Modern Streets' Story: Brighter Whites, Bolder Colours — Why DTF Never Made the Cut
Modern Streets is a small Manchester streetwear label born out of punk-rock culture. Founder Jack Valentine has played in bands since he was 15, and every piece the label sells — tees, hoodies, vests — is decorated with Supacolour Wearable transfers.
"We always sold T-shirts and merch — it was the way to make a bit of money as a small band."
Six years on, Modern Streets is still pressing the same transfers it started with. Here's why DTF never made the cut.
Where it all started
Early on, Modern Streets used a print-on-demand DTG partner, and it went wrong fast. A sleeve print peeled off by the end of the first day — before it had even been washed.
"That got me thinking — I can't be sending stuff out like that."
Finding Supacolour
Jack needed a method that could carry bold colour and run in-house, straight off a heat press. Two Supacolour test designs, placed beside the DTG samples, settled it.
"The colour difference was very apparent. It was definitely a level up."
Six years on, "we're still using the exact same stuff."
Why Wearable
Modern Streets have watched DTF become popular across the industry, and still choose Supacolour Wearable. Because it's a screen print, "it softens after a few washes for a better hand feel."
"The whites (using Wearable) pop a lot more. (Switching to DTF) would feel like a step back."
Quality the customer can feel
Modern Streets focuses on retention and on reorders for new collections — which only works if the last collection is still looking good.
"I've got customers who've had T-shirts for years and they still look as fresh as day one."
Printing happens in full view of the shop floor: "we don't hide it behind a wall." Want a design pressed onto a vest for your holiday? "We'll literally just do it now."
From the spare room to a shop in Affleck's
The journey from a spare room to a unit in Manchester's iconic Affleck's took sheer persistence. Jack rang and rang about an empty unit until the landlord would "put me out of my misery" with a price — a full-circle return to the alt-scene building he'd loved as a kid. The price turned out to be achievable, and today the shop and the website work well together.
What's next?
Bigger ambitions are brewing: a larger Affleck's unit with a giant skeleton-skull entrance, community events, and live printing on the road at conventions and festivals — all powered by Wearable's hot peel and press-anywhere model.
"It's about keeping things exciting, not just for our customers, but for ourselves."
Bolder colours, built to last
Modern Streets made vibrancy their signature with Supacolour Wearable, and six years on they've never looked back.
Do you want prints that pop wash after wash? Request a free sample pack and feel the Wearable difference for yourself.
Visit Modern Streets
Browse the Modern Streets range online at modernstreets.co.uk, or in person at Second Floor, Afflecks Palace, 52 Church Street, Manchester M4 1PW.
