At its heart, the most important thing about the brand is the Northern perspective...
SNIDE started as a university project, and has since grown into a successful fashion label with the Northern experience at its heart. “I didn’t come from a traditional fashion background,” Louie explained. “I became acutely aware very quickly how Southern-focused UK fashion is… whenever the North was represented, it is often in a very cherry-picked, sanitised sort of way”. SNIDE aims to change that. Their garments find beauty in the roughness of the Northern experience, with both the visual motifs and the functionality of the pieces being influenced by Louie’s experiences growing up in Newcastle. “At its heart, the most important thing about the brand is the Northern perspective,” he stated.
Goth, punk, and alternative influences are also a central part of SNIDE’s aesthetic and philosophy. For editorial shoots, models are seen in trad goth makeup, which has become integral to SNIDE's visual branding. Speaking on the decisions behind this, Louie admitted that it was “a lucky accident” - he had been inspired by a photograph of a girl in trad goth makeup surrounded by people in normal makeup at a birthday party, and loved how it stood out but no one was acknowledging it. He said the brand likes to joke that the goth makeup is never planned - models just keep showing up like this.
Louie was introduced to Creative UK at a networking event in June 2025. The application process for the investment was lengthy, involving substantial writing on the philosophy and ideals of the brand, as well as the financial figures and predictions. Before the investment, Louie and his SNIDE business partner, Henri, funded the brand out of their own pockets. “Any mistake would be costly”, he said, but the Creative UK investment has provided a sense of security, and “we’re able to be a bit more experimental”.
SNIDE found out at the end of last year that they had been selected for the investment. “It’s a life-changing amount of money - tens of thousands of pounds,” Louie said, so “it became very real very quickly”. Their first priority with the new funds was to buy a physical studio and office space. This has allowed a place to develop social media content, as well as move forward with internships. Whilst Louie knew he wanted to bring interns on board, having the studio has allowed them to hire four interns this year.
SNIDE is now working on their privé releases, which are individual couture garments rather than a shoppable collection. Louie also stated that he wants to look at production processes and details like neck tags and packaging, going back to foundations “now that we have the comfort of time and money”.
Going forward, SNIDE plans to have a big impact on Newcastle fashion. They want to make a statement post-investment that shows SNIDE is “not just an Instagram brand… it’s artistic, it’s progressive, it’s going somewhere”.