For a long time, the plan with Cat & Monkey was to do everything in-house.
At the start, that was probably a little ambitious. I didn’t exactly have the budget for all the equipment, t-shirt stock, prints, packaging, and everything else that comes with building a brand from scratch.
So I used a third-party fulfilment company instead.
They were great, and they helped me get started. But the costs were brutal, especially because I chose to use an ethical brand like Stanley/Stella rather than the cheaper options. By the time everything was paid for, there was basically nothing left for advertising or marketing, which is not ideal when you’re trying to grow a brand, not just quietly whisper into the void.
So now, I do it all myself.
I order the t-shirt stock. I source the prints. I press the designs. I sort the thank you cards, mailer bags, and shipping labels. I pack the orders. I run the website. I do the admin. I do the marketing. Everything.
It’s definitely more work. A lot more work. It’s occasionally chaotic, but it’s held together by caffeine, Bob Marley / Nirvana playlists, and a pure refusal to be defeated.
But it also means more control, more care, and more intention behind every single order.
And that matters, because Cat & Monkey has never just been about selling t-shirts. For every t-shirt sold, I donate £1 to the Born Free Foundation, so every order also helps support wildlife.
That has always mattered to me. Make something original. Keep it independent. Build it properly. Support something bigger than yourself.
So yes, Cat & Monkey is now fully in-house. Slightly feral, but fully in-house.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Thanks for being part of it.
