When Charlie Wise’s dad started Listen Clothing in 1988 as a way of delivering social and environmental messages in a tasteful way, he could never have imagined 30 years later, his son would pick up where he left off. And neither could Charlie.
What started as a box of printed logo tees to sell to his mates over Instagram DMs has now turned into a solo operated surf and streetwear brand which is now stocked in one of Australia’s leading skate shops – Fast Times.
“Back in 1988, my Dad created Listen clothing with the intention of making fashionable, yet comfortable, casual wear. The brand’s ethos was to deliver social and environmental messages in a tasteful and subtle way. He got distracted with other business ventures and closed his operation a few years later. However, he continued to renew the trademark ‘Listen’ and always kept the artwork around the house. While I never had some big crazy dream to start my own clothing brand as a kid, as I grew up I thought it would be a good idea to bring back to life what dad started.”
The 25-year-old, who grew up competing in grom comps and is also a handy kite surfer, said the process of restarting ‘Listen’ has been a long journey. It’s been seven years since Charlie printed his first tees and he’s only just starting to find his groove.
“The first products in 2019 were just the redesigned logo on some blank tees. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, I just remember taking iphone photos of my brother in our garden and posting them on Instagram with the caption ‘DM me to order.’ At the time, I was competing in kite surfing events and travelling a lot. I also spent a ski season overseas, which ended up being great exposure for the brand – any product I had with me, I’d sell on the road. After that I went to university for three years and studied Finance and Entrepreneurship which was a complete waste of time. Throughout university Listen was a side hustle and then towards the back end of the course it became my thing and I went full time with the brand in 2023.”
Despite growing up around some heavy water, being nifty in the tube and hanging with the likes of Kael Walsh, Jack Thomas and other WA chargers, Charlie said he originally tried to ignore the natural influences around him when starting the business and avoided being labelled a ‘surf brand’.
“Me and my mates have spent our lives surfing, I’ve been surrounded by the culture from a young age but given the state of the industry, the last thing I wanted to be labelled as was a traditional surf brand. However, as time has gone on I’ve realised you’ve got to stick to your core and stick to what you love, because that’s reflected in your work. Surfing is a massive part of my life and I think it’s silly not to tap into that. You just have to do it in the right way. Blending elements of surf, skate and streetwear is what makes us different. In the streetwear scene, having the surf element to us makes us unique.”
Charlie recently took time away from the city life to score a boat trip in the Ments with his best mates. Testing some new knee knocker boardshorts and labelling it as a ‘business trip’ is one of the obvious perks of being your own boss.
“That was such a sick trip and that’s what it’s all about for me. I gave a bunch of my mates some of the new boardies to test out and they’ll be going live this summer. We’re going to be leaning more into the surf side of things in the near future while maintaining our presence in the streetwear and skate scene.
“We’re focused on producing limited quantities and not getting caught up on selling out the day of a release. It’s about creating a brand that lasts, growing our core range of everyday staples to balance out our louder, seasonal pieces.”
Since moving to Melbourne last year to be with his girlfriend and continue to grow the brand, Charlie has seen exponential growth here with most of his orders now coming from Victoria as opposed to WA. “My good mate, Charlie Curnow, came on board as an investor in the brand. He’s been super helpful it’s great having someone to bounce ideas off. His AFL status doesn’t hurt either haha.”
His next goal is to employ a small team of staff to support him. He’s currently a one man band that’s assisted by his girlfriend and mum a couple of times per week.
“I’ve pretty much been doing it all, from the design stuff and sampling to all the marketing. It’s mad, you’re always chasing your tail trying to keep up with content and if you aren’t dropping stuff constantly then you’ll fall behind. However, I’ve loved the process the whole way through. You learn so much, you can make whatever you want, market it however you want, the process from start to finish is so fun and exciting. Of course, you’re going to make mistakes and I think I’ve made every mistake there is to make so far, but that’s how you learn and get better each time.
“The hardest part of it all is cash flow. Not a lot of people really talk about the finance side of things. But trying to get yourself out of issues that arise and trying to manage money can be so difficult. When you’re small it can be pretty stressful especially when you’re paying for a heap of stock that you won’t see for a couple months.”
When it comes to what success looks like, Charlie doesn’t beat around the bush.
“Success for me is about flexibility and freedom – eventually, I’d love to be travelling more, with a small team backing me up while I’m on the move. Don’t get me wrong I’ve already succeeded in being able to call this my full time job, I wouldn’t want to do anything else and I certainly wouldn’t be able to answer to anyone else. But that’s what everyone wants, the financial freedom to do as they please.”
Another part of Charlie’s success comes in the form of making his dad proud.
“The brand’s changed heaps since Dad’s time, but it’s been great getting his thoughts on what I’ve been doing. I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from his old artwork, and we’re even using some of it in the next collection – a real full-circle moment.”
The brand will be hosting a pop-up store in Sydney from 19-21 December. Get down to 300 Oxford Street Paddington or check them out here.
