Sheffield Gifts, Sheffield T-Shirts, Sheffield Art Prints and more exclusive Steel City-themed memorabilia! Discover the Very Best of the Steel City with The Sheffield Guide
Super high-quality Sheffield Gifts, Sheffield T-Shirts, Sheffield Art Prints and more exclusive Steel-City themed memorabilia from The Sheffield Guide!
A longstanding advocate of the city’s history and culture, James Hargreaves is founder of The Sheffield Guide — an online platform dedicated to Steel City news, video content and merchandise including Sheffield Gifts, Sheffield T-Shirts, Sheffield Art and more!
A born-and-bred Sheffielder, James has worked as a marketing consultant for over 15 years, collaborating with many local businesses, brands and events across South Yorkshire.
Initially a hobby, The Sheffield Guide began as a way to showcase video content promoting everything the city has to offer. Local interest videos detailing the history of Kelham Island, highlighting hidden gems and exploring the city’s underground rivers were uploaded to a YouTube channel and Facebook page, accumulating in hundreds of thousands of views.
When the pandemic hit, James’ work began to dry up and The Sheffield Guide became a new creative outlet, allowing him to put his experience in online marketing and a long-time love of illustration to good use. Having to shield from the virus, James was forced to put a hold on the videos and focus on fresh online content, eventually working on a series of sketches and designs promoting Sheffield culture in the shape of iconic buildings from past and present, much-loved local brands, and nods to musical heritage.
“Being a freelancer when the pandemic hit meant I fell through the cracks of government support, so I had to get creative” says James. “Lockdown gave me the opportunity to focus on my drawing again and I gravitated to what I know best – Sheffield’s history, legacy and culture. I began with just eight designs, and I’ve been expanding the collection ever since.”
There’s now a vast range of products available to purchase on The Sheffield Guide website. You’ll find prints, mugs, t-shirts, hoodies, towels, cushions, facemasks and more – all embodied with a distinct Steel City flavour and made with a strong ethos geared towards sustainability, right down to the plastic-free packaging.
Products such as the Jarvis Cocker ‘Pulp Fiction’ print have been sent around the globe, while homages to Tinsley Towers and the Henderson’s Relish factory have naturally been a great success closer to home. James is keen get back out and work on new video content when safe to do so, but in the meantime there’s plenty more designs to come, and with new requests and ideas coming almost every week, he’s certainly got his work cut out.
“There’s an endless amount of stuff to create! I need to keep making sure I’ve got time to keep the blog side of The Sheffield Guide running too, but I’m going to keep adding to the product list and don’t be surprised to see a few exciting collaborations coming soon!”
Visit The Sheffield Guide at: www.sheffieldguide.blog
