Mike Donovan

Owner @Apparel Studio

Sandbach, GB

Having worked in the sports merchandise industry for the best part of a decade, in Feb 2013 I felt it was time to go solo. After a short 6-week crash course in screen printing, I began writing a business plan, researching machinery & applied for a start-up loan.Later that year I launched Apparel Studio. Combining my design experience, knowledge of the market and my new-found love of screen printing, I set about creating a new, fast-turnaround, low MOQ graphic t-shirt solution that focussed on the quality of graphic, ink & garment - the holy trinity! Something that, to the best of my knowledge, didn’t really exist.For the first couple of years, together with my business partner, Florian, I built a modest but appreciative client base in the UK, Germany & Austria. We grew fairly quickly, and in summer 2015 we received a monster order that allowed us to take on staff & upscale our equipment, tripling capacity.In 2022 we relocated to Stockport and began rebuilding the business in a post-Brexit & covid world. In response to Brexit we’d been busy developing ways of continuing business in Europe, opening a second office in Austria & developing suppliers in Europe, Turkey & Asia. As a result, we now offer not only an off-the-shelf solution, but a full range of fully customisable garments & accessories.Our aim is not to be in every club shop in Europe, but to make quality, ethical products and create long-lasting relationships with our clients & suppliers alike.