Meet the Designer Who Specialises in T-shirts Depicting the Most Recognisable Landmarks in our Region
Founder and designer Aidan Scott recently won Young Trader of the Year North East
Following his architectural studies at Dundee and Northumbria, Aidan started The Big River after identifying a gap in the market. ‘My background is graphic and architectural design,’ he says. ‘This was the starting point to putting graphic design to use in a way that I could become self-employed. It felt like there was a bit of a gap in the market in terms of high-quality, location-specific T-shirts in the region.’
He began to produce scale, elevation-style drawings that stuck to his distinct architectural style, depicting iconic North East landmarks such as the seven bridges over the Tyne and the castles of Northumberland. Starting with organic, unisex T-shirts ethically printed in Newcastle, he now produces a variety of products. ‘At the moment I’ve got a range of new products including notebooks, tea towels and beanie hats,’ says Aidan. ‘I’m taking the idea that most people buy as gifts forward, to have a range of products people can give.’
Despite only starting up in April of this year, the feedback so far has been fantastic. ‘I’ve had lots of repeat customers,’ Aidan says. ‘Lots of people comment on not only the quality of the designs, in terms of my artwork on them, but also the quality of the material. All the hoodies and T-shirts I have at the moment are 100 percent organic cotton. All round, the feedback has been excellent.’
His products haven’t just stayed in the North East either, with orders being made for distribution internationally. ‘I’ve had lots of people buying to send over to Australia, America and Canada so it’s lovely to see them going all over the world as well. A lot of people buy them to gift and it’s really nice to see that kind of reaction.’
Just a couple of months after starting the business, Aidan was named Young Trader of the Year North East for 2024 by the National Market Traders’ Federation. ‘It was fantastic. I was delighted and surprised to win, because I only started in April and it was June that I won, so very early on. It was definitely the highlight of my self-employed journey so far.’
In future, Aidan aims to expand his range of designs.‘The main designs that have done well are the location-specific ones, so that’s where I’ll be taking things going forward. I’m looking to do the mountains of the Lake District. People love going over to the lakes, so the three highest peaks of the lakes is something I want to do,’ he says. ‘Obviously, the bridges over the Tyne are really iconic and I’ll probably end up doing the Angel of the North at some point. I’m just trying to cover as many of the iconic North East locations as I can.’
What is your favourite place to visit in the North East?
Tynemouth. There are lovely landmarks and walks around there.
Where’s your favourite place to eat?
Riley’s Fish Shack, down on the beach. Finished with an ice cream from Di Meo’s.
What is your favourite of the seven bridges?
The High Level. It’s so iconic and it’s one of the oldest. It’s just a stunning bridge!
