Ruckus Interview And Release Spring 2010 Release

www.ruckusapparel.com

Can you start out by telling us how Ruckus got it’s start?

I was doing some simple design stuff for family, friends, and my church, and i just started making clothes for myself to wear around. I made one shirt specifically that people started asking me about, haha, wanting to know where I bought it. So I ran with the idea and printed up 100 pieces of that shirt and i sold em out of my car. Haha, modern mans hustle i suppose. Well, they sold out and I made some decent money from it. So I took the plunge and put the money toward trademarking, licensing, and all that lame stuff, and Ruckus was officially born.

I heard some of the owners of Ruckus are involved in sports. What sports exactly and what effect if any has that on your brand?

You’re definitely right. I am the sole owner of Ruckus, and not only me, but really the entire Ruckus team is heavily involved in Athletics. I was in sports my whole life, wrestling, rugby, football, MMA. I played rugby overseas in Samoa for a year before attending college where I was a 2 Time Collegiate All-American in Rugby at the Univ. of Wyoming. I’m still very involved in Rugby, both playing and coaching. Then we have Cory Sittner a great friend and our main model. He was also a Collegiate All-American in Rugby, and he is also now a personal trainer and fitness advisor at Fusion Fight Gym in Montana. My brother Parker Orms plays football at CU, remember his name cause the dude is a baller. And then my other brother Jordan was just over in New Zealand playing rugby. And then my wife, she is a crazy athlete as well, she is a marathon runner. Even my little sis is an athletic trainer for her High School team.

Really, Ruckus is about so much more than just the clothing, it’s really more about a lifestyle than it is a clothing company. Everyone we are involved with is driven, and competitive. It works great because through Ruckus, it gives me the opportunity to coach and work with Elite athletes and sports teams, as well as provide them with the toughest gear out there. Just this year Ruckus became the official sponsor of the Western Rugby Collegiate All-Stars, as well as the Rocky Mountain Under 20 Select Side. These two teams are made up of the best rugby players in the Western United States. We also work with a couple MMA fighters. Really we just like to surround ourselves with passionate people who care about what they do. Around here, it’s understood that “Good is the Enemy of Great. “

The new line looks much different than when you first started. Could you explain the inspiration for the new line and the new look?

Well Ruckus really has three parts and they are all considerably different from each other. We have our street gear (like the new spring line), we have our team gear, and then we have our “Come, Let’s Dance” line. I think the older stuff you are referring to is probably our CLD line. Come, Let’s Dance is an organization that we partnered with last year. They are based out of Steamboat Colorado, but really based in Uganda, Africa (if you believe home is where the heart is). My brother Jeremy spent the last 3 years of his life in Uganda devoting his life to helping the orphans and widows in the slums of Uganda, and really this line was my attempt to help raise support and awareness for him and his cause. They believe that change comes through relationship not money, through self-sustainability not hand outs. They believe in empowering the future generations of Leaders in Uganda through family empowerment, restoring lives, and providing hope. All proceeds from our CLD line go directly to helping the orphans and widows in the slums of Uganda. For more info on this project, or to donate or support please visit: www.comletsdance.org
The new line was heavily influenced by people telling me I can’t. If I was pitching ideas, and someone said, you can’t do that, or that’s stupid, basically I ran with that idea and made it work. I love taking things that people don’t think can work, and then making them crazy fashionable. Hence my Euro Trash Mullet –Ha ha.

What are some clothing brands that you have looked up to while building your brand?

Ahhhh clothing brands I look up to would have to be… Hurley, 410BC, Hotlife, Make Believe, Kid Dangerous, Humanity for All, and right now, I’m really into Lead & Light. The way he does his texturing is crazy awesome.

What is the best and worst part of running your own clothing line?

Worst part is all the freaking legal / technical / paperwork crap. Taxes, payroll, registration, licensing, etc. I hate that part. The best part would be having an idea in your head, and then being able to put that idea into motion and watch it turn into a reality. I also love the people that Ruckus has brought me together with. Brandon Herbel, Matt Skiff, Zach Reed, Mike Cordova, David Blaise, I could go on forever. I am truly blessed to have such an awesome team in my corner.

Tell us about this spring release?

This spring release is huge. Ha ha, well to us at least. We have over 10 shirts, guys and girls, some cut&sew wallets that turned out killer, and some backpacks that also turned out Amazing. This spring release really is the corner stone, and is going to set the bar, we expect each release to be bigger and better from here on out.

What do you have in store for the future?

Im really excited for our future. We just signed a deal with Olympic Gold Medalist Henry Cejudo. We are now the official gear provider for his “American Dream” summer camps. We also have a few surprises in store for a little later in the summer. We have some huge stuff that is in the works that Is a little premature to talk about at the moment, but yeah, I’m definitely pretty stoked on our future.

Make sure to check out Ruckus’s new website and spring line at: www.ruckusapparel.com