Young Monifieth entrepreneur on building fashion brand from grandmother’s spare room
At just 17, fashion firm founder Ben Cargill will soon celebrate his first year in business.
The Monifieth teenager started ROAMR from his bedroom as a “side hustle” to earn a bit of extra cash.
However, the brand has been a resounding success and far exceeded the young entrepreneur’s expectations.
Since he opened his online shop in January, Ben has released six collections. His seventh is due to go live next week.
He now has around 500 customers across Scotland, and his turnover has doubled in recent months.
Starting with hoodies and T-shirts, Ben now sells ROAMR joggers, shorts, jackets and caps. He also created a women’s collection after numerous requests.
On top of that, he is in the process of starting a charity, Check on Your Mates, following the death of fellow Dundee teenager Phoenix Birkett.
No small feat while holding down a full-time job as a sound and light technician with a Dundee events firm.
Ben recently transformed his grandmother’s spare room into ROAMR HQ, working there most nights from 5.30 until 9pm.
Named Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce’s People Pioneer and Chamber Champion this week, he is determined to inspire other young people to follow their dreams.
Despite leaving school after S4 because he didn’t see himself as “academic”, he has quickly found his feet in the business world.
Ben told The Courier:
“I started ROAMR to make a bit of extra cash, but I never expected it to be such a success.
“It was a side hustle and I thought I might do a couple of collections in the first year but I am about to launch my seventh.
“I’ve had great feedback about the designs and the quality of the items and my customer base is now across Scotland, with a few south of the border.
“My next goal is to grow sales in England and maybe even further.
“I’m so proud of what I have achieved and hope it inspires other young people.”
He continued:
“I have always felt strongly about using my platform for good and to help others.
“When Phoenix Birkett passed away, I wanted to help in any way I could and so I donated the profits of the Check On Your Mates Collection to his family.
“From there, I realised more needed to be done so me and a friend are setting up a charity to support youth mental health.
“What started as a clothing brand has become a community and I hope that will be my legacy.”
Astonishingly, ROAMR wasn’t Ben’s first business. While a pupil at Grange Primary School, he started his own online sweet shop, Sounds Sweet.
With the help of mum Celina and dad Brian, he would deliver bags of goodies around the wider Dundee area.
Charity Dundee Bairns scooped the Chamber Business Champion at the 2026 Chamber Champion Awards.
Other winners included Flora Gardening, given the Net Zero award, and Change Centre Dundee, winner of the Digital Innovation business category.
Speaking about the event, Alison Henderson, chief executive at Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce, said:
“One of the things that makes these awards so special is the breadth of people and organisations they bring together.
“Our winners come from business, education, health, culture, charities and community organisations, but they all share the same ambition to make Dundee and Angus stronger.”
This article appeared in the Courier on 12 September 2026