, their Random Justice design is a take on the epidemic of Social injustice sweeping the world. This is inspired by the ‘Our Lady of Justice’ statue which sits atop London’s Old Bailey court buildings. The statue’s sword is intended to symbolise swift justice and the scales are supposed to emphasise a fair trial. On Random Happiness’ dystopian subverted version, they’ve placed blood upon her sword and her hoody, while the brand’s dice logo on the scales suggest there’s a lot of luck involved in accessing a fair trial… And enjoying that luck is related to how much money you have, what colour your skin is and what gender or religion you are.
By producing high-quality, environmentally friendly apparel, people will want to wear Random Happiness Clothing products again and again. Harris says he’s got a few t-shirts at home which have been constant companions and have been worn regularly for over 15 years. That’s what he wants his creations clothes to become for others – long-lasting favourites. In a world of disposable fast fashion, we could all survive with less stuff. If people buy just what they need, and it’s of a good enough quality to last many years, then we consume less. If we all consume less, we all discard less and if what we buy is created sustainably, the impact on our environment is markedly reduced.
Random Happiness Clothing’s designs are inspired either by street and tattoo art, with an underlying theme of social justice, or by music. Harris used to manage DJs and promote events, so saw first-hand in house music’s early days that it didn’t matter who you were or where you were from. Everyone could be part of one big family on the dancefloor.
As the range develops and expands, the intention is to create classic designs which aren’t chasing ephemeral fads. Random Happiness Clothing isn’t intended to be an on-trend brand which dispatches last season’s unsold items to landfill. By offering something which genuinely endures, they hope to not only fill people’s wardrobes with well-manufactured items but have a tiny positive influence on the people who buy these clothes and those who see them being worn.
They’ll only ever use organic cotton garments and will only ever print them by hand. Just because it produces a superior product and is demonstrably better for the environment. Harris says if it reached a stage where they couldn’t meet the demand for their products by sticking to these principles, then they just wouldn’t meet the demand.
For more information, and see their full range of brilliant designs, check out: www.randomhappinessclothing.com
