Business | Posted on February 10th, 2025 | return to news
Grant helps Bournemouth designer sew his own fashion brand
23-year-old clothes designer Max Onn has received two SWEF Enterprise Fund grants from Dorset Community Foundation to help grow his business
Ralph Lauren, Giorgio, Armani, Calvin Klein. Could a 23-year-old from Bournemouth be the next name to join this list of famous fashion designers?
Clothes designer Max Onn is building his own fashion empire with the help of two SWEF Enterprise Fund grants from Dorset Community Foundation.
Over the last two years, Onn has received grants worth £1,200 from the fun, which helps young people aged 18 to 30 to overcome financial challenges and other disadvantages to develop their business with grants of up to £2,000 to go towards the cost of training, product development and equipment or stock.
Onn used YouTube videos to teach himself how to design and make clothes. He is fast establishing a reputation for the edgy, distressed look of his shirts, jackets and hoodies.
Based in a studio at the Garm Depot creative hub in The Arcade, Onn said he has always been interested in fashion and began picking apart clothing and using his mum’s sewing machine to put them back together again to learn how they were made.
“One day I thought I’d get the sewing machine out and go for it,” he said. “That was about a year and eight months ago and I don’t think I’ve spent a day since then not using one.”
After launching his Maco brand, Onn soon made his first sale. “This guy stopped me in the street and said he liked it and wanted to know where he could buy one,” he recalled. “I said he could have it for £100 and he bought it, I was so excited.”
Onn used his own savings to get his business off the ground but needed more money for stock and equipment to expand his range. He was told about the SWEF fund by another grant recipient and applied.
“The application process was really easy in the end,” he said. “At first I was a bit anxious about explaining what I wanted to do but when I spoke to everyone and had an online meeting it was very chilled out and everyone was very nice.”
He spent his first £500 grant on stock, a cutting table, storage and other equipment. “It was great because I could get the studio organised and buy some new fabrics,” he said. “It felt like a proper studio with room for me to work properly.”
The second grant of £700 will pay for more stock, a website where he can sell his creations and a camera to help him promote his brand on social media. “The website is being designed now and I’ll use the camera to get more content for Instagram, TikTok and Reddit,” he said.
As well as jackets, shirts and hoodies, Onn has started making hats and tote bags. His ambition is to continue growing his brand. “My goal is to be able to live off the online sales and just have a nice studio space,” he said.
“The grant has really helped my business and having the right equipment and being able to buy stock has helped make me much better at producing clothes. I really love doing it and I get a buzz seeing someone wear something I’ve made.”
You can follow Max on Instagram at @captain.maco and find out more about SWEF Enterprise grants and how to apply at dorsetcommunityfoundation.org.
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