Unique clothing range is a hit with farmers

“The clothing has to be extremely durable” says Feel Alive Agri founder & farmer, Jack Sheffield.

When farmer Jack Sheffield spotted a gap in the market for an exciting clothing brand for young farmers, he decided to create his own line. His company name, Feel Alive Agri, was inspired by a joke between friends, which later took off on social media. Farmers Guide spoke to him to find out more…

Feel Alive Agri was launched in 2017 as a unique clothing line for young people in farming – one that “looks good covered in dirt and represents a lot of young farmers’ lifestyles of working and partying,” its creator Jack Sheffield explains.

The company name was inspired by a joke between friends at work, when Jack coined the phrase ‘Feeling Alive in the John Deere 7530’. After the hashtag took off on social media, Jack decided he wanted to start a brand like no other.

Originally, the product line contained clothing with hashtag slogans corresponding with tractor numbers that rhymed with words – which Jack says remains very popular. Later, the brand introduced ‘feelaliveagri’ decals in a few sizes before moving onto polo shirts, then hoodies. Eventually, they brought out various hats, gillets and jackets.

Commenting on the quality of the products, Jack says: “The clothing has to be extremely durable. We have constantly changed the hoodies over the three years we have been going and now we are working with some of the best quality garments we can source.

“In fact, we once had a customer thank us for how thick the hoodies were as they managed to blanket out a fire with it on a telehandler, which saved the whole machine!”

He adds: “With the polos and t-shirts, we find they have to be a really nice fit, and soft comfy material, something that someone could happily wear on a long day on the farm. We always test out different garments on the farm before release – we give them plenty of abuse to see how they withstand it and wash them at very high temperatures.”

An important ethos for the business is supporting British farmers, and supporting British businesses – all supplies and products are sourced from other British businesses; Feel Alive Agri makes all its decals in-house and use its own equipment to cut and press the logos. A very local business also handles the embroidery. Jack says this not only brings them a sense of pride, but also peace of mind.

Prior to setting up Feel Alive Agri, Jack grew up on his family farm in East Sussex before working on larger arable farms in Kent and spending two seasons contracting in Kent and Sussex. He then worked in Australia on the harvest down the east coast, which he says was an “eye opener” and helped him to gain knowledge, experience and contacts. His former employer in Australia now uses Feel Alive Agri decals on all their combines and helps to promote the business there.

While the brand is mainly popular with young farmers, many age groups now wear it as an affordable, comfy garment for work – including many people from non-farming sectors.

Jack says new products are always in the pipeline, but he prefers to keep these a secret until they are ready to launch.

For more information or to view the product range, visit: https://www.feelaliveagri.co.uk