I first met Cole Buxton when I shaped him a surfboard a few years ago. On the night Cole and his buddy came to pick up the little fish, we sat in my kitchen and chewed the fat about everything to do with design, creativity and beyond. What struck me most was the drive of these young guys and how much opportunity they have at their disposal in the modern world. Subsequently I’ve followed Cole on his journey ever since and jumped at the chance to share it here. Questions & Pictures – Karl Mackie. Words & Pictures – Cole Buxton.
Who is Cole Buxton?
In short, I’m a designer, maker, drawer, angler, surfer, photographer from Derbyshire and I have tattoo’s of ocean stuff. I’m currently in my third year of a degree at Falmouth University studying Performance Sportswear Design.
What do you make?
As part of my degree, I have to make every piece of clothing I design, from jackets, to wetsuits to fly fishing waders. This technical ability I gained from learning how to make real clothing in university eventually led me into making and selling backpacks. I like making backpacks as they fit anybody, so as long as they are comfortable to wear, thats all that matters.
How did you learn?
I learnt to actually sew at university as we have to actually make every garment that we design. This has really improved my designing ability because once you know how something’s put together it’s easier to design it and it’s easier to be realistic about whats achievable and what’s only achievable on paper. If that makes sense? My history/interest in making goes a little further back than that though as I studied art and design at college and specialised in Product Design in furniture.
Who or what inspires you?
I would have to be clichéd and say my inspiration/drive for working hard comes straight from my dad, the hardest working man you’ll ever meet. He’s a builder. As for my design career, I’m not really inspired by anything in particular apart from people. People who have done crazy things going against the odds and changed whatever industry they’re in for the better. They inspire me because whenever I read or hear about someone who’s achieved it, it makes me feel I’m closer to doing so. My uncle, Ralph Dunning, is one of my biggest inspirations in my design career. He revolutionised the Golf industry back in 2001 with ‘Dunning Golf’. The first real golf brand to offer a full range of player specific garments with the correct cut and made entirely of performance textiles. He manages to juggle work with his love for cycling but also makes time for family which is important. He’s now running a company called ‘Foreign Rider Co’, all designed around post ride comfort. I got the opportunity to work on it all with him over the summer, and it really is amazing stuff.
The rest of my list of people who inspire me on a daily basis are the likes of Shawn Stussy, Chris Burkard, Morgan Maassen, Mickey Smith etc.
Most, if not all of your work is made by hand, instantly making your products bespoke. Why do you bother making by hand?
Making by hand is the most old school way of manufacturing and it’s also the coolest. I hand sign and number each bag because it adds that personal connection between brand and consumer something that I believe is lost in today’s world of outsourced mass manufacturing. It takes a lot longer to manually make a backpack but I like it because every bag turns out slightly different.
I’ve watched your branding develop over time to where it currently sits. What was the creative process behind the Cole Buxton Co branding?
It’s kind of hard to pin point the exact process behind Cole Buxton Company because I think it’s a mixup of everything I’ve learnt from college, university and also advice from people over the years. It pretty much all started with my backpacks. The first bag was made entirely out of boredom. A few summers ago I was in Canada visiting my family and after being there for 6 weeks I felt I needed to do something creative so I headed to a fabric shop with my grandparents, purchased some twill in red and blue and made a backpack on my grandma’s domestic machine. I also made a handplane that week. I knew nothing about bodysurfing but I saw some handplanes on a blog and thought they looked wicked so I made one. It literally wasn’t all entirely planned but since then I have made 22 backpacks and sent them as far as Australia.
You clearly show an entrepreneurial mind – is your work a business as well as a craft?
It definitely is a business as well as a craft, or at least I’m trying to make it one. I think in the handmade industry it’s easy to become naive and say that I’m just making the bags out of love or whatever but that can only last for so long because after I graduate I will need to start making money and if I want Cole Buxton Company to become a real brand it’s important for me to start taking a business approach now.
You use the internet and social media to raise awareness of your products, what impact has the internet had on your work?
The internet has pretty much been my only way of advertising my brand and my work. Having a blog is very important because it allows people to see behind the scenes of any designer or brand. Again it adds to that connection between consumer and brand I was talking about, because no matter how big a brand gets, people can still feel involved with it. Tumblr and Instagram are my main ways of showing my work as they are so easy. There was once a case where I uploaded an illustration of the surfer Keith Malloy onto my blog and days later Patagonia reblogged it and it ended up getting hundreds of views. So from a branding perspective these blogs can pretty much do the advertising for you.
There’s a theme running through your work of bespoke handmade craft, photography and the ocean. What role does surfing play in all this?
Even before I got the opportunity to start surfing I had always had an interest in it because all the brands I wore came from the surf/skate industry – Stussy, Patagonia, Vans etc. All the people I know that surf are very like minded, as well as surfing they are into photography, fitness, tattoos and just generally being outdoors. I can’t pinpoint exactly the role that surfing plays in all of my work but I think its because I’m totally inspired by it. My favourite brand Stussy (not the new stuff) came from it, my favourite photographers are surf photographers and I think I subconsciously design my work in a way that appeals to those like minded surf guys.
Finally, whats next for Cole Buxton?
Good question, I’m not exactly sure. All I know is that after I graduate from Falmouth, there will be a lot of travelling, tattoos and brand building going on. I just want to make sure I never fall out of love with it all and that I can make a living out of doing what I enjoy.
Find out more about Cole’s work here: Colebuxton.com
Find him on Twitter here: @colebuxton