Believe the Hype: meet the label loved by kids everywhere

Not so long ago the rucksack was seen as drab and ordinary – something to lug your school stuff around in, slung nonchalantly over one shoulder. How times have changed. These days, a boxy backpack worn smartly over both shoulders is cool at school. Who to thank for this modern phenomon? Leicester-based label Hype, now stocked at John Lewis & Partners.

Established by young friends Liam Green and Bav Samani in 2011, after winning a T-shirt design competition, Hype started life as a grassroots local label sold solely via social media. What started small soon evolved into a global fashion brand with its trademark punchy print clothing and accessories for men, women and kids. The latter swiftly filling a gap in the sportswear-loving teenage market as the nation’s kids started wearing Hype backpacks to the school gates. ‘Kids generally have to wear a plain uniform so the backpacks have become a way for them to express who they are,’ says co-founder, Liam Green.

Despite its size, Hype remains an independent, home-grown brand with Liam and Bav at the helm. With its head office and design studio in a converted factory in Leicester, complete with a replica Only Fools And Horses Robin Reliant, table football and in-house pub, it’s where all the ideas and designs are conceptualised. The team aren’t afraid to take risks, adding their signature vibrant floral, holographic and galaxy prints to everyday items. The collection grows each year with bags, hoodies and joggers, currently popular with teenagers across the UK.

For winter, John Lewis & Partners have added machine-washable Hype parka jackets – packed with the same suits-all street appeal that youngsters keep coming back for – the simple black and white logo, the seal of cred. ‘I can safely buy any item of Hype and know that my boys won’t roll their eyes at me,’ says photographer and mother-of-three Katrina Campbell. ‘Sure enough, whenever there’s a party they need to look cool for, it’s always Hype.’