Inside Final Tenth with automotive illustrator Dan Coverdale
An insight into the passion and process behind Final Tenth's retro-inspired rally clothing.
Welcome to the latest edition of Behind the Wheel. Today we’re talking design, rally cars, and retro merchandise with Dan Coverdale, owner of clothing brand Final Tenth.
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How did you get into motorsport?
Dan: My father was never into football, which is the route a lot of kids go into. There was never any sport in our house. Eventually, I started watching the rallying on the BBC and that was my attraction to sport. Then, I developed an interest in touring cars as well, and we started going to local events, like single-venue rallies.
What really captures your attention at the moment?
At the moment I'm really interested in how motorsport moves forward for the next hundred years.
How is rallying going to change in the coming years?
I think we're going to lose access to forestry, meaning rally venues will change. The number of forestry events will decrease, but there will be a role for sustainable forestry events. Nowadays, we're doing really good stuff in terms of making sure the roads are renewed properly after events. They'll be less of it, but the events will be of a high quality. In terms of the environmental aspect, there's going to be growing pressure for us, as a sport, to adapt to how we're perceived by the general public.
We have to engage the next generation. I’m forward-thinking in how I perceive the future of the sport, while a lot of others are traditional. Esports is interesting, because there was push-back from traditionalists who thought it was nonsense, but it’s become a great way to engage with a younger audience - something we’re missing in motorsport.
There are things governing bodies could be doing, but we need to advocate it at a grass roots level and get people on the ladder. We’re heading in the right direction, but there’s a long way to go.
So let's talk a bit about what you do. Can you explain why you decided to start Final Tenth?
I bought merchandise as a kid that I loved but I think we've lost some of the innovation, particularly with merchandise now being very driven by sponsors’ requirements. Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, there was more scope, creatively, to do interesting things, and the brands doing that nowadays are the ones that are coming to the fore at the moment.
Plus, generally, the merchandise was very poor quality; it didn't last. I'd had t-shirts from a particular series, and they would be fine for a year or two, but after that they would just deteriorate. I wanted to create something which was decent quality at an affordable price - something that would stick around. I want it to be ingrained in people's minds.
I think there's an interesting analogy with Subaru clothing. When I was a kid, you'd see lots of Subaru clothing at events, but when you saw it in everyday life, it was always a little bit jarring. I wanted to create products that you would wear every day, and they would blend into the environment without being overly in-your-face.
The lifestyle end of things suddenly brings the cool motorsport themes that we love into actual fashion, whereas teamwear and branded clothing doesn't cross over in the same way, does it?
I think, particularly with teamwear, the tendency is to produce an item for that particular season, which will have a set of distinct sponsors on it to meet the sponsor requirements. Then, the next year, the team will move to a different sponsor, or the market will change, so you end up with an item which has been great for 12 months, but after that time it’s out-of-date. Then, there’s a pressure to buy the next thing - but if it isn't overly branded, you get more longevity.
Motorsport is so driven by money and by sponsor requirements. Is that really the only choice for them?
Yes. My flexibility means I don't have those requirements. I can move between things, I can pick up things from the past, and I don't have any particular affinity to do certain things in a certain time scale. I can pick and choose interesting stories and to work with the product.
You went through a rebrand not so long ago. What was the inspiration behind that?
In terms of business, I've been doing it for nearly nine years, I reached a point where I felt like I’d taken my old brand as far as I could. I wanted to step things forward and appear more professional.
We were a start-up brand before. The name was very obscure, and I ended up explaining it a lot, and it just reached the point where I thought it was time to push things forward. I hesitate to say the brand needed to ‘grow up’ because I don't think I ever will! I've still got that childlike passion I had when I started doing things differently.
And how has the rebrand been received?
It's gone really well.
It's enabled me to look at everything as a whole, whereas before, the things that were done were very fragmented. I've been able to tie in the name, the branding, how we do our packaging, and how the products look where we're pitching up. Also, one of the things I wanted to do is want to branch out into other sports within motorsport; I do have other interests outside of rallying. Hopefully, this gives me a platform to do other things.
Are there any big lessons that you've learned that you could share with anyone thinking of starting an ecommerce store?
One of the things I struggled with, initially, was finding good suppliers. There isn't really a good way to source suppliers directly. What I found worked for me was just being a little bit cheeky and asking people about who they use.
I got burned a few times with bad suppliers, so, over time, I learned to ask. Sourcing great suppliers is the best thing you can do as an ecommerce brand. If the product isn't a good quality, then you won't get repeat customers and your business won't grow.
Have there been any kind of highlights that you want to continue that success?
The second product I did was a Ford RS200, and a certain Mr Ken Block was developing an interest in our products and saw the shirt we had created. He actually posted it on his Instagram; that was the catalyst for some major growth, at the time, because I picked up around 3,000 followers in the two or three months after that happened. After that we started getting traction with all the rally drivers.
How are you continually developing your ideas for the different designs that you're putting out?
I'm very interested in the stories behind all of the products I've done. Each one has a story and there's research behind them. I'll pick an idea, and I have a big archive of stuff from the ‘70s to the mid ‘00s to look through, which I can reference back to ensure I make things that look like they would exist in that period. So, to me, it's important to think about the context of the products and how those would fit in with the era in which they would have been presented. I'm making modern things, but with that nostalgic edge to them.
What is the process like, for you, in coming up with an idea, doing the research, and then going into the design phase? What does that look like?
I spend a vast amount of time looking through old family photographs. I've got old programmes, I scour eBay listings for motorsport merchandise, I look through books, I watch old videos - the first step is picking out the idea.
Then I will think about how that product will be presented, whether that's a sticker or a shirt or a mug, or even something different.
Then the business part kicks in, where you figure out if there's a market for it.
I like to tap into the enthusiasm people have for old school motorsport and bring them something based on that, that they will really, really love.
So, we have a rough sketch stage, and we'll go through three-to-four prototypes. A lot of ideas don't go any further than that.
Your work has this really distinct, retro vibe. Do you have a favourite era of rallying or of motorsport?
People would probably be surprised that it’s not the ‘80s, but, for me, I can't really relate to the ‘80s. Firstly, I was born in the mid-eighties, so I don't remember anything about group B cars. It wasn't even the early ‘90s; it was ‘97 to the current day when I really got interested in motorsport.
Do you have a favourite car from that era?
I'll probably get crucified for this, but it was the Mitsubishi Evo Seven WRC. I remember, when I was 13 or 14, my father was a really staunch Subaru fan, along with my brother, and I was always more attracted to Tommy McKinnon and the mystery. But, towards the end of the 6.5 development cycle, it was clear Tommy was struggling with the car, so there was a lot of hope from me for the Seven when it came out.
I remember thinking it just looked right. I really loved the look and the sound. Then, as the season progressed, it was clear that the Seven was very poor.
I thought it looked great, though. I kind of like the underdogs; when things don't quite go right, they still have really interesting stories. The story of the Seven is really interesting - if you haven't had the chance, do look it up.
You've created a Slack group for people who are working in motorsport. What made you decide to To start that up?
It was a response to the COVID-19 crisis. There were people looking for others in the same situation, and that they could relate to. The mix of me having a full time job and doing this as a passion project had shifted, so I wanted to just help people out, in some small way. I would say it's 50% self help group and 50% just getting people talking and sharing.
We wound up with a good mix of people. My long-term goal is to build something that can connect people.
If you work in motorsport, you can join the group here.
What does the future hold for Final Tenth?
The past two or three months have been about figuring out when, as a business, I can scale up. It's been interesting to take this from being a side project, which I would do in the evenings, to a full-time thing by necessity. I probably wouldn't have made that jump, but it was a good catalyst for me to go, okay, how can I make this bigger than it is? I want to do some things for different sports, and I'd like to collaborate with different brands and companies
I've done small projects for championships and events, so it would be good to take on more of that work, going forward.
I really like to help people out, where I can, because when I started out, I struggled to find people who would point me in the right direction for a supplier, for example, or even just nailing down the process. It's something I figured out over time, so I really hope other people starting businesses drop me a line and ask, ‘how do we get started with ecommerce?’
Do you have a favourite driving road?
Just picking one is quite difficult - I've got about seven!
There's a place nearby called Beacon Fell Country Park and the road round the top of the beacon is great!
I'm quite lucky in that where I live, in Lancashire, I've got fairly easy access to Yorkshire and the Lake District. There's also a road near me from Belmont Darwen; it's a really small road, only about two miles, but it really is a lovely piece of countryside.
You can browse the Final Tenth range at finaltenth.com. You can also follow on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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