Bonesmend Clothing
Bonesmend is a new lifestyle brand based on the south coast of England started by two friends James Holcombe and Dan Shrubb. They have both been into riding bikes since a young age and are very well known around the south for there fun outgoing nature. In this interview, we speak to James about the Bonesmend Brand.
Hey, James thanks for taking the time to talk to us. For those readers that don’t know you would you like to introduce yourself?
Not a problem dude always up for a chat! My name is James and during lockdown, I started a lifestyle brand called Bonesmend. I have been riding bikes since I can remember be it Bmx, Downhill or just some scrapper to get to the pub. Over the last couple of years, I have been working as a chef living in the French Alps. I was lucky enough to enjoy some of the best bike parks France has to offer as well as getting to see the last Crankworx in Les Gets. Now back in the UK, I have traded in my chef whites for a job as a bike mechanic. Changing careers has given me more time to spend on Bonesmend.
How did Bonesmend come to creation?
Last year I was working in a hotel in Les Gets, my internet was shocking and it was a stormy day outside so I decided to stay home instead of ride. I’ve always loved drawing and when I wasn’t working or riding I was doodling. Fast forward to the start of this year during lockdown I got back into digital art. After spending a few years studying art I figured I’d brush up on my skills came across the notepad from Les Gets and got to work. I posted the artwork on a Facebook group and from the response I got I decided to give some stickers ago, little did I know they would sell out in just over 24hours! After that, I had people asking if I was going to be making anything else and Bonesmend kind of happened from there.
How is everything so far?
It’s been going really well the first set of tees have sold completely and were nearly out of the next batch. We have had orders from all over the UK from Penzance to Glasgow and had really good feedback from people. I’ve had a lot of support from my friends, Dave at D&D cycles, the guys from Barreg Cycles to name a few.
I see you are printing the Tee’s yourself, is that time consuming?
To start with it was pretty time consuming, it’s a pretty steep learning curve printing for yourself. I enjoy the process from a sketch on a random note pad to the final design on something I can wear. If I’m honest there were a few times when I was questioning if it was worth the hassle. But once I got the hang of the techniques it was pretty plain sailing.
What’s the plan for Bonesmend going forward?
Going forward I’d like to give back to some of the trail builders that don’t really get the right recognition they deserve, be that with collabs or just sending them some beer or tools.
Anything exciting coming out in the near future?
Well, we have a collab in the works with Dave at D&D CYCLES, got some caps and beanies coming soon, some artist editions with a friend from the Czech Republic.
Looking at your social media it looks like you guys are having a lot of fun, do you think this is helping with your growth?
We do have our fair share of fun, the way I look at it there are so many accounts where you never really get to know the people behind the brands, you get a T-shirt from us you have probably seen it being made over a few beers on the story.
Thanks for chatting with us James, we cant wait to see what the future holds for Bonesmend
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