The Douglas Apparel Store is hosted by Shopify here: https://32a040.myshopify.com/
Douglas Apparel is a collection offered by “Historical Hoodies” and is a separate entity to the museum.
However, a minimum of £5 per Douglas Apparel item sold (the profits) is pledged to preserving Douglas’ Heritage. I (Chris, the chairman of the museum) guarantee that pledge, because this is an enterprise that I have launched myself. The museum has experienced zero costs for this.
Taking inspiration from Douglas -and Scottish- History, I designed these clothes in my living room in Douglas using ‘NovaTomato’.
Here is how it works:
You order from the Douglas Apparel store (if something tickles your fancy, that is). We then pay NovaTomato to make the goods to order (this takes a maximum of 12 working days and depends on the item ordered). They will also then ship the order directly to you (this can take up to 8 working days to arrive).
There are no additional costs. Taxes and shipping are included in the price you see. We are selling and shipping to the UK, USA, and Canada at the moment and we will try and expand this to the EU and Oceania soon.
The range will also expand as I continue to work on designs. Feedback is always welcome (the best way to get in touch with me is via the messenger service on our Facebook page).
You may have some questions:
Such as, ‘why clothes?’ or ‘why this price?’ or ‘Why NovaTomato?’
To answer these questions in turn: ‘Hoodies’ and ‘Tees’ is just one avenue we are exploring. Expanding our e-commerce range is something we continually look into and, when the time is right, we will do this. However, ‘Hoodies and Tees’ is something we are often asked about/recommended to look into.
The price is based on the cost to make the goods to order, plus taxes and shipping, plus the costs incurred via the e-commerce platform, plus £5 for the museum. As such this is genuinely the cheapest these products could be sold for. The price is still competitive and the products are very high quality! The Tees have that ‘NFL top’ feel and the Hoodies are tough, thick, and very comfortable! The Hoodies narrow at the waist, so make sure you check the size chart on the product page!
NovaTomato had the best design capabilities and they have an impressive track record. They also have a clear commitment to sustainability. Partnering with them means upfront costs are kept to a minimum due to their print-to-order model and, because they ship directly to you, it means the items don’t need to be sent to Scotland first (unless you live here, of course).
Thank you for your time!