Forty clothing empire launched after dad spotted toddler son’s monster doodle

A dad who stuck his toddler son’s doodle on his T-shirt before a DJ gig has turned the drawing into a clothing empire. Harry Miller had spent over 20 years in the fashion industry before making his big break.

In 2013, he spotted his then-three-year-old son Bryce drawing a beady-eyed monster and was instantly drawn to it. After a nudge from a graphic designer pal, he had the image put on a T-shirt and wore it while DJing at a local nightclub.

The top went down a storm and soon he was printing the image on T-shirts, hoodies, polo tops, and hats for a pop-up shop. This then developed into the brand Forty in 2014, with a flagship store then opening in Glasgow‘s Royal Exchange Square.

The 51-year-old said: “I’ll never forget coming home late from work one night and lying on the floor was this drawing Bryce had done of the most amazing monster. He was only three at the time and I just couldn’t believe the detail he had put in such precision.”

“Most kids at that age would have been drawing stickmen, if you were lucky, and scribbles. I was so blown away, I took a picture and posted it on social media.”

“One of my friends, Peter Love, who is a graphic designer, said, ‘That would make a good T-shirt’, and so the seed was planted.”

Nearing 40, Harry felt like he was in need of a career change, having spent the best part of two decades working with a high-street fashion brand as his day job, while spinning discs at night.

Harry, who was a regular performer at T in the Park before the festival was axed, said: “I loved working in fashion but I’d been with Cruise for 19 years, the company had changed ownership and I was at a point in my life where I was thinking, ‘Is this who I am?’

“My friend Peter’s comment about making a T-shirt with Bryce’s drawing stuck in my head. I didn’t do anything about it for a while, then one day I was getting ready for DJ-ing that night and started to think about what I would wear.

“There was a wee place in Hamilton I knew of that printed T-shirts, so I asked if they could put Bryce’s drawing on a T-shirt for me. The image was exactly as Bryce had drawn it. I didn’t change a thing.”

His unique tee went down a treat during the gig. Harry added: “That night, it felt like every single person asked me about my T-shirt, who designed it and where they could get one. I don’t believe in coincidences – I’d started looking for a new job and then this opportunity had presented itself.”

“I spoke to Peter, who knew all the technical side of things about what font would work best and things like that. Everything just felt right and fell into place.”

Harry quickly ordered more T-shirts to be made. As his business grew, his bosses told him he had to choose between working for them or running his own company.

He said: “I remember going home to my wife Kelly in December 2013 and asking her if she had bought everything we needed for Christmas because I had just given up my job. It was scary, but I have no regrets.”

With the help of his family, including Bryce and daughter Blaire, Harry officially started Forty Clothing. The clothing empire, which now has a prime spot at The Fort shopping centre in Glasgow as well as the city centre store, started as a pop-up in the basement of a hairdressers.

Harry said:”It had no heating and I had to set up disco lights. But by that time we had put the design on maybe 20 different garments, and there had been so much interest from people we knew and on social media that by the end of our run we had nearly sold out all our products. That’s when I realised this dream could really happen.”

The clothing firm now manufacture all their own designs. Their high-quality fashion, described as cool streetwear with an edge, has made them one of Scotland’s most talked about brands. Lewis Capaldi is a huge fan of their clothing, and his ex – Love Island winner Paige Turley – previously modelled for them.

Forty have been nominated for lots of top fashion awards and have worked with a number of famous brands, including Digital Groove Records, Hancock VA Jackets, Space Ibiza, and DJ Carl Cox.

In 2018, Forty were asked by Glasgow festival Piping Live to create a special bag cover for bagpipes. This bag contained a secret message about mental health that you can only see when you take a picture with a flash. The clever feature was a nod to festival charity partner, the Scottish Association of Mental Health.

Speaking in 2018, Harry said: “Bryce was recently diagnosed with dyslexia and, while that is not a mental illness, it is a condition that can cause lots of insecurities and anxieties, and that’s not something I want him to go through because that’s not good for a person’s mental health.

“Because of his dyslexia, he might struggle with numbers and letters, but even as a very young lad he was expressing himself through art as shown by the amazing monster picture.

“When people hear a child is dyslexic, there is a tendency for them to say, ‘That’s a shame’. But that implies that dyslexia is some kind of failing and that’s wrong. People should celebrate everything about them that makes them who they are.

“Some people might see things in a different way from others, but that’s not a failure and it certainly doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with them.”

“We all have insecurities and anxieties. What is important is that we are not afraid to open up and talk about what is going on in our heads. When people come into our store we always ask, ‘How are you today?’, and we really mean it.”

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