Southern Marine - About Us

Let me introduce myself, my name is Richard Bailey and I am the founder (and sole employee) of Southern Marine Ltd.

Following a 20 year professional career that slowly began to lose its appeal I decided that 2016 was going to be a year of change. Always in the pursuit of happiness, I decided to break the bonds of convention and follow the road less travelled. This meant taking on a challenge quite unlike anything I have ever even attempted before.

Whilst it has never actually been found in his works, Thomas Jefferson is widely credited with the quote “ If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done. ” I think it is such a wonderful piece of wisdom. With this in mind, and my university motto “Do Different” always in the back of my head, I resigned from my job, ordered 15 books on everything from Search Engine optimisation, start-ups, clothing design, e-commerce, graphic design, marketing, fulfillment and brand management from www.Amazon.co.uk and here we are, 3 months later, pursuing my dream of running a clothing brand.

With no experience in any of the above listed subjects, one could conclude that Southern Marine Ltd will either

• Destroy my life savings
• Last less than a year
• Be appalling in its content and quality
• Have almost no chance of success
• Be all of the above

However, whilst time will tell, my pure passion for the subject and my self-discipline that has seen me through so many adventures in the past, give me a fighting chance, which is all I ever ask for. Conviction always carries more strength than one thinks.

Kites have absolutely nothing to do with nautical, preppy styled clothing but I can’t resist a good quote, and recently I heard two very good ones.

“Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.” – Winston Churchill

“You are a kite dancing in a hurricane Mr. Bond' – Mr White, SPECTRE.

Taking this project solely on my shoulders, with absolutely no expertise in the field, I have at times been left feeling a little like that kite in a hurricane the past few months. However, Southern Marine is going to be Winston Churchill’s kite. I am designing and producing the clothing that I love to wear, as that’s the one thing about the clothing industry that I actually know. What it is that I like.

My wardrobe is stuffed to overflowing with clothes I have acquired and failed to dispose of over the years like many of us. Yet I always come back to a small handful of my staples, my classics … my go to items that I find myself wearing again and again. Its these items I want Southern Marine to produce. The quality must be outstanding, the comfort second to none, and the design to reflect your mood and the way you feel that day.

Southern Marine will “Do Different” because whilst I aim to have structure in the brand via the basic essential items and the Carrick Bend (knot) logo, T shirts and other garments will carry definitive patterns, loud artwork that catches the eye and that will not necessarily conform to industry standards of brand uniformity. I want the clothes to be fun and yet functional, and my lack of knowledge will provide me with the innocence and naiveté to make mistakes without fear.

I have been very fortunate. My career took me all across the globe, living 9 years in New York and travelling extensively throughout Asia. I dove head long into American Preppy before I even knew what it was, and Southern Marine is now looking to add an English twist to the genre that has brought so much style to clothing, both casual and formal. By blending patterns and designs I have absorbed from across the globe, I hope I can add a very small chapter to the nautical, preppy feel that so many of us grew up with, or more recently utilize outside of work. I sincerely hope you enjoy our clothes. As Southern Marine clothing grows, if it can, it will certainly become a we and not just an I. The intention though is not to become a swollen corporation, just a fun place to be, that helps you feel good and puts smiles on faces. Once up and running we will offer Charity based T shirts to ensure we give back to the world where it is most needed. Our happiness will not come from huge commercial success, but instead from the knowledge that we are creating something real, tangible and purposeful in the form of versatile quality products that represent good value, with a touch of flair.

People are to be loved, things are to be used, I believe we must never confuse the two. Use these garments and enjoy them to the full, and if Southern Marine is still around a year from now, then I thank you all for giving me a shot at my dream and know that many of you carry the flag for "doing something that you have never done".

Warmest Regards

Richard Bailey – Founder/Designer

January, 2016