WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Four by Four Clothing
2016
On 04.04.2016, in a room measuring 4×4 meters, close friends Tom Tamboer and Timo Hietkamp founded Four by Four. They met in the retail world without any real experience in that area, but they did have a heavy dose of enthusiasm. Tom taught himself how to design and was responsible for the creative part of the brand. Timo took care of the business side of Four by Four. Initially, everything was designed around the element 4, thinking they could design infinitely and unleash their creativity. The Four by Four logo originated from the combination of twice the number 4. The typography of Four by Four was handwritten by Tom’s grandmother, who even had the brand’s signature ‘F’ tattooed on her back!
The first launch of Four by Four included a few t-shirts, caps and a tote bag. The t-shirts were produced in Pakistan, using screen- and laser printing. A company from the Netherlands acted as the middleman between the manufacturer and Four by Four. They said that we could restock in very small quantities, which sounded great since we had limited cash flow. In the early stages of the brand we lacked the know-how on sourcing the right fabrics and finding the right manufacturers. After a couple of hiccups in the first production runs, we ditched our initial approach and went back to the drawing board.
2017
In 2017, the first pop-up store was held in Groningen. It drew a large crowd which marked the first major success for our small clothing brand. With the launch of the Paracetamol T-shirt in collaboration with KOPJEK in September 2017, the first of many collaborations was born. By cutting our production in Pakistan we had to adopt a different approach. To release multiple items and reduce production times, we invested in white-label items from a global manufacturer. We took this route by purchasing samples first and then testing them through repeated washings. Via this method, we knew we could be more consistent in the quality of the products. The embroidery and screen printing was done in our hometown of Groningen.
In 2017 Malik Yusef commented on one of our Instagram posts. Malik Yusef is an American spoken word artist, poet, rapper, and music producer who has won 9 Grammy awards and has collaborated with artists such as Drake, Beyonce, Ye, Ty Dolla $ign, Snoop Dogg and John Legend. We had never heard of him, but were immediately impressed when we saw his work. We decided to try and send him a message whether he would be interested in collaborating with us. Lucky for us he was planning a European tour and he was up for it. This resulted in the launch of a limited edition crewneck which was designed by us and sold both in the United States and here in the Netherlands.
After a year and a half, Timo unfortunately had to take a step back from Four by Four due to personal circumstances, but he is still involved with the clothing brand to this day. After Timo announced his exit, Jesse van der Laan joined as a partner. He was studying in Berlin at the time, so he had to work from there for a while. Jurick Peney also played an important role as creative director, alongside Mike Molenhuis and Jordy van Wijhe. The latter two were mostly responsible for shooting content for Four by Four. 2017 also marked another collaboration we are very proud of, the collab with our friends from Roodkopje. Famous for their red cups, good vibes, and lots of dancing, Roodkopje is a HipHop, RnB & Afro collective which hosts parties twice a year at the Simplon in Groningen. Four by Four provided the merchandise for a couple of editions.
2018
In the continuous search for better suppliers and the growth we’ve experienced over the past two years, we made the decision to move away from white label and have our own custom-fit t-shirts and long sleeves produced in Serbia. About 100 pieces per color per style were produced. After an initial visit by Jesse to the factory in Serbia to have a look at how the production process was going, we were sold and decided to take the leap.
Definitely, one of the highlights of 2018 was when Kraantje Pappie stepped out of the helicopter at the “Vliegende vrienden van Amstel Live”. At that moment he was wearing the black Four by Four numeric T-Shirt which became one of our best-sellers.
2019
During one of our hosted pop-up stores at the Uurwerker, we met Jacob Kuiper who visited the store as a visitor. As an experienced graphic designer, he was up for a new challenge. Because Tom and Jesse had to combine Four by Four with work and study, the workload became heavier. So in 2019 Jacob was added to the roster to strengthen the team. His input raised the bar and the quality.
By far the highlight of 2019 was the collaboration with Hullaballoo. Hullaballoo is a summer festival in Groningen and the organization approached us asking if we could provide their merchandise, and if we wanted to sell the merchandise on the festival. During the festival, with a line-up including the likes of like Craig David, Lost Frequencies, Klingande and many more, we managed to set up a well attended pop-up store.
2020
In 2020, the Four by Four office resided at the so-called Pudding Fabriek. This is an event location in the heart of Groningen which housed a number of other companies. One of the companies that also operated at the Pudding Fabriek was Flink. Four by Four and Flink then decided to join forces to produce the first truly professional brand video.
2021
In 2021, the attention shifted from Four by Four to starting a creative agency specialized in designing and creating brand identities, Vier Studio. This took more time than expected and as a result Four by Four was put on the back burner. Creating a profitable clothing label turned out to be a lot harder than expected. Everybody was forced to make their own living alongside building up Four by Four.
On top of starting up Vier Studio there was also the blow of Tom suffering a burnout. The Covid-19 pandemic hit which meant that pop up stores were no longer an option. This resulted in Four by Four almost coming to a complete standstill.
2022
In 2022, Jacob and Jesse continued to expand Vier Studio. At that time, Tom was recovering from his burnout and faced the choice of continuing with Vier or pursuing his dream and passion with Four by Four. After thorough discussion, both Jesse and Jacob decided to proceed with Vier, while Tom opted to relaunch Four by Four. After making this choice, he enlisted the support of his brother, Jasper Tamboer and close friend, Rick Boendermaker to join him at Four by Four. The next step was to conduct a major rebranding for Four by Four.
FACING HEAT AFTER THE REBRAND
Four by Four Clothing
2023
After Jasper and Rick joined Four by Four, a rebranding was our first priority. During the rebranding, we adjusted the numeric logo and developed a completely new Wordmark logo. We also introduced Mr. Lucky and established a completely new website. Starting from the new launch on March 17, almost all clothing items were designed by us and produced at Kleerlijk in Groningen. Besides running Four by Four, Tom began working for Kleerlijk and learned more about fabrics, cutting processes, stitching, and sewing.
We also felt that we needed to take the next step when it came to the production of the clothing designs and its fits. We no longer wanted to produce just t-shirts, hoodies and socks, but wanted to produce complete outfits. This resulted in the first release of Four by Four pants and short.
In the summer of 2023, we had a major collaboration with Monkey Shoulder, the global whisky brand used in cocktails. This was a very successful collaboration, with more than 50 ambassadors receiving a full outfit (t-shirt, shorts, and matching socks). The launch event was a great success.
This year, we held the most successful pop-up store ever. Unfortunately, in the week following the pop-up store, we received a letter accusing us of name infringement with the name Four by Four. By that time we were only up and running for 3 months and had already dropped a lot of items. We received the signed letter in June ’23. After a lot of back and forth we decided to change our name. This was actually the moment when our desire to become great truly began. All in all, we could say that this was the best thing that ever happened to us after 7.5 years of ups and downs.
After good friend, Merijn Binnekamp, came up with our new brand name, Mart Biemans designed the new logo. Groningen is home to a lot creative and talented people and we are so grateful proud to have their help.
Finally, we want to thank everyone who has supported us wholeheartedly over the past 7.5 years. From the people we have had beautiful collaborations with, to models, website builders, photographers, and videographers. Of course, we cannot forget those who have bought and worn the brand with pride and love. Without your support, we wouldn’t have been able to create the memories we have now and proceed with setting up the new brand. THANK YOU!
It ain’t over when it’s OFUR.
OVERCOME ALL, RISE BEYOND
OFUR Clothing
2024
There is a new kid in town that’s never going to quit. Eight years after Four by Four started, the rebranding is done and the new name “OFUR” (pronounced as OVER) is revealed! After a lot of trial and error, we’ve put together everything we have learned over the years and we proudly present this brand. Januari ’24 we launched the new name together with a video, produced by HARD from Groningen.
The production of our clothing has completely been outsourced abroad. This gives OFUR the chance to fully customize all the products and improve the quality. Our new clothing is produced in clothing factories where other major Dutch streetwear brands also produce their clothing.
Another focus for us was automating the process. One of the processes we have automated is the logistics process. Our products are no longer shipped from home but from a fulfillment center in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht. This not only ensures that we can manage our stock better, but also that orders placed before 11:59 PM are delivered the next day.
Another goal in 2024 is to move into retail businesses. We have found a party that has given us the opportunity to take this first step. Klup De Dag in Groningen and Leeuwarden are the first physical stores where OFUR clothing will be available. Thank you for your trust in us. We promise we won’t disappoint!
