Gosport entrepreneur's start-up HumbleB aims to help save the bumblebeeÂ
For the upbeat 24-year-old turned this negative experience into a positive, and it proved to be the trigger for his rapidly-growing clothing business.Â
Now, not only is the brand taking off worldwide, it's also helping save bees from extinction.Â
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Hide AdKalan, from Gosport, said: '˜Last year we were in the news as my car was set on fire, it was a bit of a bad time.Â
'˜The guy who did it called me up to apologise and said 'thank you for being so humble'. He kept repeating the word humble and it stuck in my mind. It was a sign. I kept running it over, so I thought that I'd start a clothing brand called Humble.Â
'˜Humble rhymes with bumble, so I wanted to use a bee as the logo. I knew that bees are having a bad time as my granddad told me a lot about them, so I thought I'd donate some of the money to help protect them.Â
'˜It all kind of came about from that brainstorm.'Â
Kalan, who is also still working in a call centre, has gone into business with his mum, Jane Hall.Â
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Hide AdThey have been taking HumbleB Clothing to markets and selling online, and say they're delighted by the response so far, which has even seen them ship orders to America and been shared online by celebrities.Â
Kalan said: '˜Our first market was amazing. Two per cent of our profits go to the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust, and we give seeds away that IÂ hope people will plant.Â
'˜I am just trying to do my bit. There are a few types of bees close to extinction, and I don't want to see that happen.'Â
All the clothes are made from organic cotton, are ethically-traded, with carbon neutral manufacturing and no plastic is used.Â
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Hide AdKalan and Jane have been using local models and they've been taking their promotional shots in the local area, with help from independent promotional firms.Â
The reaction has been so positive, the pair are in discussions with Camden Market for a coveted spot.Â
Jane said: '˜It is such a good cause. There are 25 different types of bumble bees, two of which are nearly extinct, I never knew that before we started this. The more awareness we can raise, the better.Â
'˜Kalan came up with a saying - 'spread the love like pollen' and that's what we are trying to do.'Â
For more go to humblebgarms.com