Connor Shacklock-Marais, 28, from Aintree, has seen his 18-month-old fashion label Capria rebound from a cease and desist to being worn by celebrities and stocked in Manchester's Trafford Centre.
Pop-up at Trafford Centre
On Monday, August 17, Connor and his team spent the day at a Capria pop-up in Manchester's Trafford Centre, a milestone that left him "ecstatic". Surrounded by boxes of Capria gear and only one hour before the pop-up was due to open, Connor told the ECHO: "I can’t wait. I’m ecstatic. We got the content team over, loaded the car up and made tracks over here. Setting up took about 45 minutes."
The trip to Manchester was significant for the young label. He added: "It’s huge for us. There are quite a lot of customers in Manchester. When we got given Trafford Centre as a place to set up, it was a no-brainer."
Rebrand after legal clash
The brand started rocky, being hit with a cease and desist letter from a business in Europe. Capria was initially known as Capria Italia, which clashed with another company. Connor said: "It’s a funny story. We’ve had a rollercoaster ride. It was originally called Capria Italia, and soon after our first batch, we got our contract in Cavern Menswear.
"We got hit with a cease and desist. We had to completely shut it down and rebrand. It was awful. It was the hardest obstacle we’ve come across. It was my livelihood and it was growing. I couldn't take it lying down."
Celebrity support and future plans
Since rebranding, Capria has found its way to some heavyweight names in the UK sports industry. Connor said: "We’ve had a lot of support from celebrities - Connor Cody, Nick Ball, Jamie Carragher, world champions - quite a lot of people."
With the rollout picking up pace across the North West and socially, Connor hopes to soon leave his day job as a BT engineer. He said: "It sounds cliche but I want Capria to be the benchmark in fashion for Liverpool and international. I'm slowly migrating over to this full-time, which is a dream, really."
