'I like proper characters to model my clothes': Yorkshire clothing brand Raker as worn by musicians Graham Coxon and Steve Cradock

The shoots see Charlie work alongside photographer and collaborator Tom Atkin, frontman of Hull-founded indie band The Paddingtons. “We tend to develop ideas organically - throwing concepts back and forth over numerous phone calls and messages before seeing where they take us,” Charlie says.

One shoot features local musician Steve Brodie. “Steve turned up, put the clothes on and instantly looked like the man for the job,” says Charlie.

“We shot across a couple of locations in Hull, including Tradewell Snooker Club, whose members kindly let us take over part of the club for the day. The regulars were a mix of interested and slightly confused about what we were doing there.”

Raker offers knitwear, workwear-inspired jackets and accessories. “The brand is particularly known for its stripes, which have become a recognisable signature - a subtle nod to the mohair punk jumpers of the late 1970s, reinterpreted through traditional British manufacturing,” Charlie says.

He designs all the products himself, and they are manufactured in England, in partnership with specialist mills in West Yorkshire and a family-run factory in Leicester, then sold directly through Raker website, and at a few select retailers and pop-ups.

Another shoot, marking the launch of Raker's first collection of lightweight knitted T-shirts, features Luke Brennan, frontman of London punk band Muck Spreader, and took place in Bridlington and a farm on the Yorkshire Wolds.

“Like many of the people who have got involved with the brand over the years, Luke is a proper character,” says Charlie. “He brought his own unique energy to the day. He immediately understood what we were trying to achieve and made the whole shoot feel effortless.

“Like most of our shoots, it wasn't over-planned. We had a rough idea of where we wanted to go and simply followed whatever looked interesting. Those tend to be the days that produce the best photographs.”

Charlie, 35, lives near Beverley with his fiancée, Abbie, and their two young children.

He went to Pocklington School before taking an Art Foundation at Hull College, followed by Fashion Design at Manchester Metropolitan University, where his final collection was selected to represent the university at Graduate Fashion Week.

After graduating, he moved to London, gaining experience through internships before progressing into designer roles with brands including River Island and Boden.

He joined Tommy Hilfiger and moved to Amsterdam, where he and Abbie lived for several years, before returning to East Yorkshire, where he founded Raker in 2021. “I’d spent over a decade working internationally in the fashion industry across London and the Netherlands,” he says. “Moving back home with our young son gave me the opportunity to build something of my own - and to do it on my own terms.

“Getting started was challenging, but I didn’t hesitate. I began working on the brand almost immediately after returning home - I’d spent years collecting inspiration and ideas, so there was a real sense of momentum.

“It was self-funded, built around English-made, small-batch production, and I was developing an audience from scratch while raising a young family and continuing freelance design work alongside it.”

It took more than a year of development before Raker officially launched. “During that time I handled everything - from designing the product and sourcing materials to working with manufacturers, finding photographers and models, and building the website - and everything in between, with a fair few hiccups along the way,” Charlie says.

“Looking back, there was probably a certain confidence of ignorance in the early stages - not fully appreciating the scale of what I was taking on. But those constraints ultimately shaped the brand.”

Charlie is inspired by culture rather than by trends. “Particularly the music and subcultures that shape how people dress,” he says. “Punk fascinated me growing up, which led to an interest in skinhead, mod and Northern Soul cultures, as well as football terrace style. “Alongside that, I’ve always been drawn to denim, workwear and utilitarian clothing — pieces built for purpose.

“Photographer Martin Parr has been a significant influence; his documentary lens on British life and character continues to inform the direction of the brand.

“One of my earliest fashion memories is regularly visiting a shop in York called Sarah Coggles, which has since closed, with my mum. I remember the atmosphere — the staff, the music, the way the clothes were displayed before I even understood the brands. It made me think, ‘That’s what I want to do - work in a clothes shop.’ I eventually did - and realised the reality was far less romantic than I’d imagined.”

The customer base is varied, and although Raker is primarily a menswear label, a growing number of women wear it. Most customers are based in the UK, but products also ship out across Europe and to the United States and Canada.

“The brand has also been worn by musicians such as Graham Coxon and Steve Cradock, which has meant a great deal given the brand’s influences.

“Quite often customers say a piece reminds them of something they once owned - there’s a sense of familiarity and nostalgia, reinterpreted in a more considered way.”

His own favourite piece is Raker’s best-selling knit The Jones Stripe, a bold striped bouclé design that nods to the punk mohair jumpers of the 1970s and the grunge knits of the 1990s. “It’s a piece with presence, but still easy to wear,” he says.

The latest collection, a first move into a spring/summer offering, brings with it the Cooper and Clarke T-shirts, made in cotton and knitted in England with textured stripes, for a lighter, warm-weather version of the brand’s signature.

“Given the unpredictability of British weather, they’re designed to layer just as well as they stand alone,” says Charlie, who oversees concept, design, sourcing, marketing and sales.

“Probably the most rewarding part is when someone chooses to buy a piece I’ve designed. After all the development behind it, that moment makes the work - including the more stressful parts - worthwhile. It’s a quiet validation that the ideas and references have resonated,” he says.

“The ethos is simple: clothes that are made properly. Made in England. Produced in limited runs. Raker is an independent label built around quality, longevity and British manufacturing - creating considered pieces designed to be worn for years rather than seasons. I’ve never felt the need to overcomplicate things for the sake of it.”

Running the brand independently brings constant challenges, he says. “My background is in design, but building a business means I can’t focus solely on that - I’m also responsible for production, logistics, marketing and sales. Balancing the creative side with the operational demands is probably the hardest part.”

The pandemic made him want to launch the business. “Seeing how uncertain parts of the industry felt pushed me towards building something smaller and more independent, where I could control the pace and direction myself.”

Charlie aims to keep building Raker something solid and long-lasting. “Improving the product each season, staying committed to British manufacturing and gradually growing the community around the brand.

“Growth is important, but not at the expense of quality or independence. I’d still love to open a shop one day - a physical space where the product can be experienced properly - but I’m realistic about how much shopping habits have shifted.

“I’m drawn to clothing that feels authentic and lived-in - pieces people wear hard and keep for years rather than seasons.”

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