Established in 2011, hype began as a self-funded project, designing printed clothing and accessories. After winning a t-shirt printing competition, hype had its first batch of stock, which sold out in a matter of hours. With the use of social networking, hype quickly developed into something that could no longer be tamed from the single room it was created in. Within months, hype had started to evolve into one of the UK's most recognisable brands.