For those who don’t know, tell us who the team is behind S&D

Well there’s myself (Cian Wright) I own Swallows&Daggers. Then we’ve got James Benson handling everything in the US and Chris Brownless who handles promotions in the UK/Europe.

S&D started off as a tattoo blog, what made you take the leap into the indie clothing scene?

We did our first shirt as a limited edition collaboration with my friend Simon Erl (http://simonerl.tumblr.com) who’s an awesome UK tattooer. We did a Simon ErlxSwallows&Daggers shirt for the Dublin Tattoo Convention and ended up selling 40 of the 50 printed at the convention and the rest sold out in less than an hour that night online. Up until then we’d only sold our magazine and I’d really enjoyed collaborating with Simon so we started putting out one shirt at a time until we could afford to put out full collections. I also came across Emptees at the time and it provided so much information that really helped me take S&D to the next level.

Tell us about the new Fall Line, what makes it different from previous ones?

The fall line we worked with less tattooers and used more graphic artists. We also worked with a set theme and build a more coherent collection. We’d been working with Clark Orr for awhile but we brought in a bunch of new artists (Michael Shantz, Kevin Leary, Greg Abbott) who were really great to work with. We’ve definitely learned a lot from this new line and we’re hoping to build on it with our next release.

You’ve been working with some of the top artist in the industry, take us threw a design process.

I like to collect images and reference points alongside an idea/concept. When I’m starting ideas for a release I start a new folder fill it with images that fit what we’re going for then start putting individual shirt ideas together. I generally decide how many designs we need and a concept for each one then start working my way through portfolios and deciding which artist is most suited to which idea. We’re fortunate enough to be in the position where artists approach us with their portfolios now which definitely helps but we’ve trimmed it down to a few key artists to keep the line coherent.

Being based out of the UK, you now have a store that’s operated in the United States how did that go about?

When James (Benson) came on board he started pitching the idea of a US store and how it would work. I’ve really wanted a strong US presence for a long time so it’s been awesome to be able to realize that. It’s tough working between two continents and we generally do multiple phone calls a day alongside tons of emails which with an 8 hour time difference can be quite challenging. I think the hard work on that front is about to pay off with some big results.

As the clothing line grows, do you find yourself giving the blog a backseat?

The blog really changed my life so I think it’ll always be around in some form. When I started it, I’d dropped out of college, was sitting on my parents couch with nothing to do and put my last £10 into a .com for it and from there have managed to create everything to date without putting in any other investment. That said I think it’ll make a move to be a more general lifestyle blog like the hundreds or rebel8 ones but with tattoo content.

What can we expect from S&D in the future?

We’re hopefully going to start branching out into headwear, accessories and cut & sew in the not so distant future. We’re always looking for collaborative projects with other brands/artists so that’s something you should see a lot more of in the future. We’d like to pick up some new stockists around the globe which we’ve been working really hard on. Basically we want to keep growing and move on to bigger and bigger projects.

Anything else you want the readers to know before we sign off?

I’d like to thank Vinny for the interview. I very much appreciate it and IATT for providing a platform for us not-so-big brands to promote ourselves and have a voice.  Also a big shout out to everyone who works with me here at S&D and all our customers and supporters.

Make sure to check out Swallows & Daggers at www.swallowsanddaggers.com

Could you start out by telling us whom you are and what you do for 11:11 Apparel?

My name is Heather Tunches and I am the founder/owner of 11:11 Apparel.

When did you decide you wanted to start a clothing line and what was the inspiration for doing so?


I decided that I wanted to start a clothing line when I was only 15 years old. You would think at the age of 15 that I would have other things on my mind besides developing a company, but that wasn’t the case!

My inspiration came from my core beliefs and I wanted to share those beliefs with others through positive messages on t-shirts and accessories that I felt would appeal to other people. (Ex: Live With No Regrets and Live for Moments like These) It was important for me to include messages of faith in oneself and/or with God.

In the online world of t-shirts guys seem to really be the target audience, but what I love about your line is that you have really focused on women and marketing tees to women.  What are some of the bigger challenges you have faced when targeting women and do you see it as a positive or negative for your brand?

Actually, I never deliberately targeted women. Maybe the positive messages have attracted them to my clothing; however, in all honesty, my customers are composed of nearly half men and women.

With so many indie t-shirt companies out there, what makes 11:11 Apparel different and why should customers spend their money with you?

11:11 Apparel uses one of the highest quality t-shirts to have screen printed and the print quality is 100% guaranteed to please. Although there are a lot of great companies out there, we produce unique t-shirts along with positive messages that many can relate to whether they are religious or not. Our customer service is top notch; our turnaround time is 3-5 days and it is easy for my customers to contact me and receive a quick response as I am available through email, Twitter, Facebook, etc.


What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced launching a clothing line and also trying to establish a customer base?

The biggest challenge I had faced when launching a clothing line was finding a good quality screen printing company. I worked with two local printers before using the one I work with today. The first printer I worked with was not dependable and the quality of their work was substandard. They were a new company and really don’t know their business well. The second printer actually sent their jobs out, making them the middle man, and their prices were so high that it was impossible to make a profit.

Establishing a customer base takes a lot of time and effort promoting and one of my biggest challenges was waiting for that customer base to grow. When I first launched my company, it took about a month to get my first customer and the second one slowly came two months later. Today I have a large customer base and I attribute that to the quality of my products. That has always been important me and always will be.

What is the best part and worst part about running a clothing line?


The best part of running 11:11 Apparel has been meeting people at large concert events where I sell my t-shirts such as the Never Say Never Music and Arts Festival in Mission, Texas and musicians that are interested in wearing my clothing. Its always exciting to meet people who already know who I am and tell me how much they love my company and ask for hugs and pictures.

The worst part of running a clothing line is making time for my school, I am in college, and I have a part time job.


One thing that I found a bit odd, is that 11:11 Apparel uses MySpace as their homepage.  What were your thoughts behind that choice?


Our reasoning behind having MySpace as our homepage is because we have been secretly designing our very first homepage/website which is coming soon to http://11elevenapparel.com. We will be releasing this new online store / look on November 11, 2011 along with our fall collection. Who would have thought!? We announced this a few days ago online, so I guess we can’t call it a secret anymore! (Haha) It’s very exciting and I think this a large step for 11:11 Apparel considering we have had the same website design for over 2 years. It’s time for change!

With Fall and Winter fast approaching can we expect any new apparel to keep warm in this year?


As I said above, our fall collection will be releasing on November 11, 2011 and the winter collection will shortly arrive after. 11:11 Apparel will keep everyone nice and cozy during this holiday season.


The floor is yours!  Any last minute shout-outs or announcements?

I would like to thank IATT for giving us this interview. Don’t forget that our new collection will be released on 11.11.11 along with the brand new online store! Check us out on twitter – @11elevenapparel and like us on Facebook

Lastly do you have any coupon codes or sales you would like to share with the IATT readers? 

Get 11% off by using IATT11 at http://shop.11elevenapparel.com

I got to sit down and talk with one of my favorite designers out in the industry right now Jason Carne about his new clothing company Among Villains. If you don’t know who Jason is he is the mastermind behind Mainframe Media, and I did an interview a while back that you can see HERE

After seeing previews for Among Villains (The 6 shirts, and Poster) I knew I had to do a follow up interview with Jason to see what inspired him to start his own line and finally branch off into the indie clothing scene.

Q. So you have been designing for bands and other clothing companies for a while now, what made you take the leap and start your own brand?

Starting my own brand is something I’ve had in the back of my mind for years, but there was always something in my way that was blocking me from pursuing it in one way or another.  I knew above all things that I did NOT want to rush the process and pump out some mediocre line that didn’t carry a message I truly was passionate about.  When I was first thinking about doing this, it was intended mainly as an outlet for me to express my creative side and break away from client briefs and do my own thing as a designer.  Finally the timing was right, the funding was there, and the message was clear that I wanted to deliver with my product and Among Villains was born.

Q. Tell us where you came up with the meaning behind Among Villains.

“Among Villains” is a name that carries a certain amount of dark sarcasm with it.  A true villain, to me, is someone who takes advantage of their power or authority they are given and abuses it with malicious intent and nothing in mind aside from their own self-interests.  Dirty cops, corrupt politicians, scamming religious institutions…these are some of things I consider to be truly evil and wrong in our society, yet a blind eye is turned because they are our “leaders”.  However, most people actually slapped with the villain moniker are people that are simply either non-conformist (which is not one in the same with being an outlaw or a violent individual) or have strong opinions in opposition to our legal and justice system (which doesn’t work by the way).  I often see so many people get arrested on such petty charges, things that do not hurt anyone’s way of life, or affect anyone but themselves, yet they are hauled away with tremendous fines and often lose their jobs and months or years of their lives.  It’s wrong, it’s truly wrong.  The role of law enforcement is to protect and serve its citizens and to uphold their rights, but more often than not our safety net is something that makes me feel unsafe.  So anyway, in essence, Among Villains means being in league with the minority of people that will actually stand up for what they believe is right, not what an outdated and unfair law book says is right.

Q.  Why should people go out and spend their money on AV, what makes you different from all the other clothing companies out there?

Quite simply, it’s a superior product in the indie market with a key thing most brands are missing: a message.  I made sure every detail possible about my line was exactly as I intended at the onset of this project.  Custom screen-printed sizing tags, hang tags, hem tags (customized differently and color matched for each different design), custom screen-printed boxes with tissue paper, poly mailers, buttons…you get the picture.  More importantly however, these designs all carry a cohesive message that is bold and unmistakable.  People often say that their fashion choices are a reflection on their personality and outlook, this gives them a true opportunity to do that if they believe in the message AV is sending.

Q. When you were coming up with ideas for this line did you find it easier or harder to design for other clients or was all your focus on AV?

It didn’t really have a large impact on my client work or productivity, as the design phase was spread over a period of approximately six months for the three designs I did with Among Villains.  The reason being is because I’m my own worst critic and by far my toughest client.  I literally have about 15-20 scrapped designs that I had in mind that didn’t pan out for this debut line.  The one thing I will say is that I had so many ideas for this line that it was hard to actually think of any other subject matter than what I was going for with my own personal line.  I had all of these ideas piling up for AV, but not much for personal projects to sell off, and I noticed I was chasing new leads for clients as often.

Q.  What was your favorite part of putting together this company?

I would have to say that it was honestly working with designers from the client side of things for once.  The line-up or artists I chose was an all-star cast that handled the job in a professional manner and absolutely nailed my vision.  Craig Robson did a fantastic job on the packaging design (which can also be seen as the background on the website/blog/twitter), David Smith fielded two of the designs, George Daugherty did another, and Brian Luong did the 18×24 print.  Every one of them has a unique and impressive style, but didn’t stray too far away from mine at the same time, which was good because everything still looks like it’s from the same company which was important to me.  Diversity is nice, but being cohesive is better.

Q.  Do you think your designing will take a back seat to AV, or is this more of a side project for you?

That’s really dependent on how well this debut line is received.  I truly love doing freelance design work, it’s one of those jobs that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world, but owning a successful clothing line is something I’ve always dreamt of and wanted to pursue.   My design days will never be over, but eventually it may become something I put on the backburner a bit.

Q. Anything else you want to share with the readers?

If you like what you’ve heard and what you’ve seen follow the links below to get more information on AV.  Also, be sure to check to check out the photos so you can see the line in its entirety either on Facebook or the Among Villains blog!

http://www.amongvillains.com

http://amongvillains.tumblr.com

Boring stuff first! Name, Age and position with Sevenly.org

Dale Partridge, 26, CEO at Sevenly.org

For those of us that aren’t completely familiar with Sevenly, could you give us a quick breakdown?

Sevenly is a co-profit company founded in June 2011 to raise capital and awareness for the world’s greatest causes. Each week Sevenly partners with one qualified nonprofit to sell a shirt specifically designed for that week’s campaign, with seven dollars from each shirt sale going to the charity. The company’s goal is to provide support to charities through increased awareness, funding and following.

What was the initial inspiration for starting Sevenly and is this the first clothing company you have started?

Honestly, it was a God thing. I was already making six figures and seven figure revenues. But I really felt called to use my communication skills, and online abilities to make more than profits. I must say, it has been far less stressful and much more rewarding.

Other than your charitable mission is there anything else that makes Sevenly.org different than other clothing lines out there?

In terms of the business model, yes, lot’s of things. For one, we don’t have inventory. Secondly, we have a crazy repeat buyer percentage. In terms of the clothing itself, maybe, we print on super high quality poly-cotton shirts, with all water-based inks. Also, all shirts are limited edition, if you don’t buy them that week, you’ll never get it again.

How do you go about choosing the charities that are involved with Sevenly and can individual charities apply to be involved with your company?

We have a charity application form that gets some good initial information. If they fit our criteria (social media scale, level of influence, powerful cause, etc.) then we schedule a phone interview where much deeper questions come into play (legal stuff, geographics, etc.).

Since Sevenly’s launch your site has absolutely exploded garnering posts on Mashable.com and Yahoo.com. How did you go about getting the attention of such high profile media outlets?

We have some friends with giant social media fan bases. Our total facebook reach is almost 10 million and our Twitter reach is around 1.5 million. We are working everyday to grow these numbers into the hundreds of millions. These people range from musicians, celebrities, journalists, authors, etc.

I was also reading about a marketing campaign that you had involving YouTube, could you explain what your strategy was and the eventual outcome?

We learned that YouTube stars have a really high engagement rate. Higher than facebook and twitter. So we made friends with YouTube stars, paid some big bucks too, but it seems to be paying off. Nothing is more powerful than word of mouth…

I have read articles and opinions of people whom criticize companies are for pushing a charitable cause claiming that they are doing it as a marketing ploy to gain attention that they would not otherwise gain. How would you respond to those people and have you come across any companies that you believe are “gaming” the charity angle just to raise sales?

I would tell them, “My for-profit company gave $40,000+ in 10 weeks to qualified charities that change lives. What does your company do?” If they can beat that then I might turn my ear.

Are there any plans of expanding into new items on Sevenly such as hoodies, tank tops or kid’s sizes?

Absolutely. We have some pretty big plans (backed with investment) to take Sevenly to a bright future. Keep and eye on us.

Any last minute advice you could offer individuals looking at starting a business or clothing company?

I follow an interesting start-up model. It’s a major component to my success. Identity>Idea>Research> Decision >Plan>Network>Pitch More information on that HERE

Hello to all apparel lovers in the world!
This is Steve Knerem, I have written a few blogs for IATT such as “Confusing a Monster” and “The 5 Commandments of CROM.” Recently I had the opportunity to meet Jake Nuesser from Fight Chix at WMC fest in Cleveland, Ohio. We hung out for a few hours and we got to know what each other does in the apparel world. Actually the day before WMC fest I think I responded to a tweet from Jake and mention “Conan the Barbarian.” I think it was fate, we were supposed to meet!

So the day of WMC I was walking into Reinberger auditorium and I saw a vehicle roll in the parking lot with the pink and white Fight Chix logo. I stalked Jake for a minute and then introduced myself. That summer day in June I learned that Fight Chix is not only a cool and popular brand for female MMA fighters but Jake and his wife Elisabeth have a stronger purpose/mission which is to empower women world-wide.

Since WMC fest I’ve stayed in touch with Jake and feel it’s best for him to educate all of us about the Fight Chix brand. You can find them at www.fightchix.com

Hey Jake! Well it’s mid-summer and I’m sure you are melting in the sun as much as we are in Cleveland, how are things going for you and Elisabeth in Chicago and what have you been up to?

Things are great. We have been busy with Fight Chix for sure. We have a summer bash event July 23rd and we are hosting a prefight party for Strikeforce’s return to Chicago on the 29th at SpyBar in Chicago. In our free time we spend as much time as possible with our two kids doing summer stuff…catching cool movies, hitting the pool and trips to the lake.

So for those unfamiliar with Fight Chix tell us about the company and what your roll is.

I am the co-founder and handle 99% of the creative work. So that includes the apparel designs, website, video, social media and marketing. Elisabeth handles almost all the day to day business management, works on new business deals, handles all our wholesale accounts and stellar customer service. She has also single handedly worked deals that got us in Spencer’s, MGM stores in Vegas and into retail outlets in Europe and Australia.

After learning about the company I was really excited to read that you and Elisabeth felt you fulfilled a need for women and how events just unfolded before you back in 2006. It’s almost as if it was waiting for someone to reveal this need to the world and that’s where you guys stepped in. Would you say this is true for FC?

Well I was working as an in house designer, Elisabeth was working double time as a hair stylist and bartender and we had just had our son Jase. It’s fair to say we had a lot on our plate. I had educated Elisabeth on Mixed Martial Arts and she fell in love with the back story of the fighters and then the sport. I have a background in martial arts since I was 6 and have trained with fighters from the UFC and taught classes etc.

After a rough night working at the bar Elisabeth and I were talking and watching old fights on TV, and Elisabeth says “I really love the sport, but I hate that there is nothing for girls to wear—it’s all blood and skulls” So I jokingly said “why don’t you make your own clothing line” And that was all Elisabeth needed to start brainstorming a name. She came up with Fight Chix that night—I did a logo a few days later, then a website. We actually started the company as a hobby with the plan of maybe making an extra $100 spending money a month. We started it on Spreadshirt.com and then took the plunge getting a few shirts printed locally then going and selling at a local MMA show. We snowballed from there and now have our first shirt pass the test at Spencer’s with two more testing this month, we are in retail outlets all over the world and we also sell online a t www.fightchix.com

I personally feel FC has great opportunity to make a big impact in the world. Not just for the MMA sport but to women and men. Have you been contacted by women’s groups or shelters of some sort for either support or appreciation for what you do?

We have and we do! We have done several fashion shows this past year to benefit different groups. My wife was a single mom before she met me, so our first show was to benefit the group that aided her when she needed help as a single mom. We have done shows to benefit the Military. We have gotten a lot of support from the troops, so the chance to give back is an honor. Specifically we donated to Fisherhouse.org where 96% of the money donated goes right to troops and their families. We have also done shows that benefited the Children’s Memorial Hospital. We really changed our focus from just MMA when we asked our customers “What does Fight Chix mean to you” and we got flooded with responses from non-MMA fans, who were just strong women who overcame life’s struggles to reach their potential. Everyone has a personal fight, so everyone can relate to being a Fight Chix.

I’m impressed with your company and how it has grown. I would like to talk a bit about the art and design. Fight Chix seems like the message came first and the art fell into place for the company. You did a really nice job with the logo, color selection, tee designs and garment selection. Can you describe your thoughts behind designing the art and choosing the garments?

We really looked at what the market offered and then compared that to what we wanted to offer. All the MMA brands that are out there always made women’s apparel an afterthought. It was a guys design printed on a girl’s blank. And the blank tee was always for a girl that was a size 0 and wanted to show her stomach! Elisabeth is 5’8” so she instinctually wanted a longer cut for the shirt, and this was a huge hit for all the women buying our stuff. From a design standpoint I want to not go down the Affliction road and tried to stick with a mix of type and iconic elements to build the brand but still be catchy to someone who has never seen the brand. People might not know the logo, but would wear a shirt that says “I break hearts and faces” because it makes them feel hot and tough at the same time. So the design was built off the initial logo and the personality of the line—being strong, confident and sexy.

How important is it in choosing a t-shirt garment for an apparel line?

I think it is really important. As we have evolved it has been a balancing act of putting out a killer product but making it cost effective enough to actually make money. Up to this point we have not had any major investors and have run the company on our own blood sweat and tears…so making the product something WE would go out and buy has always been a rule of thumb. The shirts we use have to be a good combo of super soft, flattering cut, and cost effective. The design can be really cool, but especially for women, the shirt has to LOOK GOOD and FEEL GOOD, or it won’t be worn.

It seems like in the apparel industry a company goes either one way or another. Either they brand their logo such as what you did or what Johnny Cupcakes did or they brand themselves with a style. Can you talk to us about your thought on branding?

Its funny how things played out for us, because it was all very instinctual, I knew about branding from being a full time designer. I knew things had to be consistent, the logo had to pop, and the general public had to “get it”. When I sent the logo to Elisabeth, she told me she had visions of our logo in stores, in the sport and other places and was like “YES, THIS IS IT”. So having that reaction to the logo was awesome. We really try to keep the logo or the silhouette in almost all the designs. We will tie catch phrases to the brand too, like “The Sexy Side of MMA” or “Empowering Women Worldwide” to give the brand flavor. We want women to go to their closet, knowing the day is gonna be a tough one, and grab their Fight Chix shirt…and then feel like Wonder Woman! We have actually seen it happen. We have been to local MMA fights and seen women put on our stuff and walk a little taller. We have sponsored athletes and seen their competition look afraid, because they were wearing Fight Chix. Our goal has been for women to wear Fight Chix, and feel like they can take on the world, and also be a part of a movement and hopefully that shows through in our branding.

So instead of asking you to look into a crystal ball and predict your future simply put, what are you and Elisabeth feeling your future could hold? It looks that you are getting the press, the recognition, the fighter, the sales and support. FightChix.com is run very well and you are all over the social networks. What’s the next level for FC?

The next level for us is to keep growing! The sport of mixed martial arts is very young, so there is a lot of room to grow there. We also want to continue to transcend the sport and grow as a lifestyle brand for strong empowered women who are not afraid to be sexy AND strong! We want to increase the number of shirts being carried at Spencer’s. We have a licensing deal in place right now handles both Spencer’s and MGM Casino properties. We want to increase sales on our website and we want to keep our numbers high in all the stores we are currently in. One of the main things we don’t want to do is become over saturated. We limited our licensing deal on purpose, and almost all the shirts you get a Spencer’s will be exclusive to Spencer’s. We do the same with shirts on our website and in our other retail accounts like www.mmawarehouse.com or in the Midwest, Eminent stores.

We also do website exclusives and retail exclusives. Since we are still growing, we want to keep the brand fresh for people who have followed us from the start, but we also want to keep it exciting for anyone who has just discovered us. We have talked about eventually doing our own retail store, or maybe even combining all our talents into one—and having a small MMA style gym and salon with a Fight Chix boutique. A place where you can go and get a killer workout, then get an amazing cut and style, and finally purchase some hot apparel that is a combo of both!

Well I’m very excited to have talked with you about your mission and your artistic decisions for FC. So to leave all the readers with one last question…Do you have some creative favorites you have learned from or like to follow?

I have used GoMedia’s products and love their work. Through them I found IAMTHETREND site and visit it often to see all the awesome work people are creating. I found Johnny Cupcakes through that site, and honestly anyone who isn’t impressed with Johnny is lying! His story is an amazing inspiration.

Recently I came across a brand that hasn’t been released yet, called MMA Bloodlines. Look for it—its SICK! I also love the artistic drawing style you have (check out Steve Knerem’s website people)! I love Rob Dobi, Derek Hess, Angryblue and was really impressed with David Genler at WMC2. Through the history of the brand there is inspiration from creative’s of a different kind. Mask from TapouT was a huge inspiration—not from a creative standpoint, but from his never say die attitude and his belief in his brand the ideals behind it. Bruce Lee, a man that single handedly created a new movie genre and is more popular now, than he was in the early 70s. His personal life philosophy has shaped my life, the ability to adapt to life’s challenges is essential always. My wife inspires me daily, she IS the brand, strong, sexy, empowering.

I always love hearing about people’s story yours is awesome. Keep fighting I’m sure we’ll meet again. It’s been my pleasure. I wish you and Elisabeth all the best and look forward to seeing more FC in stores across the country. Best of luck!

Find Fight Chix:
www.fightchicx.com
Twitter: @fightchixJake, @fightchix (Elisabeth and she has WAY more followers)
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FIGHTCHIX

If you want to talk to me personally, hit me up on twitter or search Jacob Nuesser of facebook!

You can find the work of Steve Knerem at:
Website: www.steveknerem.com
T-shirt line: www.steveknerem.bigcartel.com
Twitter: @steveknerem
Facebook: http://facebook.com/steve.knerem

Hardworking Chicago quartet Victorian Halls have playing the Chicago scene for years building a underground following and perfecting their craft. Well on Aug 16th all that hard work will pay off with the release of their debut album titled “Charlaton” on Victory Records. We decided to sit down with VH to see how life has changed since being signed, how the recording process was and the joys of sleeping in a roach infested hotel room.

Let’s start off with you telling us a little about yourselves

Sean: Sean and Carlos and we play noisy indie music in Victorian Halls.

So many bands talk about how hard it was to get signed to a label, How did Victorian Halls get signed?

Sean: I think the common misconception to getting signed is that a label is not going to come around and fix something.  We tried early on in the band and we weren’t ready for it.  After ups and downs, members in and out, developing the sound I have always heard- or wanted to hear- into our sound, took time.  With the perils of the music industry, it all comes down to timing.  The response was always overwhelmingly positive- and that’s how we new the timing was right.

What was it like recording your debut album Charlatan?

Sean: Harder, and more work than I had anticipated.  We recorded with Cameron Webb.  He kept asking the question, “Could this song be better?”  So, how do you answer that?  Anything can always be better.  Troubling yourself with that in the studio can be staggering, and definitely indicative of perfectionism issues with yourself.  Each day was about 17 hours.

What was the easiest/hardest part of recording the album?

Carlos: In retrospect, the easiest part was the 36 hour drive to LA and the roach-infested hotel room we stayed in.  The hardest was the grueling 17-hour days of re-writing, re-recording, and reinventing our songs.

Is the songwriting split evenly between the band members?  How is a song written?

Sean: Usually, but now it always is.  I’ll start the idea musically, and then we’ll work to make it coherent and to diffuse the compositional A.D.D.

Favorite piece of gear live/recording?

Sean: My favorite piece is a Nord Lead 2x that I’m using primarily for recording.  Soft synths are sterile, and there is something so organic about it.

What song is the most fun to play live?

Sean: “Sugar and Champagne.”  It was written be played live and out of key.

What’s the hardest part of being an original band?

Carlos: It’s easy to be a lazy band and let yourself slide on certain things, or to “just get it done” for the sake of getting something done.  We’re constantly trying to top ourselves, both musically and visually, and that competition fuels originality. However, that relentless push can really take a toll on a person.

What is your favorite down time activity when on tour?

Sean: Primarily reading. I’ve just finished Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis, which I loved.  I don’t know why it took me so long to get to it, when I was obsessive over American Psycho.

What MUST you have with you when on tour?

Sean: My iPod, so I can pretend I’m not surrounded by the same bodies 23 hours of the day.

What has been the most embarrassing moment for you during a show?

Carlos: We were playing a crazy house show, wall-to-wall with people going crazy.  At one point, I swung my hand back and it hit the corner of my amp and when my hand came back down on my piano it was covered in blood and I couldn’t make my fingers work … my hand looked like a wet fish out of water… just flopping around on the keys for the rest of the show.

What song out there do you wish you could call your own?

Carlos: I try not to covet others ‘work.  Those songs are worth a lot more to me when I think about the artist and what they’ve gone through and whatnot. Stealing that would probably just cheapen the song, and make me feel petty.

If you could be in any band, past or present, what would it be?

Sean: Death From Above-, which was past, and is now present.  Let me know if they’ll have me.

What band do you hope/wish to share a stage with?

Sean: This list can go on and on, but, we’ve played with Foxy Shazam and I’d like to tour with them – I think that could be a lot of fun.  I’d also be interested in how we do with a band like Crystal Castles or The Kills.

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to?

Carlos: The Get Up Kids at Metro in Chicago.  I was pretty young at the time and it was one of the first shows I had ever been to. When I think about it, I feel as though I’ve never been able to recreate that show experience since.

What artist do you consider your guilty pleasure?

Sean: As I’ve been starting to produce music, I’ve found myself listening to records solely based off of the production.  Occasionally I find myself liking them, as of recent, that’s how these things have started.  I recently got the Skrillex record, – dub step’s guilty enough for me.

Make sure you check out Victorian Halls’ new album Charlaton on Victory Records available Aug 16th. In the meantime check out their video for “A Crush Is A Crush” below:

What is the inspiration behind RSC’s summer collection?

After RSC’s last major release, I decided that I wanted to take my designs in a different direction – one that focused on specific themes and time frames in history. I felt it would allow me greater flexibility with my ideas while still being able to maintain a sense of brand cohesiveness.

For RSC’s 2011 summer collection, my designs drew heavily from 1920s-era prohibition – a time in United States history that has always fascinated me.  It also helped that the period is overflowing with imagery and themes that mesh perfectly with the vintage-inspired style RSC is known for.

Can you walk us through the story behind each design?

“Speakeasy” is based upon the popular, but highly illegal establishments that sprung up during Prohibition. Bartenders were charged with making sure patrons would “speak easy” so not to raise suspicion when ordering alcohol.

“Repeal” is based upon the eighteenth amendment which prohibited alcohol. Much of the imagery that inspired the collection contained various pleas to repeal the controversial order.

“Barrel” represents an element common in the 1920s. The “Barrel” is an overall symbol for Prohibition and the fast-and-loose lifestyle of the Roaring Twenties.

“Symbols” visually defines three major elements of the era:

1. “The Speakeasy Grill”: Illegal establishments often placed metal plates or grills on doors for added protection. This symbol contains the “R” in RSC.

2. “The Wooden Barrel”: An overall symbol for Prohibition and the fast-and-loose lifestyle of the Roaring Twenties. This symbol contains the “S” in RSC.

3. “The Eye”: Speakeasies  were forbidden by law so “The Eye” reminded patrons to not raise suspicion.  This symbol contains the “C” in RSC.

Your earlier releases featured lots of bold colors. Was that departure with the summer collection a conscious decision?

It definitely was a conscious decision. If you examine the progression of each release, you’ll see a decline in the amount of colors I employ in my designs. I certainly don’t dislike bold colors, but I do feel there is a certain level of stigma associated with them. Often, I feel they convey a lack of substance – sometimes, it’s just too easy to get lost in lights.

This is not to say that I will never use bold colors again – but when speaking of the summer collection, I was more focused on choosing the most creative and cohesive designs.

I notice you experimented with some different cuts and blends with this release. Can you tell us a little about that?

For our summer collection, RSC stuck with American Apparel. Although we may be switching things up in the future, the company offered exactly what we were looking for with this release.

The centerpiece of the collection, “Speakeasy,” is printed on 100 percent cotton crew and v-necks. It’s also available in a tri-blend tank and 50/50 (cotton and polyester).  “Repeal” is available in a tri-blend tank and cotton crewneck. “Barrel” is available exclusively on tri-blend tank. “Symbols” is available on tote bags and other various items.

The story? Well, it’s summer. I wanted comfortable apparel that allowed breathing room while still offering classic fits.

Tell us more about the men behind RSC?

RSC is comprised of me Regan Smith Clarke and Nicholas G. Porter. I handle design, vendor relations and day-to-day operations. Nicholas takes care of marketing, media relations and some behind-the-scenes action that helps make sure the ship runs smoothly.

We’ve been best friends since middle school and have collaborated (i.e. hustled) on almost every project we’ve been involved in over the past 10 years. I was talking to Nicholas about this the other day and I think the major reason why we work together so well is because we both have very distinct roles that rarely overlap – where one of us lacks expertise, the other always has it.  It’s a good match.

RSC is a big proponent of social media. You guys host events pretty often in your hometown of Boston. What’s the story on that and can you share some tips on how others can make live events so successful?

Like many independent artists, we rely on social media to make sure our message is heard. Although Boston is a hotbed for music, art and design, there was a real lack of any type of official gatherings where like-minded people could meet and share ideas.  We wanted to fix that.

Over the last year, RSC has organized a series of live meet-ups throughout the City of Boston. They’ve been a huge success and they’ve helped us forge several personal and professional relationships.

Here are some tips to help ensure your event is successful:

1. Establish the premise of your event
2. Know your audience and target members appropriately
3. Drum up support for the event from industry influencers
4. Don’t get wasted
5. Always act professional and remember to ask for business cards
6. Snap plenty of photos for sharing/blogging at a later date
7. Engage as many of your attendees as possible
8. Don’t get wasted
9. No, really – don’t get wasted

I’ve read in the past RSC is obsessed with Juggalos. What’s the story on that?

Are you down with the clown? Juggalos might be the greatest thing to happen to comedy since Richard Pryor. Have you heard about the Gathering of the Juggalos? It’s like a Juggalo Woodstock. I think we need to get the president on the horn and have him send a team of executive sociologists to this thing.

I had a chance to catch up with the mighty Rob Dobi of Full Bleed at Renegade Brooklyn last month and he told me that of all the hate mail he receives from YourSceneSucks.com, the most comes from angry Juggalos.

In the words of Porky Pig: “That’s all folks!”

What are RSC’s plans for the rest of 2011?

We have plans to release several limited edition reprints – including our very popular “Russian Doll” design – and various other products this summer.

RSC will be attending Renegade San Francisco and Chicago, the Boston Arts Festival and some installments of Boston’s South End Open Market (SoWA). We’ll also be organizing more social media events and expanding their scope to other cities.

I’ve also begun working on the 2011 fall/winter line. It’s shaping up to be our biggest and most diverse release yet.

Boring stuff first. Name, Age, Location and any general background info you would like to share!

Matthew Skiff, 25 going on 13, Colorado

So when did you first get into art and what drew you to it?

(ha, was the that pun intended)

Art was always a part of my life, weather I realized it or not. I have been drawing ever since I was a little kid. I have boxes and boxes full of sketchbooks and notebooks that are filled with drawings. I was drawn to Cartoons and Comic Books at an early age, so I in a way that is what shaped my love for art, and what the basis for how I draw now. A lot of my free time was taken up by sitting in front of the TV screen watching cartoons and drawing. Then when I got a little bit older I found comic books and tried my best to emulate the artists that I liked. It’s crazy to think that, at 25 years old, I am still drawing in front of the TV, cartoons on it all day.

I guess you could say it was a way to express myself, even though the art I was doing didn’t have any deep emotional feelings behind them. I just liked drawing things that I thought were cool.Even when it came to art classes, all these other kids were doing boring drawings and designs, or trying to copycat some anime style (anime was huge when I was in High School) and I just stuck with doing what I wanted to do. Even applying my train of thought to college graphic design classes. There were some people who didn’t understand the things I was doing or thought that what I was doing was too “high school” (yeah, someone said that), I never fit into the boring “corporate” graphic design stuff that everyone else was doing.

Like many great artists, you have an instantly recognizable style. How do you feel you developed your own “look” and what/who are your inspirations as an artist?

I get this question a lot, and it’s a tough one to answer. I am a big cluster f@ck of inspiration and my style and mood changes from day to day. Some days I like really detailed illustrations, and other days I’m like the more simplistic ones. If I had to describe a characteristic that might make my style unique, I would have to say that it would be my use of clean lines.

Even though I mainly do work for the apparel industry, my influences come from all aspects of art, and all of them I found at an early age. Cartoons and comics were a big inspiration to me, but I horror movies and even the clothing I would wear when I was a kid has influenced me in some sort of way.

Bill Watterson has always been a huge influence on me, the Calvin and Hobbes strips were some of the first things I started to read. Tim Jacobus, who did the art on the Goosebumps covers was another huge influence on me. The crazy B-Move type paintings were what got me excited for the new book to come out each month. Alex Tooth a big influence on me as well. Like I said, I grew up on cartoons and some of the best were Hannah Barbera and Alex Tooth was the designer behind most of the HB cartoons I loved. When I started getting older and into the TMNT comic books, the Eastman and Laird black and white art cannot be beat in terms of comic book art in my opinion. Speaking of comic book art, Jim Lee, J. Scott Campbell, Joe Madureira and Frank Cho where also big inspirations to me. And if we go even back to some slightly older comic book artists, Neal Adams and Joe Kubert are amazing as well. In terms of women, Robert McGuinnis is the best when is comes to painting women. I could go on for hours about more artists and there is some that I still want to throw in, but I’ll spare everyone. I cannot, however, forget to talk about Frank Frazetta. My Mom introduced me to his work at an early age and have been in awe ever since. If I could even gain a fraction of the talent that man had, I would be happy.

I talk to many clothing line owners whom say they have a hard time conveying a concept or idea for a design to artist. If you could offer advice to clients that are trying to convey a design or an idea to an artist what would you say?

Well the first thing I want to say is, if you are coming to me for a design, you should probably have a (basic) idea already in mind. There have been so many times that people would come to me for a design, have no clue what they want me to do, and then ask me “Do you have any ideas?”. No, I don’t have any ideas, this is your clothing line, you should already have the ideas, if you don’t, then you are in big trouble from the beginning.

However, when I have built a relationship with a client, I have no problem brainstorming and coming up with ideas together. I have built a lot great relationships with clothing line owners, some I would even call good friends. With those clients, I want to get the best concepts possible. Sometimes I might come up with ideas myself and have no problem sharing them if it fits with their particular clothing line.

With that said, if a clothing line owner has a hard time conveying a concept, I have no problem shooting questions and ideas back and fourth with them. If the concepts aren’t any clearer, it does make a difference when the client provides a simple sketch, or even examples of designs that I have done or other designs that they like. I am a visual person, so if I can actually see what you want, it can make things easier.

What advice would you offer to aspiring artists that are trying to make a name for themselves?

This is a hard question for me to answer, because I haven’t quite figured things out yet, and I don’t think I ever will. Every single day I find myself learning new things, experimenting with new things. I think that is what keeps being an artist fun, the drive to get better and trying to find ways to do that. Doing the same thing over and over again is very “safe” and while it might get you noticed for a little bit, if you don’t progress…then your art will get boring and stale. I don’t think anyone should be 100% satisfied with what they are doing, and should always strive to be better. If you have the ability to step away from your work and see what is wrong with it and how you can improve…this is how you can become a great artist.

But you should also try not to take yourself to seriously, and keep doing art because it’s fun. That’s the reason why we all do this, because we started out thinking it was fun. Keep drawing and designing what you like, if you try to fake it and follow the current trends, sometimes that can be very obvious.

Do you have a favorite design or project you have done and what did you like most about it?

With out a doubt it was this past Death, Shred! line. We seem to be clicking more and more with each new release and the design ideas just seem to come effortlessly now. I pretty much get to do whatever I want when it comes to the Death, Shred! stuff. Yves (DS! Owner) has some really great ideas, and I have some ideas as well and we both get to work on things and it feels like a big collaborative effort. With most of the stuff, since we have worked together for so long, it’s almost a “Do your thing” kind of mentality that comes from him, and the designs turn out better when I don’t have any restrictions or anyone breathing down my neck for revision after revision.

Everything turned out just how I wanted it to. We are slowing trying to take Death, Shred! in a different direction from when it was know as Dead, Serious!
The reaction to the DS! stuff has been really positive too, from both the customers and even other designers. I think it’s a testament to how well we work together. Our next challenge is to see if we can step it up for the next release.

What do you find the most difficult part about being an artist, if any?

The most difficult part would be, turning my brain off. Everything that I look at or see, I find myself constantly studying it, figuring out the lines it it and how I would design it. I could look at anything at it could spark an idea, which could lead to a bunch of other ideas. While a lot of good things come out of it, it’s frustrating at the same time. I wish I could turn that part of my brain off when I close my computer and lay my head down on my pillow to sleep.

It’s even hard to turn it off when I am hanging out with friends, family or with the girlfriend. I am always thinking about new designs, current designs, past designs and how I can make them better. It can be really stressful sometimes, I can be a really hard person to be around when I am in that mode. While it is hard to do, it is helpful sometimes to step away from the computer, or pen and pencil, and try to not think about art. If I didn’t set aside free time, I think I would go crazy…

Where do you spend most of your time on the web?

Twitter has taken over my life. If you follow me, you know how much I tweet. It’s an addiction, a distracting addiction. It’s crazy to think that something I signed up for years ago not knowing what it was turned out to be such a major thing in my day to day life. I get my news from it, talk to friends, get inspiration from it…everything. It’s gotten to the point where I can’t sit through a TV show or movie without checking it…I should try and take a break…ha.

Other than twitter, I like to keep up to date on the current fashion trends so I check out Freshness Mag, Hypebeast, The Hundreds Feed…places like that.

If someone wanted to hire you for work, are you available and if so how would they contact you?

You can contact me by email you can find on my website! http://www.ithew.com/

Huge congrats on launching Full Bleed Series 11, it looks fantastic. What was the inspiration behind the new series and how does it fit in with previous releases?

Thanks! The inspiration is the same as it has always been, I just like making conceptual art based images that have some sort of narrative to them. I’d like to think that my shirts all kind of tie into previous releases, I often incorporate similar elements and try to keep my aesthetic on the same level, consistency is my friend.

It took almost a year for you to release Series 11, any specific reason or reasons for the delay and are you going to make us wait another year for Series 12?

I had a wacky 2010. Right after series 10 dropped there were way too many things going on in my life. I reconnected with old friends, got in the best shape of my life, met a lovely lady, explored abandoned buildings every week. Fullbleed just took a back seat for awhile, I wasn’t in that mindset, I was just too busy enjoying life. Every time I tried to sit down and focus on making a new line another wrench got thrown in the works. You definitely won’t have to wait another year for Series 12, I’m already filling my sketchbook with new ideas.

Now that you are 11 series deep with Full Bleed, do you find it increasingly more difficult to come up with new designs and what do you do to stay inspired and overcome creative block?

Creative block comes with the territory. Go for a run, go to the library, go to a museum, listen to music. Luckily I have set myself up in a position where I can really make images based off of anything I want. My designs come from more of an editorial illustration background so it is possible for me to apply any for of imagery on a shirt. My new line consists of garbage, a construction site, a moon, a lightning bolt, a jet trail, a saw blade, a leaf, a rainbow and a birdcage, nine elements that are pretty different from one another. Creative block is as much of a barrier as you make it out to be, I just try to look at everyday things and try to flip them upside down.

At this point the biggest block is more of an issue of going into “Fullbleed mode” than anything else. As a freelancer I can juggle a ton of jobs at once, but when I’m working on my brand, that is all I really want to focus on. I get to the point where I feel like I have enough doodles in my sketchbook that I narrow it down to 20 or so, shut off freelance work for 2-3 weeks and just work on Fullbleed, nothing else. I like to dedicate those few weeks to developing a few images that flow together, I find when I design stuff weeks and months apart they usually don’t feel the same.

So we did an interview right as Emptees.com was closing and Mintees.com was about to be launched. How has the launch of Mintees gone and what have you learned from running the site?

It has gone awesome, the community as well as the site is constantly evolving. The one major thing I learned is you can’t please everyone all the time. It is similar to facebook, once something changes all people do is complain about it, but by Saturday everyone forgets that anything changed at all. Luckily all the changes so far have been a positive and have been getting members more active.

Mintees.com has been rolling out some new features that were previously lacking on Emptees such as the voting system that lets the community decide which tee design should make the cut onto the site. Are there any plans for new features in the upcoming future, I saw mention of a possible Mintees Online Stores Network?

Jared at Studio AKT and I are always bouncing ideas back and forth as to how to improve things and are always listening to what the community wants. I’ll keep my lips sealed about most things we have coming up but changes are in the works, the store is a definite possibility and a revamped resources section is also priority at the moment.

A lot of readers come to IAMTHETREND looking for advice for running their clothing line. What one piece of advice would you offer a new company looking to get started building a brand?

Don’t do what is already hip, by the time you go into production the trend has probably already run its course and thirty other brands have beaten it into the ground it as well. Make something entirely new and for the love of god, make it cohesive so your audience can identify who you are and what your brand stands for.

One of the main hurdles that a lot of brands hits is they do a bunch of promotion for the launch of their line, but after the line launches they are not sure what to do to keep customers interested and coming back to their store. Do you have any advice for brands looking to encourage repeat visitors of their site?

I have no idea. I got lucky enough that I have been around for so long that I think i’m at the point where I just have a loyal fan base who knows just to check in every once in awhile. I do very limited advertising, maybe a couple hundred bucks a year. I tend to get by on loyalty, word of mouth, and people just checking in on what I’m up to. I’m not really as hip and savvy with twitter and facebook like most young brands are. I have no idea what the equation of “likes” to legitmate fans is, but it all feels kind of forced. To me a whole bunch of that really feels like spam, constantly begging and pleading for likes and retweets. If people like your work, they will follow it, no need to barrage people with nonsensical updates that aren’t really updates. Nothing infuriates me more in this day and age than seeing something like “If this post hits 100 likes we’ll release a preview of a preview!”

Oh, back to the question, just keep making quality stuff, stay genuine and hopefully people will come back for more.

Do you still think there is room for new indie start-ups or is the market to saturated right now?

The market is extremely saturated, but there is always room for unique ideas. If you aim to set out to make a baking themed company, a zombie brand or a vintage Americana throwback, don’t. There are already 300 others companies doing that, and unless you are positive you are doing it better than them, then what’s the point? Develop a unique identity and stand apart from the pack.

What is the biggest mistake you see brands making when they launch their clothing lines?

Where to begin? Don’t launch with just one shirt, have actual product shots, don’t print shirts that say “Est. ____” if it is your first release. Most importantly, and i mentioned this before, have a line that shows who are you are. Don’t just scramble looking for random pieces you think are cool, make sure they all fit together to give your audience a clear idea of what your brand represents. More often than not we see startup brands making six shirts with six different designers and it all ends up looking like a grab bag of t-shirts. Young t-shirt startups should assign work to specific designers who they know can fulfill their vision rather than just making a pile of mashed together work.

Any last minute shout outs, news or announcements before we sign off?

Listen to http://prawnnj.bandcamp.com

Kyle Crawford is easily one of the most well-known and polarizing clothing line owners in the game today. He absolutely never hesitates to speak his mind, regardless of the topic, company or issues at hand which is honestly why I have grown to love and respect him and his brand Electric Zombie as well as shake my head in disbelief at some of his approaches and comments. Regardless of whom Kyle Crawford is as a person and whether you like him or not you have to respect him as a guy that truly knows how to run a clothing company. His clothing line Electric Zombie has literally grown leaps and bounds every year and line he puts out stretching the boundaries of what you can expect from an indie clothing line. So with that all being said I figured I’d interview Kyle to get the real scoop about running his clothing line, how he views his fans and the industry. Enjoy.

Huge congrats on launching once again an absolutely massive summer line. How hard is it to plan a line consisting of that many pieces and how has the feedback been so far?

Thanks man. The planning wasn’t really so involved as you would think. I never go into the thing thinking, IT’S GOING TO HAVE THIS MANY PIECES. I Just look through my ideas, figure out who’s best for what idea and then hire out. By the time I finish my pieces and I get the pieces I hired out for, it’s like “Fuck I have a lot of shit.” It just happens. I never plan it out to be that way. The hard part is organizing everything after the designs are done. The designs are the easy part. Feedback has been awesome. There’s particular fan favorites, which always happens so overall it might not be the biggest and best sales wise. I just think people buy the ones they like the most, get it in the mail and go “Shit, I need to get more, this is awesome.” Not to say that the line is doing bad. I just think I offer too much goodness that people are more selective. The one thing I’m not looking forward to is the “Bring back the Street Sharks Shirt” comments once that design is long gone, much like the TMNT ones from a few summers back.

I know you just exhibited at Bamboozle and I have a lot of upcoming clothing lines ask about exhibiting. What are some positives and negatives of exhibiting at festivals and do you think it’s a good idea for brands that are just starting out to try and exhibit?

I think TRY is the key word. I’m not going to be someone who blows smoke up your ass. But the people that go to these things, you have to remember are girls, or the lowest of the low of people. They either want free shit, or well free shit. You have to look at these things as a way to interact with people and get your name out there. If you sell some shit in the process, then hey, today was a good day. If you think going out there, automatically gets you money, you’re dead wrong. I’d be lucky to break even at bamboozle. The money I spent to be there. The display, the freebies, the product, it’s a fuckload of money. If you’re going to do these things. Really think about how you present yourself before you think about how much product you’re going to bring out. Bring as much free shit as possible, seriously. It’s all these people care about. Bring somene who is vocal as hell. With me, I am not one of those, HEY YOU YEA YOU COME HERE, CHECK THIS OUT! I can’t do it. If and when I go to events like this. There’s always those fuck heads who do that and have their super soakers and blast me in the face, and I want to drop kick their nose off their faces. I just can’t do that. It’s annoying. I feel like if someone wants to check you out, they will. I mean it’s an all day, sometimes ALL WEEKEND event. Don’t be a doucher, be patient.

Along the lines of exhibiting at shows what should a clothing company know before they exhibit at their first show and do you have any advice for preparing?

Like I said, bring someone who is vocal and that you trust. Be prepared for all weather conditions. The first 2 bamboozle I put everything in cardboard boxes and it rained both times. I finally started bringing everything in Plastic Totes. This year it was windy as shit, there’s prepping for that beast. As a result, I hardly gave away any free stuff or had anything on the table. If you’re going to do signings, make sure you get 2 spots, all your doing is hurting business. Those 30-120 mins a band is there doing a signing, yea brings people to your spot, but they don’t give a shit about your name, they just want that scribbly line drawn in sharpee. Take a few weeks and REALLY plan everything. I think it’s smart to do the thing once and the 2nd time you’ll have more of a readiness and a sense of what to expect in the future.

What are some of the most common misconceptions about running a clothing line?

That you have a lot of money, success and that it means you’ll get loads of vagina. That it’s super easy and that everyone and anyone can do it successfully.

Has there ever been a time that you wanted to pull the plug on EZ? And if so what made you keep plugging on?

OH THE PUNS! I think about pulling it all the time, see now I made a pun! No but seriously. I always look back at the other clothing brands I’ve done work for, and look at where they’re at today. I don’t want to be one of those guys. Sometimes I feel like finishing on top (ANOTHER PUN!). A quit while you’re ahead type of thing. But then I get an idea, and another and another. So it keeps chugging along. Sometimes, things that go on in my life, or with work make me want to just pack everything in and give the world a giant FUCK YOU. I’m a pretty tense person, so it happens a lot. But I also know that I am a tense person and know I shouldn’t make any rash decisions. When I stop running out of ideas, then I’ll sell it or just bury it. The thing about it being just mine, is I can bring it back if I ever wanted to. I’m sure that once I have kids and get married, it won’t be high priority to keep it going, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

In many t-shirt circles you are as famous as your brand if not even more famous. As anyone has hung out on Emptees or now Mintees, they have probably come to the conclusion that you are a pretty polarizing guy. People either to love you or hate you. First why do you think this is and do you let it bother you and second do you think having this persona about you helps or hurts your brand?

This is a toughy. It’s a bi-polarish type of scenario. People dislike me because they think I’m just this bully ass mean guy. Which I can be, but it’s not for “NO GOOD REASON”. I have a lot of people who I think may be jealous because they spend hours and hours on something and I take something familiar and put my own spin on it, and they get all pissy because it wasn’t completely original. There’s people that dislike me because they think I pick on people, like it gets me off or something. I say what’s on my mind, I might not use the best words or the most proper language. I may even come across more angry than I really am. But, I’m really not, it’s just my foul mouthed negative attitude. I don’t put up with shit, I get it not everyone likes my art or my brand and that’s fine and well. But it’s almost like, hey man, no one’s going to call my kid ugly, if anyone is, it’s gonna be me! type of things. I think it’s hilarious when people start their FUCK KYLE CRAWFORD banter and I come in and defend myself and then I’m the asshole. The contradiction makes my head slightly cave in a little.

There’s a lot of people who can’t believe I get away or say the things I say and or do. But what the fuck do I care? It’s T-shirts. If all else fails, I’ll become a lawyer or that guy who mops up shit or something. I’d rather say what I want, do what I want and say I was me, then be like, well oh gee, that just isn’t the nicest thing to do. I think as long as you’re being true to yourself and honest, it doesn’t get more right than that. It might not be what you like to see or hear. But in the end, I really don’t care if you like me or not. I don’t lose any sleep or any sales. There’s people who hate me but still buy my shirts. There’s people I’ve told off, that still come to me for work. I do good work, I work hard and I tell it like it is. If I was just some schmuck walking around saying fuck you guy, and hey you, fuck you too. That would be different. If someone wants to take on the challenge to calling me out, shit I love to argue and i could use a break from work, let’s do this. I think about 90% of the people who know about me, love me for this. Then there’s the other 10 that either hate me for getting away with it, or because they were on the receiving end, roll in some jealousy and there’s your explanation. I think people get this vibe from me that I am this cocky piece of shit. In reality, I’m probably the most insecure artist around. I’m sure people will now point the finger to that’s why I am the way I am but whatever. I do about 4 shirt designs a day, 6 days a week, sometimes 7, and sometimes more than 4. But I showcase about 100 designs on my portfolio. Obviously I don’t think I’m hot shit or anything by any means. I also feel like my designs in the Electric Zombie stuff, can’t hold a candle to the likes of everyone else. I feel like I’m the fat friend in the circle of hot chicks. I’m pretty hard on myself. I am cocky about how much I work, how hard I work, and how I accomplished so much, in the time I did and by myself. That you can call me out on.

Sometimes I wish I could be a little better with my customers, or get someone else to handle them. But I think it’s better for someone who owns the brand, who knows the brand to be the one who answers their questions. But sometimes, they are the dumbest questions ever. I explain things plain as day, and make it as easy as possible. I even have a FAQ section. Kids just refuse to read, they’re lazy and they EXPECT answers and in a minutely fashion. I don’t think they realize how much I do, and it’s just like, I’m not sitting here waiting to cater to you. I don’t need your 20 bucks that bad. I’m here cranking out work, use google, or the website, that’s why it’s there. Quit being so damn lazy. I tend to unleash and be a little harsh on the customer. Lots of people find it funny, sometimes the customers do too. But let’s be real, you/they are being lazy. I thought about giving away wet naps in orders to people who ask a lot of questions and design the package so it says, “I even wiped your ass for you”

I don’t like being the bad guy all the time, but when you’re good at something, do it and if it’s fun, then do it more. People who have met me or know me in person see and know who I am. I still talk shit and say how it is, and i still say fuck a lot, but the anger is toned down. I’m actually a fun/funny and nice guy. I just don’t like to get the word out on that.

What are some mistakes that you have made running Electric Zombie and how have you learned from them?

The thing I am starting to learn or mistake I’ve made is, not allowing myself enough time to get everything done. I’m still not completely prepped and ready for the summer stuff. It’s ridiculous! Trying new garments was probably a bad idea as well. I think I put out too much product. I give kids and customers TOO many options. But I’m one of those people that if I don’t make an idea while I think it’s a good one now. Then I wasted my time and energy thinking it. There’s a lot of double edged swords with Electric Zombie. I think I trust people too much too. I’ve been screwed over a bit in the past year. Money stolen, betrayal, YOU KNOW THE GOOD STUFF! I’ve made a few errors and maybe I don’t want to share them because that would be a little too useful to those companies reading. I feel like they should learn those mistakes first hand, and also, who knows if MY mistakes will be THEIR mistakes.

How is it working with a fulfillment house such as MerchNow compared to doing everything on your own?

It’s kind of a different situation all together because I work here. But before I worked here, I was with Merch Line. I feel like it was and is a big help to have someone do that work for you. When I was on Karma Loop a few years back, I had to ship everything myself. Fill out forms, tracking all of that. I did that every Saturday for 6 months and I hated it. I maybe did about 20-50 orders a week with them and it was grueling. Then I had to come back and email them their tracking number and marked that it was shipped. FUCKKKK THAT. I’d rather just give someone a percentage to take care of it for me. I have enough going on as it is.

With me working here. I can check on stock by walking through doors. Notice problems and present them to them and it gets fixed. Rather than having to get on the phone or wait for an email. I get an automatic answer. So that rules. Being able to do the same thing with the printing of my stuff is great too. The whole situation I am in, is a pretty great one. Not everyone gets to see their stuff come in on the dock, get printed, pick your own ink colors, pinpoint errors before it’s too late, see the shirts come off the dryer and then put on the shelf. I’m pretty lucky.

You do a fantastic job of branding your line from cohesive photos, lines, designs and images which is something I see a lot of clothing company upstarts struggle with. Was branding something you established as your built your brand or something that you had a plan for from the start.

I kind of just do my thing. I don’t really have a plan of attack so to say. I just have an idea or a vision and I execute. I’m just very controlling and Iod know what I want, and I’m not satisfied until it happens or I get it. I don’t know if I just have this natural eye for it or if I just get lucky and comes together. Sometimes one idea leads to 7 more and it works together as a unit. A phrase or quote that I created may spark a buttload of other ideas. It just happens. I think me just being artistic and overly organized gives the appearance that I have a strategy. It’s a question I can’t really answer. I just make things and I know when things don’t fit so I save them for next time or ditch them all together. I have no idea, haha. I’m just a think machine.

Moving forward what is your long term goal and vision for Electric Zombie?

Ideally I’d like to do way more custom pieces. Way more fashiony and out there. Toys would be awesome. More grown up approach in the fall / winter. I always put that, go out with a bang mentality in my head when I plan the next line or the future. You have to take that risk, at some point you’re going to fail and the business will be non existent. I’d rather fail and learn. In the fall I have a nice little theme again and I already have the summer and another line after that planned out. So Electric Zombie isn’t going anywhere in the near future.

Before we go, is there any last minute announcements, shout outs or advice you would like to leave us with?

I just wanted to thank you ( IATT NOT YOU READERS!) for all the support over the years, nice write ups and informative and entertaining write ups and posts and videos. You don’t get too much of that now a days. I also want to thank my fans in the philippines, indonesia and malaysia. You guys are crazy supportive! Richard Minino, Derek Deal, Keaton Henson, Chris Lovell, Felix LaFlamme and Rhys Cooper for all their help this summer. The Johnny Cupcakes crew for being awesome at Bamboozle. Johnny For advice and support especially. Thanks for all the nay sayers and the fans who drive me to make the best stuff for you and for myself. I’ll be starting the fall stuff in a few weeks and it’s just a matter of time before the KYPE takes over again!

You can check out the entire new Electric Zombie Summer Line at: www.buyelectriczombie.com

Exclusive interview with guitarist, Jim Hocking from For The Fallen Dreams.

Today, I had the opportunity to have a talk with For The Fallen Dreams guitarist Jim Hocking about their new album, “Back Burner”, which dropped today, May 24th from Rise Records. He provided some awesome insight to the band, as well as information their new record (“Back Burner”). Read below to see what all Jim had to say…

First off, Jim, I want to thank you for taking some time out of your busy tour life to talk to me. Why don’t you tell us more about yourself and what do you for “For The Fallen Dreams” (FTFD)? Where are you from?

I play guitar and co-write the music for the band. I was born and raised in Charlotte, MI, a small suburb outside of the capital city, Lansing.

What is the current lineup for the band? I know there has been quite a few changes since the release of “Relentless” in 2009. Is this lineup just a “tour lineup” or is it official?

The current line-up stands as Dylan – Vocals, Kalan and me (Jim) – Guitar, Jordan – Bass and Arvin – Drums. This line-up is actually the MOST official we have had in a long time. After losing some core members following the release of Relentless, we took a step back and had friends fill in.

You guys just dropped the album “Back Burner” today via Rise Records, how does it feel?

It feels great! I woke up in the van on the way to our show in Des Moines, saw the date on my phone and felt a weight lift from my shoulders.

Readers, please support music and go buy the hard copy or purchase off iTunes. Its not about the money (that we won’t see from record sales anyway), its about the units sold!!! The industry pays close attention to these things!

What is your favorite song, personally, on the new record and why?

That is a very difficult question. I might say I have a few favorites for different reasons. Deep Down Inside is one of them. The song structure and chorus are just appealing to me, also hard-hitting. Bottom Feeders is a favorite for the fact that its our softest song to date…something I have always wanted to do. We really wanted to show every side and influence of the band on this record and I feel we did. Another song I’m really into is Fist Fight. The intro to the song is sick, and its just a pissed song all the way through.

What role do you play in the studio?

Kalan and I threw the guitar back and forth recording parts or changing things up. Its an all-over process. You never really doing EXACTLY what you plan on doing day by day. If we weren’t feeling a song one day we wouldn’t force it. We would go down the list and find one that grabbed us.

What was a typical day like in the studio?

The band would wake up early every day…like a real job haha…get into the studio around 9 with our coffees and breakfast, and discuss the plans for the day before diving in. Things were really easy-going while at Tom’s studio. We became pretty good friends, so when we weren’t tracking we were messing around or talking shit to each other haha.

Where did you guys record?

Diamond Studios in Ocala, FL with Tom Denney.

Are there any guest appearance on this album? I know “Relentless” had featured Jeremy McKinnon of “A Day to Remember”.

Mike Duce from Lower Than Atlantis sings on “Yellow”. We are all very happy with how this turned out. FTFD and LTA toured Europe and the UK together in December 2010, where we became good friends, as well as huge fans of LTA. Their albums Far Q and World Record are on regular rotation in the van. They were touring the U.S. for their first time while we were in the studio and happened to be passing through Ocala. We stopped them and dragged Mike into the studio, bribing him with a bottle of gin haha. It was a great time, as it always is. Miss those dudes!!! Check them out if you haven’t already.

Which do you prefer, studio life or tour life?

Tough question! They are very different. Studio life was almost like I moved to Ocala and made a bunch of new friends. We were always partying at our friend Andy’s house after we would leave the studio. It was nice to be comfortable in one spot for so long. Tour life is just so constant that sometimes you feel like you’re in the same place everyday…that may be because I’m going on 7 years of travel.

Where can everyone purchase “Back Burner”?

Hot Topic, Best Buy, FYE, iTunes, Rise Records, MerchNow, Merch Connection, among a slew of other online sites.

You guys are going on the road to Europe soon with Bury Your Dead, right? Are you stoked on that?

Absolutely. We have toured with BYD a few times in the past, never with Matt Bruso on vocals, but it was always a good time. (Except the time I watched them flip their van 5 times across an interstate).

Who was the best lineup for a tour that you ever were apart of?

Too difficult to say!!! I usually get close with a few people on every tour, and get along with everyone else.

How does Rise Records and FTFD match up? There has always been a bit of controversy on the line up that Rise Records has and who they should keep/recruit.

Craig hit us up in the summer of 2007 with a message saying he really liked the music and wanted to sign us. We were ecstatic. I don’t care what controversy there is around the label and it’s bands. Rise has been on the ups over the past few years and is a very successful label. I am stoked for Craig and the exponential increase in album sales he and his bands have accomplished. That’s a tough thing to do these days in this industry.

What do you see for the future of FTFD?

It’s looking bright right now, as it always does to me. Being a founding member I have always kept my head held high. The positive outlook has kept this band alive.

So, I got to ask, what is the deal with you guys and Legend, specifically with ex-FTFD vocalist Chad Ruhlig? Is there any “real” beef there or is it more a joke between you guys?

OHHHH YEAH, THEY BETTER WATCH THEIR BACKS…no. There is no beef. We love those dudes. We did a tour last summer that was supposed to be named “Squash the Beef”, but it was renamed. Chad and everyone else are still great friends of ours. Go pick up their new album, “The Pale Horse”!

Again, thanks so much for talking with me. The album is a huge success and I think you guys should be very proud of all your hard work. Anything else you would like to mention or say?

Thanks to everyone that has supported us in the past and present, and to those that never gave up on us. You mean the world to us and we are grateful for the opportunities you (the fans) have presented us with. We hope you pick up a copy of BACK BURNER and come see us at a show! See you soon, world.

FTFD’s new album “Back Burner” is available TODAY via iTunes!

“Back Burner” Track List:

1. Say What You Will (3:10)
2. Deep Down Inside (3:06)
3. Complicate the Situation (3:50)
4. Only Unopened Arms (3:07)
5. My Anthem-Like Symphony (2:47)
6. The Big Empty (3:52)
7. Bottom Feeders (2:42)
8. Don’t Give Up, Don’t Give In (3:13)
9. The Human Collective (3:06)
10. Let Go (3:02)
11. Yellow (featuring Mike Duce of Lower Than Atlantis) (3:19)
12. Fist Fight (3:23)

“For The Fallen Dreams” online:

• http://www.facebook.com/forthefallendreams
• http://www.twitter.com/ftfdband
• http://www.myspace.com/forthefallendreams

Design team The Black Axe have grown to be one of the most well known and respected group of artists and designers in the game. They have worked with some of the big names in indie clothing such as 410BC, Rockett, Pyknic and Dead, Serious as well as working with bands such as Cobra Starship, The Academy Is, Four Year Strong, and Paramore to name a few. Aside from that they have also launched some incredible websites such as BandJob and Shirtmockup.com. Bottom line is that The Black Axe has their shit together so when they say they are going to launch a clothing line you better pay attention.

After seeing their clothing line The VNM launch I wanted to sit down and see exactly what inspired them to start their own line and what we can expect as they expand.

From what I have been reading THE VNM is a new project and clothing company from The Black Axe. Is everyone at The Black Axe involved with the project and if so has it been hard to get 5 guys together around a central idea?

Yep VNM is our project as a company. When we first started it was all 5 of us, then at the beginning of the year Derek Deal made the decision to branch out on his own. Since then it’s been the 4 of us doing everything and most of our ideas are eerily similar so it really isn’t difficult.

So after all this time designing for other companies, clothing labels, bands, etc why have you guys now decided to start a clothing line?

We’ve been designing apparel for successful brands for years and was always something we wanted to do. Unfortunately for us we had big ideas and didn’t just want to print a couple shirts and call it a line. It was beyond our means up until last summer. We received an offer from one of our long time clients to manufacture and distribute our own line. We jumped at the chance and things have turned out better than we expected.

Where did you guys come up with the name THE VNM and is there any significance behind it?

Thats a weird one. It has a meaning, but sharing what it means to us kind of defeats the point. It’s intentionally ambiguous so people can’t nail it down and have to just attach their own ideas. And really, we want to run this brand for a long time so we don’t intend on chaining ourselves to some concept we like currently, but don’t really feel 5 years from now.

Ambiguity aside, we’ve named a lot of shit collectively. The 4 of us have had multiple companies (Team Doom, The Black Axe, Horsebites, Bandjob, Crispy Tees, etc) and been in a bunch of bands (No Friends, New Mexican Disaster Squad, None More Black, Gatorface, etc). With all of these things naming them was the worst. Everything sounds stupid until you put something behind it, so this way we bypass the awkward part and get right to the point.

What would you like to tell people about THE VNM and what makes it different than any other clothing line that is out there today?

As i’m sure plenty of people before us have done: We just do what we want to do, not what we think is gonna sell well. This probably isn’t the best business model, but the entire reason we do this line is to make stuff clients wouldn’t really go for. Just shit we want to wear.

Do you find it harder or easier to design for your own line as opposed to completing projects for clients?

Much easier only in the sense that we enjoy every hour we put into it because the concepts are our own. That said, it is infinitely more difficult in that we never really feel like anything is good enough. We scrutinize everything we do way more than we ever would for client work because we have the time to do so.

Are you viewing THE VNM as a side project or is this something that will continue to be developed, pushed and grown?

VNM is definitely our favorite thing. Ideally it will grow, over time, into our main gig. We aren’t in any rush to abandon design in general, so we are just going to keep on doing what we do and grow this brand the right way.

How has the experience of running a clothing line been so far?

Fun and stressful just like we expected. It’s basically what we’ve been doing for years already, only this time we’re the ones at the wheel.

Do you have any sales or coupon codes you would like to share with our readers?

We’re actually having our first sale in conjunction with a bunch of little contests and ways to win crap starting this monday 5/23. Follow us on twitter www.twitter.com/TheVNM and on Facebook www.facebook.com/TheVNM for how to get in on all of that.

DREDG interview with iamthetrend.com on 5.14.11 at The Bottom Lounge in Chicago, IL.

The guys talk about their tour with The Dear Hunter and the release of their 5th album Chuckles & Mr. Squeezy.

Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy dropped May 3rd and is available at www.dredg.com

Fresh off their second place finish in Tee Madness 2011 and on the heels of their Spring 2011 offering I decided to chat with Ruckus Apparel owner Josh Schmitz about everything Ruckus and running a clothing line.

www.ruckusapparel.com

So huge congratulations coming in as the Runner-Up for this year’s Tee Madness! How did the competition treat you and how was it taking down second place?

Thanks man! The competition was crazy, we had sooooo many close matchups. It was a great experience, and alot of fun. It was really impressive to me how many people support RUCKUS. It was a very awesome thing to see so many cool people in my corner helping us out. Second place is cool with me, honestly, i would have been happy with top 8. Once we got to the top 8 everyone had solid lines, and i was honored to be amongst them.

You guys look to be extremely busy getting ready to launch the new line “Death Crew”. What can you tell us about the new line and can we get any sneak peaks?

The Spring line has been a bit crazy. The DEATH CREW evolution has been been really fun to watch. Its actually something that one of my designers Matt Skiff came up with on a whim, and its REALLY taken off. The Death Crew has turned into a whole subculture within Ruckus. But yes, needless to say, the Death Crew stuff is super tough. I’m really really stoked on how its all coming out.

Ruckus has done a phenomenal job taking a big step up each release whether it be in the products, photos or website redesigns. How do you keep yourself motivated to grow and outdo yourself each release?

That’s exactly it – i just try to outdo myself with every release and every event. I mean, for our first runway show ever i opened up the catwalk with a pro mma fighter spinning fire, haha – how in the hell do you out do that?? SNAKES – Thats how, LOL. No man, I firmly believe that there is no neutral in business or in life. If your not getting better – your getting worse. That applies to ALL aspects of your life. Life is about hustle, and discipline. Mike Tyson is probably my favorite athletes of all time, and his definition of discipline is “doing what you hate to do, but doing it like you love it.” If your stagnant in this industry – your dead… it will eat you alive.

I was reading on your site that you have some huge announcements coming out soon concerning new collabs, sponsorships and partnerships. Is there anything that you can share with us yet on that front?

Yeah this summer is going to be huge for us. I guess this is as good of a platform as any to show a little bit of what’s up our sleeve. We have corporately partnered with Erich Garza and GutterMouth Productions, as well as Tom Parrott and Sunrise Music Productions. We have also added to the RUCKUS ARMY bands such as The Great Commission, and My Body Sings Electric. We also welcomed into the family Colorado’s very own Denver Outlaws (Denver’s Professional Lacrosse team), as well as David Herman (Pro BMX rider for team USA), and professional fighters Brandon RUKUS Thatch, Vinnie The Assault Lopez, and Jason The Dragon Lee. We are also teamed up with a freaking awesome project our of nebraska called Skate the State its an amazing project and i couldnt be more happy to be a part. And that’s a short list of some of the new additions. Im really really excited for the future.

How have used social networking to your advantage and grow your brand?

Social networking is huge. Its all perceived reality right? Were constantly staying in communication with our fans as well as keeping them up to date with all that’s going on. We also use it to ensure that everyone is informed of all of the events we have going on. Facebook and Twitter both have been hugely important in our marketing process.

So when setting up a line for release what does that process look like and how long does it usually take from start to finish?

It changes from release to release. But i have a core team of 4 designers that do all of our work. I usually send them a super long design brief / inspiration email and then from there i trust them, and just let them do their thing. I have such a good relationship with them that they all understand my vision and are able to completely execute it.

From the design process, i start to pick garments. One thing that sets us apart is we do alot of custom girls pieces, not just standard unisex ts. That’s important for us to keep us ahead and different from the pack. Once i’ve approved the designs and garments we go to press, then photo shoot, then runway show, then release, then party, haha. If you overcomplicate everything, and start to over think your release you will take the fun out of it. Like for me, i dont pay attention to trends, or hot colors, or anything like that. I just make clothes that i love, and hopefully other people like them too…

What have been some of your biggest challenges when starting and growing your brand?

Money is always a problem. But i graduated from Wheat Ridge, which everyone from Colorado knows basically i graduated with a degree in Alpha Male, and learned how to Hustle rather than earning an actual High School diploma. I literally started Ruckus with 200 dollars. Its all about hustle, hard work, and doing good business with good people. If you spend more time picking your team and less time worrying about your budget – things will work out, i promise. Another problem we run into is people trying to label us, or put us in a genre. Street Wear, Casual Wear, Athletic Wear, Fine Couture, etc etc. I HATE that. Don’t try to label me because we wont fit. In a recent feature for a Denver High Fashion Magazine, they asked us how we liked being Fine Couture, i responded “Were not Fine Couture, were Grime Couture.” Haha yeah, we don’t really fit in… but i LOVE that.

Could you offer any advice to people looking to start their own line or help them grow their current line?

Don’t be needy or whiney or take things personal. Put your chin up and rep your shit hard. When you want something bad enough, and you work for it hard enough, you don’t have to chase your dreams. When you dream big, and you work HARD – your dreams almost start to chase you.

Do you have any sales or coupon codes you would like to share with our readers?

Ill tell you what – because of T Madness, and you guys always having my back – promo code IATT will get you 25% off everything on our site

Any last minute shout-outs or announcements?

I want to thanks my personal Lord Jesus Christ. Without Him, none of this would be possible. I also want to thank my Mom and Dad for teaching me what its like to work hard for the greater Glory, and to live for something bigger than myself. I want to personally thank Erich Garza and GutterMouth Productions for believing in this crazy dream. I want to thank my designers Matt Skiff, Brandon Herbel, Mike Cortada, and new addition Shane Biaotto. Also HUGE thanks to all of our fans and customers… You guys have always been in my corner and you have no idea how much your support means to me!

GMP Promo from GutterMouth Productions on Vimeo.

Mile To Go has been one of my favorite brands since I have started IAMTHETREND.com for various reasons, but most importantly how well Greg runs his clothing line. I interviewed him a ways back which can be read HERE, but for this interview I really wanted to get some solid advice put together for people that are either running clothing lines or thinking about starting a clothing line. Greg was kind enough to sit down and answer some of the most common questions and provide insight into running a successful brand.

If you haven’t already also make sure to check out the new Miles To Go Spring line as it melts faces! www.milestogoclothing.com

So how have things been since we lasted talked? The new line looks fantastic!

Life has been a bit of a whirlwind over the last few months. On top of planning the spring line that just came out, I went to London to venture into picking up some retail stores and got hit with a ton of belt orders(over 2000) all during the time I was supposed to be printing my line and doing all of the prep for it. The new release went very well and the response has been great, which is very rewarding and makes all of the hard work worth it. I thought I had it all planned out this time and got all of my art for spring wrapped up by late November, but it still turned into total chaos and taught me a lot of new things.

I know we have touched on this before, but for the newcomers could you give a bit of background into Miles To Go and why decided to start a brand?

Miles to go started very organically. I worked at a print shop and had access to a press, so I began printing some designs I had made for myself and would make a few more to try and sell on eBay or Etsy, etc. Did some local events hustling on street corners and just allowed it to keep folding into itself. My first commissioned piece of art that I got is when the idea of having a clothing line began. Even so, at that point, I maybe printed 24 of them the first time. To this day, I just keep trying to move forward and allow it to grow at its own pace.

Was there a point where you really felt like Miles To Go started to take off and what do you think was what caused that?

One of the first big breaks that gave me a window into what people thought about the brand was when I did a charity tee with Colin from Circa Survive. Up until that point, people finding me were either local or knew me from the internet. I saw a lot of the kids picking up tees along with the charity one and since it was a totally new crowd of people with no association with me, it inspired me and let me see that I could make it work. Things kept moving along for a while and then last spring I decided to do a seasonal release. Before then, I would hire an artist, print the shirt, sell it, etc. Initially the move to do seasonal was brought on by me debating doing retail and they tend to work in fall and spring with trade shows happening during august and feb. Doing a seasonal release with a bunch of items at once helped peak interest and also allowed blogs and other sites to do features which helped get the word out a ton.

Was there ever a time where you considered pulling the plug and if so what made you keep trucking on?

I can’t tell you how many times I have debated pulling the plug on it. Running a t-shirt brand is not exactly a model for profitability in terms of the normal business model. My dad told me a long time ago that you needed to make at least 300% to be able to start making anything. Let’s say you print a 3 color shirt using discharge ink onto an AA tee and do 100 shirts. Might run you around $9/10 a shirt. Factor in the art fees($300 for original art) adds $3 per tee at 100 shirts. So, now, before doing any finishing, evaluating the labor costs or printed promotional items to give away you are at around $12/13 a shirt. Average tee price is around $20-25. Each shirt you sell basically allows you to pay for that one and pay to print a new shirt.
The fact that I pay most of my bills making my belts and had free time before has definitely factored into me thinking of stopping plenty of times. I spend so much time on these shirts, but its an outlet for me and I do really enjoy doing it. Hearing the response from people who buy the shirts and that they might pick up one of the books keeps me inspired. At this point, I have really put a lot of value into what has been built and will go until my head pops off.

What do you think is the most important piece of advice someone should think about before starting a clothing line?

It’s been said a million times, but you really need to do this because of a passion for the medium or for art. When I get a new piece of art that I’ve commissioned it re-ignites that spark. You also really need to have a theme to the brand and that theme should be something that you are actually passionate about as opposed to what is trendy. Take away my shirts and I’m still a book nerd. Take away Electric Zombie and Kyle is still a horror buff. That is what makes it successful, a genuine passion for it and it will keep you ahead of the curve. Customers recognize it when you are legitimately into what you are selling.

What are some of the mistakes that you have made running your brand and how have you learned from them?

Oh man, I could go on forever with this one. One thing I learned is to follow my gut in terms of how the brand is represented. Everyone has their own opinions and wants you to do this or that and on whatever color, etc and it never works out. Good or bad, my eye and my taste is what makes miles to go what it is. Anyone can hire an artist and say “do something cool, run wild”, but it won’t have the feel of the brand.

Another mistake was trying to do retail too early. About 4 years ago I did the Pool trade show in Vegas and went in like a blind man. I did pretty well but also quickly learned that coming up with the money to fund printing all of the shirts I needed and maybe having to wait 90 days to see a return wasn’t where I was at with the brand. Hell, I even just did a show in London(after having a brand for 5 years) and it went well, but still brought up new obstacles that I wasn’t prepared for. Lastly, there is no logical reason to go print 144 of some design when you don’t have the sales to match selling them. I see kids get these huge orders of tees on their first order and have some wild notion that if they put it out there, people will buy them all up. Even my Moby Dick shirt that to date has sold about 400+, when I reprint, I make maybe 50 more at a time. It’s a waste of money to over print something that hasn’t proven itself. You can always re-order if you sell out. By the time is sells out, you might even want to just move forward and leave it behind.

Do you still think there is room for new indie clothing start-ups or is the market just too saturated right now?

It is an over saturated market, but how many markets aren’t that way? The over saturation comes from too many brands trying to make a brand to follow the current trend at the time and people are weary after witnessing a ton of them come and go. As I mentioned before, have a theme that fits who you actually are and not what you are into for that hot second. Ugmonk is a great example of a successful brand doing things that might have seemed a hard push initially, but the passion for typography is so clear that you feel good supporting the brand. Everyone thinks they will be the next Johnny Cupcakes these days, but they fail to remember that he has been doing it for a very long time and has been following his passion and view of his brand cohesively all along the way. I have been working with him making belts for 6-7 years and have gotten to see the brand grow, but building a successful, sustainable brand doesn’t happen overnight.

What is the biggest mistake you see other clothing lines make when launching their brands?

Hands down, the lack of a cohesive vision. I see so many brands just buy rejected artwork and slap their name on it or hire who might be cool in order to get people interested initially and it doesn’t work. The fact that when people show their line that the rarity is saying, “wow, everything looks great together and is really strong” is a shame. That should be the standard to shoot for out of the gate. As a brand owner, you need to realize the role of being an art director and have some creative control over what you are releasing. Anyone can hire an artist to make something cool, but it takes a cohesive vision of the brand to make it all work together and giving good art direction is an easy way of obtaining that.

You seem to be really active on your Facebook page. How have you leveraged your FB page to build your brand?

I am one of those people that hates over emailing people. My email list is compiled of only people who have purchased something from miles to go or chose to sign up. That is valuable to me and not something I care to overly exploit. On facebook, people can easily ignore a post if they choose to or comment in two seconds. It’s a good way to keep people in touch and knowing what’s going on. Plus, when I ask people for book suggestions, I get a new list of things to check out and read. I don’t know if I leverage it per say, but I do like to use it as a way to keep in touch with the people buying from me. Tons of them have become friends through the process.

How have you dealt with disappointment with your brand?

I wish I could say I haven’t experienced any, but much like a band, you have to keep evolving. In that process, some people will get left behind and say they liked your old stuff more or it was better back whenever. I just try to keep moving forward and a lot of kids are still buying and hanging around from 3-4 years ago because they understand the progression. The minor disappointments like a slow week or a mediocre live event pass quickly though. Since I evolved slowly and naturally, there aren’t really as many peaks and valleys anymore. Of course the weekend of a release will be very busy, but when it gets back to normal, it’s predictable in a good way.

I’ve talked to a few brands that have gotten all their pieces in place, taken great photos, have great looking products and nice website, they launch their site, and nothing. What would you recommend for people that have seemingly put the pieces in the right places but are not seeing sales?

67% of my traffic to my site as of this moment comes from incoming links like blogs, etc. You really have to take the time to get in touch with other shirt enthusiasts and try to get to know them and hopefully get a feature. Also, sales just don’t appear out of thin air. I drive 6hrs into california or wherever all of the time to go stand behind a table and sell shirts at events to try and get new customers. There is a lot of ground work that needs to be done and the hardest part is of course spreading the word. Spending a lot of money on art or product shots doesn’t equal success. Hell, I didn’t get custom mailers until I was selling enough tees that ordering 400 would make sense and last me a few months. Spending a ton of money doesn’t bring in buyers. People like to see brands that have been established and trust them a bit more for a good reason…because they are still around. Building a brand is a slow burn and uphill battle, not an explosion of excitement and support. Equating proper production and presentation initially to sales would be like saying if I picked up an album from a band that was recorded well and packaged nicely that I should expect to see them in a stadium in front of 10,000 people next month and love them. I’d rather see the band in the basement doing it for the right reasons and support that.

It seems like you do a decent amount of advertising how have you seen advertising effect your brand?

I have banner ads on 5-6 sites as of this moment and although it does bring in traffic(iatt has the best click through rate for me), it is not the best way for a new brand to be spending their money always. I can afford at this moment to drop $250 a month on banners on a few sites and trade it for exposure and some new clients. When you are just starting out, that $250 could really help buy a new design or go towards printing. I have a good track record of customer loyalty over the years and for me, acquiring a new customer is a long term investment, not a quick $25 sale. People get a quality product mailed to them and if they aren’t used to american apparel or especially discharge ink, it can be an exciting new shirt which may translate into future sales of new items or them telling their friends. Doing live events is similar in that you may pay $350 and have a boat load of people check out your table and sometimes you sell a lot of tees and sometimes you lose money, but you still got new customers and the name has entered into their minds. It is way more effective in my mind than doing print ads these days.

Any last minute parting advice for people running brands or thinking about starting brands?

Do your brand your way. Hire the artists you like and always try to commission the work based off of your idea instead of buying pre-made designs. You need vision and this is not the way to make a quick buck, but it can also be very rewarding. And, please recognize that this should be done with the understanding that building a brand takes a long time. Just look at the brands you respect and mimic their work ethic and sustainability, not their style.

Derek Deal recently released a new “Eastbound and Down” print for the upcoming 2011 Paley Fest. We got the chance to catch up with him and discuss his latest endeavor.

First and foremost, thank you for lending us your time, as it is very appreciated. Before we start, could you tell our readers a little about yourself? Who are you? What do you do? Where are you from?

Hi, my name is Derek Deal. Im a Freelance Illustrator from Central Florida, currently residing in Brooklyn, New York.

You have a very impressive portfolio that covers a wide variety of clientele and projects. What were some of your favorite projects to work on?

Thanks. One of the reasons i like being an independent contractor is because i get the opportunity to work on lots of different stuff. When I’ve got a lot of apparel one month, it’s nice to be able to change gears and work on an album layout or flex my design muscles on a logo. Sometimes ill get something really off the wall and it will give me a complete recharge. For example, last year i got asked to design a full size vinyl wrap for a party bus. It ended up being an insanely fun project to work on and the pictures i got back were mind blowing. I live for when projects like that fall in my lap.

I had a chance to look through your new online store and found a very nice collection of prints for sale. Do you prefer designing prints over merchandise? Is it a nice break from the normal merch. load?

Definitely. Often times apparel design takes up a huge majority of my workload. I love the format but sometimes i just don’t want to concern myself with the restrictions that apparel design imposes. What i mean by that is with tees, whatever i end up designing, at the end of the day has to look good on a tee shirt and somebody has to want to wear it. That takes all kinds of special consideration when it comes to composition, concept, how it’s going to be produced, etc. Screen printed posters have their limitations too but i find that I have a lot more freedom to create whatever i want while still maintaining the ability to reproduce it relatively cheap. I can break borders, mess with overprinting, and best of all don’t have to worry about carrying a bunch of different sizes. That doesn’t mean that I’m strictly tied down to prints either though. I’m definitely going to have some shirts, as well as other stuff, at some point if the concept’s right.

You recently designed an “Eastbound and Down” print for Paley Fest 2011. For those of us who don’t know what Paley Fest is, could you tell us about it? How did you get involved?

From what i understand Paley Fest is kind of like a comic con for the television industry in Los Angeles. The big draw is that they put together these Q & A Panels where the cast and creators from popular television shows get together in front of a live audience and talk about the production of the show as well as field questions from the crowd. This year they had shows like Eastbound & Down, Parks and Rec, True Blood & The Walking Dead amongst others.

Do you watch “Eastbound and Down”? If so, are you a fan? Do you have a favorite episode or quote from the show?

I’m a HUGE fan of the show. I watched both seasons a couple of times while working on the poster, which is always a nice job perk. Kenny Power’s devil may care attitude and unbridled mean spiritedness creates a lot of hilarious moments in the show. I’m also a big fan of Stevie, who’s Kenny’s clueless and questionably retarded assistant. I can’t single out one episode but my favorite quote is probably ” Honey, I love you…I think you’re a terrific girl…but you have clothes like a fucking dickhead”

Yeah, i think that pretty much sums it up for me.

Did you find it hard to capture Kenny Power’s character/attitude in one print? Artistically speaking, were there any parts of the design you struggled with?

Being a fan like i said, i definitely felt the pressure to do it right. I knew that i wanted to do a baseball card so the next challenge was just finding the right screen caps to reference for the main image. Once i had that I spent a ton of time going back and forth, tweaking lines in the face trying to get it right. Just having Kenny pitching though didn’t feel like it really encompassed his character so the first image i threw into the background was him riding around on his “Panty Dropper” jet ski. Then i just filled up the rest with my favorite auxiliary characters from the show.

I noticed you had a BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design. Kenny Power’s would tell you that “fundamentals are a crutch for the talentless”. Would you agree? How did school or it’s fundamentals affect you?

Yes. School is for fools.

No, i had a great time in school and learned a ton. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything in the world. If i had a 95 mile an hour fastball though i would probably agree with Kenny. I will say that the core fundamentals you learn in college are invaluable, but after a while you start to get out what you put in. Art school creates a sandbox environment where you can explore different ideas and play with expensive toys but if you really wanna learn something you have to kinda take it upon yourself.

Lastly, where can our readers pick up the limited, and amazing, “Eastbound and Down” print? Do you have any social networks, blogs, or websites that our readers can use to follow you?

I’ve got a brand new webstore located at http://www.merchline.com/derekdeal and you can check out my work at http://www.derekdeal.com. that’s where you can find all my social media links too.

Thanks again, Derek, for your time and support of I Am The Trend.

Flower Children are a clothing company that have literally come out of left field and impressed me. I have written about them a few times before on the site, but decided to get some more insight on this Montreal based company.

Credentials first, Name, Age, Location and favorite tv show

Jerome Gagnon, I’m 21, I live in Montreal, Quebec. I’ll go with Arrested Development because I can’t stop thinking of Gob’s best quotes lately!

Can you start out by giving us a bit of background on Flower Children and why you decided to launch a clothing company?

I know this may sound very common, but I wanted to use clothing as a mean of communication. I’ve always loved buying good looking tees and choosing them according to my personality and feelings at that moment. Two years ago, when I started thinking about this brand, I had little experience with the t-shirts industry but I’ve really felt and imagined the potential of it. So I decided to found a company which would give me the chance to express my artistic vision to the world. To own a clothing company is the perfect balance between art and business in my opinion!

The name Flower Children immediately brings to mind images of tie dye, peace signs, and basically anything hippie. What was the thought behind using that name and how does it tie into the “hippie” culture?

Basically, I wanted to create something that would go beyond shirt designs only. I wanted to create a story and express myself as an artist through the concepts of every piece we’d do. Flower Children was just the perfect name for that story.

Eventually, we want to create a whole new branding before the end of the year. Hopefully, we’ll be able to change our company’s image, refine the general concept of the line and gradually dissociate ourselves from any visual ”hippie” reference.

I was blown away with your website and imagery. How did you come up with the concept behind the website and whom designed it for you?

The website design and development was a huge project we’ve been working on for 6 months prior to the launch. The talented guys at The Black Axe have been totally killing it. We really wanted to create an immersive and unusual experience for the user. At that time, designer and illustrator Derek Deal was still part of the Axe so we asked him for a complete illustrated website design to suit our first line aesthetic.

We came up with the concept while creating the ”Nenuphar’s Territory” shirt design. After their journey, the characters were supposed to discover the imaginary Flower Children world in an animated introduction. A last minute decision was made to remove the introduction from the website to enhance performances. Nonetheless, the design is still very impressive and unique!

I really love how you guys have come out of the gates blazing with great looking tees, photos and website. What was it like preparing for the initial launch of Flower Children and how long did it take to put together?

Preparing that first release definitely took a lot of thought. I’ve been doing pretty much everything by myself but had some help from friends from time to time. It took almost two years to put together and the brand evolved a lot during that lapse of time. There are a couple designs we decided not to print, even a complete website we never released. Some mistaken decisions I did at first taught me a lot of things in the end. Oh and I’d like to say a special thanks to Etienne Dufresne who did a wonderful job on the photos!

Where do you see Flower Children going as a brand and what is your ultimate goal for the company?

This brand is the most beautiful wearable thing on Earth to me. I’d love to see people wearing these colors all over the world. I think they must know this exists, whether they like it or not. My ultimate goal is to create something timeless and to be part of the cultural development. Music and clothing always have been very close. Working with bands on unique projects directly in relation with Flower Children or not is something I am already thinking about. Hopefully this will happen soon!

What advice would you offer to people looking to start their own clothing line?

The market is near saturated at the moment but there is always space for new entrepreneurs in my opinion. Try to think of something different. Create a concept you believe in that will make you stand out of the crowd. I think that conceptual lines tend to live longer and are easier to manage on the long run.

Do you have any sales or coupon codes you would like to share with our readers?

I thought the best way to celebrate this IATT interview was to offer your readers ALL of our tees for 15$ from now until Sunday night only, no coupon needed! This low price will not be happening anytime soon so make sure you grab something before midnight(EST), April 3rd! We also wanted to let people know that we are doing a Spring sale: type tees will be 15$, conceptual tees will be 20$ and hoodies 25$ for the whole April month!

Any last minute shout outs or announcements you would like to make?

We are working on some new exciting illustrations with Derek Deal and other great designers so keep your eyes open for a summer release! I suggest you like us on Facebook for a chance to win a Free shirt regularly and stay informed about the preorder deals coming soon!

Thanks to I Am The Trend and Adam for this interview!

Whether you are just a t-shirt lover or the owner of a t-shirt brand, Jeff Sheldon and his brand UGMONK are a company that you need to know. This indie clothing startup was launched just over 2.5 years ago and today, Jeff has been able to quit his job and take his brand UGMONK full time. UGMONK has honestly been one of my favorite brands of the years and with Jeff recently taking his brand full time, I figured it time to sit down and pick his brain. Enjoy!

Boring stuff first, Name, Age, Location, Favorite Number

Jeff Sheldon, 25, Downingtown PA, 7

I have to ask this first! I have loved your brand for a long time now but have never known what the meaning behind the name Ugmonk is, could you please explain where you came up with the name and what it means?

Actually came about pretty randomly. I came up with a bunch of different names, many had to do with design or apparel, but then kept coming back to “Ugmonk” (random, but had a nice ring to it). It was weird enough to stand out, while still being short and memorable. I like the idea that before I started Ugmonk, the word itself was ambiguous and had no preconceived meanings associated with it. This allowed me to define what “Ugmonk” is and represents.

You obviously have a love and passion for typography. Did Ugmonk start with the mission of being a typography based clothing line or is that something that you evolved into?

I grew up doing all types of traditional art (painting, sketching, sculpting) and it wasn’t until a few years ago when I was in college that I transitioned into graphic design. After studying design, I realized that typography was a key element for almost all design. I soon developed a passion for type and began experimenting with using type as a design element for shirts rather than using it just to write out a slogan or brand name. The more I played with the letter forms, the more I realized the potential to base a clothing line around type. Mixing typography and t-shirts has been done before, but my goal was to find new ways to merge the two and bring something fresh to the apparel world.

I have been following your brand since it’s original launch in 2008 and have watched this brand evolve from a small indie upstart to a full fledged clothing line a very short time span. What do you attribute the success of your brand to?

Yes, Ugmonk has grown faster than I ever imagined. When I started, it was literally a side project and an outlet for my passion for typography and tshirt design. I was just doing it because I enjoyed doing it. I had no plans for it to ever become my full-time job, in fact when people asked me in the beginning I usually just laughed and said “No, I would have to sell A LOT of tshirts.” Well here I am just a couple years later doing it full-time and selling a lot of tshirts.

As far as the rapid growth, I think my mission and aesthetic behind Ugmonk just connected with a lot of people right off the bat. When launching, I figured there had to be some other people out there that appreciate simple, clean design like I do, but I didn’t realize how many people it would strike a chord with. In everything I do, I try to give extreme attention to detail. Those details are part of what sets Ugmonk apart from the multitudes of other brands out there. Honestly, I’ve been overwhelmed with the response since day one and it’s humbling to know that people are wearing my shirts all over the world.

I have also read that you had very little business experience before starting your brand. What have been some of your biggest obstacles or learning experiences from launching your brand? If you could go back to when you started would you change anything?

Honestly, I think not having that business background has helped me in many ways. Of course looking back there are plenty of things I wish I knew before I launched, but I never worried about following the traditional model of launching a business. Instead I just went with my gut, and figured things out as I went. In my opinion, the best way of learning is by doing. Just get out there, talk to people and learn on the go. This is not to say that a business plan doesn’t have it’s place, but too many people get hung up on the technicalities and financials. I started Ugmonk because it is my passion, not to make a quick buck.

How was your experience working with Urban Outfitters when they carried the “And Then I Woke Up” Tee and how did that come about?

Networking, networking, networking. It’s all about who you know. Just doing good work will get you noticed and open lots of doors and opportunities to meet people.

How difficult was the decision to leave your full-time job to pursue Ugmonk full-time and did you ever imagine the brand would get to that point?

It was not a easy decision and I debated for months whether or not to make the jump. Leaving a consistent pay check and decent design job in this economy to take Ugmonk full-time was a little nerve racking, but Ugmonk was growing to a point where I was working an unhealthy amount of hours and something needed to give. I decided that now was the time to make the jump and take the risk. Thankfully it’s been all up hill since I went full-time and the brand continues to grow at a great rate.

What is your personal favorite design?

That’s a tough question. I like different designs for different reasons, but a couple of my current favorites are “Seven Days A Week” and “It’s About Time.”

What advice would you offer people that are thinking about starting their own clothing line?

1. Focus on creating a great product. People will talk about it if it is unique and high quality.
2. Create a consistent brand identity. Everything from your logo, website, etc should all be unified and well thought-out. Don’t rush this part.
3. Find a niche market. Many people try to market to everyone instead of a specific target audience.
4. Start small and learn as you grow. Mistakes are easier to fix if you start on a small scale. Don’t try to carry too much inventory at the beginning, because it only makes things harder to change.

It’s been very exciting to see Ugmonk branch from just tees into custom totes, prints, notebooks, and coffee mugs. What is next for the brand?

Planning lots of new stuff for this year. More new tshirts as well as some other accessories. I’d tell you more, but that would ruin the surprise

Do you have any sales or coupon codes that you would like to share with our readers?

Use IAMTHETREND at checkout for 10% off your entire order.

Any last minute announcements or shout outs?

Just want to encourage everyone to pursue their passion and take that first step. A lot of people have ideas and dreams but never take action on those ideas. You never know what could happen. Get out there and do something!

You can read more about my story here: http://ugmonk.com/about

Thanks for the interview. Keep up the great work here on I Am The Trend!

www.ugmonk.com

Kyle from Sugar Steak Apparel has been hustling his brand hard and it’s paying off. He just recently was interviewed by the guys over at Urban Media. The interview gives some great insight into Sugar Steak and running a clothing line.

Take a second and check out the video below:

During my freshman year in college I was introduced to Steven Leibensperger, our common interest in music and art lead us to an idea to try and start a clothing company. With my resources of getting cheap blank shirts and his creative ideas it was a no brainer to dive head first into this idea. Fast forward to the present, Steven is now the only owner of Muero Apparo Clothing, and one of the graphic designers for the Crayola factory.

Let’s get the boring stuff outta the way first. (age, location, currently listening to)

Steven Guy Leibensperger, Age: 27
Location: Bethlehem, PA currently….home town of Cressona, PA!
Currently Listening to…: Deftones, Glassjaw, The Republic of Wolves, Minus the Bear

When did you start Designing?

I started designing pretty early as a child. In elementary school my best friends & I would make logos and ads for our own companies like skateboards, baseball cards, comic books, and automobiles. Then we started to make logos and designs for ourselves to promote us as skateboarders or artists…this never really went away. From there on, anything I would do, I would really try to figure out how can I design something to promote what I’m doing…or to design a logo or shirt graphic for any band I was in, especially in High school.

Do you have any formal training in the field?

Well I had a great mentor and teacher in High School, Bill Whalen, who really saw my talent and drive for doing more design style art. I always loved to paint and draw but was confused on how to make that a career with my particular style being more design oriented. So he suggested Kutztown University and to try and get into their Communication Design Program. I applied, took the art test and sent in what I needed. About 3 weeks later I got a rejection letter and was really bummed…however the next day I got an acceptance packet….haha so I called the school and they said there was some mix up…and I was in. Through the next 4 years I really learned the programs and techniques used to be a professional. I graduated in 2005 and then started working in Allentown, Doylestown, Philadelphia and now Easton.

You seem to have a lot on your plate, how do you find time for everything?

Well to be honest I have no idea…haha! I mean I guess it’s just a balancing act, that I’m still learning to manage all the time. I have a full-time job with Crayola, I’m a board member of The Lehigh Valley Arts Council, I play in 3 bands, volunteer with the Southside DBA event committee, run my own clothing company Muero Apparo, have a bunch of freelance clients and squeeze in some time for taking photos, traveling and going out with friends.

Can you tell everyone a little more about Muero Apparo?

Muero Apparo was an idea I had for a clothing company using my illustrations and graphics as well as other artists. The concept was to make art wearable and to promote artists and bands alike. I came across a friend at college who really pushed me to pursue the concept and we formed the company at the end of 2006 with 3 designs. Since then we’ve created roughly 40 designs with different artists, as well as me. We’ve also had people purchase shirts all over America as well as Europe which is just mind blowing to me since it’s still such a small concept that is based out of the Lehigh Valley. We are always looking for new artists, bands, and fans to get involved. Check it out at www.mueroapparo.bigcartel.com

What are your Inspiration/Influences?

I find inspiration from almost everything. I could be walking down the street and see a piece of graffiti or a vintage sign or be listening to a song that makes me feel a certain way…and that all goes into my creative process. I’m constantly taking photos and notes with my phone of different inspirational things that are around me each day. I feel if I don’t take a memo I may never remember them and then it’s like I wasted an idea. I would say my biggest influences would be my home town of Cressona, my friends, my favorite artists like Basquiat and Dalí, music, any professor, teacher or professional that helped guide me along this path.

Do you have a favorite piece you have worked on?

Wow…that’s a really tough one. I mean I have a lot of favorites….but I would say one that will probably forever stick out in my mind is the packaging and poster design behind Nick Meyer & The Meyer Straights debut album. At the time I played drums for the band and was particularly driven by this project because it combined a lot of my passions, such as music, illustration, photography, design, packaging, and the written word. I used the concept of each song having its own branding…take for instance the song “Away from Here” I illustrated a vintage suitcase and used photography of trains for the front of that song’s card which was all color coded. The back of each one contained the lyrics and close up obscure photos of each instrument used in that particular song.

Once the design was finished we had to construct the packaging by ourselves since the design idea I came up with would have been thousands of dollars in printing costs. So a few nights before the show the band was at Nick’s house like a little assembly line putting them all together…I’ll probably never forget that design or the whole process leading up to the show!

Are you available for freelance work? If so what is the best way to contact you?

I am always available for freelance work and depending on my schedule will never really turn down an opportunity. The best way to reach me would be by email: stu_431@hotmail.com or search for me on facebook.com/StevenGuyLeibensperger

As always credentials first! Name, Age, Location and Favorite Month!

Dora and Joey. Age mid to late twenties. From Montreal, QC, Canada. Dora’s favourite month is June because it’s warm and reminds her of her childhood home in Indonesia

What inspired you to start a clothing line?

I was looking for a way to leave my job as a children’s book illustrator. Following a shopping spree at Hot Topic in the US we came to the realization that as an artist I should put my designs on tshirts. After a lot of research, and through trial and error we were able to open our shop to the world.

How did Akumu Ink get started and what did you find were the most challenging and rewarding parts of starting your business?

Akumu Ink got started in a 3-roomed apartment. The most challenging things were having such a limited space to work in, having a full-time job that kept me in a zombie-like state for 2 years, and just learning everything from scratch (e.i. from how to conduct business to how to screen print). Many think that owning an indie tshirt company sounds simple enough, but very few understand that there is a lot of work that goes into it when you are producing the product from start to finish.

I have been a big fan of Akumu Ink since you guys started back in 2008. Where do you draw your influences for your line and do you design everything yourself?

We have designed everything from our very first to our latest collection. The whole point of doing this was to be able to create and to draw; I’m not giving that up anytime soon.
All influences for our style are drawn from music, movies, things we see and love, while throwing our own spin on it. There are brands I look up to like BAPE and Ambush that really keep me wanting to aspire for more.

Let’s talk a bit about branding. You guys have a very cohesive “look” and brand image from your apparel to your actual website. How important do you feel creating a unified brand image is?

Well, we originally started with a theme that I knew was true to who we were. I knew it was something I could continually draw from and expand upon. I have said this since the beginning that we are really more about the art than just printing tshirts.

I love that you guys offer each design in several different colors do you find this to be a big selling point or more of a headache for your brand?

For the last year we’ve offered all our designs on black tshirts and hoodies, red and grey tshirts.

We have just started offering new styles that will rotate every 2 weeks in an effort to separate us completely from other indie tshirt shops. This works for us because we do all our own printing. So now we can offer our customers different styles to add to their collections.

Akumu Ink seems to have a lot of reoccurring characters in the line, any plans for future expansion on the characters possibly into figurines or even animations?

I worked on a comic book during the winter, but that was shelved. I would love to expand on our characters and I think our customers enjoy when we bring them back in original artwork. Figurines were talked about a year ago, but we haven’t found the right fit to go forward and produce with.

You guys just released your latest line of new designs, what can we expect from the latest batch?

The latest batch is not only our most creative, but also our most detailed. We really pushed ourselves to create beautiful artwork that separates us and maybe will make us stand out.

So what does the rest of 2011 have in store for Akumu Ink?

We thought 2010 was going to be our year, but we met with a lot of challenges. This in turn helped us to grow so much. I think 2011 will be the year where we do what we love, and be as creative as possible in producing beautifully dark products for our customers.

What advice would you offer upcoming clothing lines?

This business is very challenging, and it helps to have people around you who are able to provide their support.

Do you guys have any sales that our readers should know about?

We do have these great deals on our Packages:
Save 10%-15% on 3 tshirts/2 tshirt + hoodies.
Save 30% on 1 tshirt + canvas.
Save 40% on 1 tshirt + 3 prints.
Save 50% for 2 2XL tshirts!

Any last minute shout outs or mentions

To find out about tshirt giveaways or when new merch is available check out our facebook site.
Our blog is updated almost daily with lots of photos and frequent insights into how our company operates: http://akumuink.com/blog/
And twitter has fun stuff and other thoughts: http://www.twitter.com/akumuink

Could you start by giving us a small bio, name, age, favorite color, etc?

Hi, My name is Clark Orr, when this is published, I’ll be 27. I was born and raised in DeLand, FL where I currently reside with my dog Edison. Hmm, my favorite color (arguably) is black. I listen to Rock n’ Roll all day, and make illustrations and designs for some fun people.

At what age or point in life did you first get into art and what drew you to it?

I’ve drawn, created, and invented ever since I was young. My dad is a sign painter from the old school, so I’ve been around his artwork since I can remember. At a young age, I was way into toy packaging/graphics: TMNT, Transformers, Madballs, and most of all, The Real Ghostbusters. In middle school I collected comic books, skated, and spent hours every month looking at cd covers in record stores. It became more evident that I was more interested in trying to replicate comic art and eyeing the newest deck designs than I was in reading, or landing the next hardest trick. I distinctly remember in sixth grade, my homeroom teacher asking us what we wanted to do as a grown up. I said a skateboard designer. In high school, I started proper graphic design.

As far as what drew me into art goes, I guess being creative is a very human-connective, spiritual thing for me, it resonates when I’m on point with it. I just ended up with the visual arts side of creativity as my passion. I’m very attracted to art and graphic design, probably in a similar way that a musician is attracted to rhythm and harmonization or a writer is to words and storytelling. I had a knack for art and composition, so I went for it and haven’t looked back since.

Let’s get the Johnny Cupcakes stuff out of the way. Back in 2008 you became the art director and lead designer for one of the most famous indie clothing brands on the planet a job a lot of artists would kill to have. After only a couple years in that position you decided to give it up, what went into that decision and how hard was it to make?

It was a really difficult decision. I love the brand, it was like my baby, it still is, ya know. I also loved my job, and I went from a steady paycheck back into the freelancing hustle, kind of scary. But my conscience kept telling me to move on. It’s hard to explain, but I finally knew it was time. There were a couple practical reasons for my leaving, the first part being that I got really burnt out. It’s taken me till recently to be honest enough with myself to realize that’s what happened. The brand is still a very small company. Despite it’s success and notoriety, all the office employees and managers do the job of like 3 people, not exaggerating. That’s just how an indie brand works. You could imagine the amount of work and responsibility I had as the sole full-time designer for about two of those years. And to be creative every day on top of all that is intense. It was also very difficult to find another full-time designer for us; someone that could hit the mark and help carry the load, so we went without. We were fortunate enough, however, to have Danny Jones (Yasly) and M. Brady Clark to help out with freelancing from time to time and Jenna Rivers with us doing Cut and Sew.

As much as I was burned out and stressed, the other half of my decision was about me needing to be able to work on different kinds of projects and not just focus on one brand. I realized that I am the kind of artist that needs to be able to work with say a band one week and a clothing line the next. I need variety and new challenges to progress as an artist and in general, to be sane. When I told Johnny I was returning to freelance, he was super supportive about it. It was really cool. I didn’t leave the company right away. From that point, it took me about 5 months to find a replacement and do training, etc. I wanted to make sure everything was set to run smoothly after I left. I still say “we” and “us” when referring to the brand, because even though I left, it’s still my family.

How was it working with Johnny in the early days and helping him form his brand?

Johnny is an extraordinary dude, he’s one of my best friends. There are not many people like him, which is part of why the brand is as big as it is, I think. I don’t know anyone who is as thoroughly stoked about what they do as he is. He’s always been like that. So it’s awesome working with someone who’s that passionate about what they’re doing.

In the early days of Johnny Cupcakes, it was really new and exciting for me. When I started working with Johnny around 2003, it was a new brand, really, so there was a lot of possibility. He already had some designs, but I sort of had a blank slate to work with. I took some ideas he had going on and ran with it, to help lay more of the groundwork. I didn’t know much about underground independent clothing brands then, there wasn’t really much of a “scene” for it like there is now. It was exciting having pretty much free reign to design t-shirts for a brand that I knew of through the hardcore scene.

At the time, I wasn’t a great illustrator, nor did I know the technical side (how to separate inks for the screen printers), so everything we did was really simple and cute. I designed pieces on my own but I also used clipart some, that was kind of the style back then, and I was still new to design, so it made it easier. I remember one day, maybe a year after first working with Johnny, he said someone made fun of his brand on a message board for using clipart. From that point on we no longer used stock art for any JC shirt. That was a real turning point for the brand, and for me as an artist. That really set the look for the brand that we still have today, straight forward, fun, bold, and custom.

Back then, I also designed the website(s) and made the first webstore. I would update our sizes everyday, we barely knew how to run e-commerce. Lucas or Johnny would call – “X-Bone plaid – Girls Small and Medium – outta stock”, etc. We would look at the web stats, and get stoked at like a couple hundred hits in one day. Ha. Around 2004 or so, the brand started growing almost exponentially it seemed from then on. I was a little absent for a couple years later, while I was graduating college and beginning my full-time career in freelance. In 2008 I joined the JC team full-time. It still blows my mind over the impact the brand has had. I really suffer from a sort of, “too close to see” phenomenon when it comes to the success of JC. That’s why it’s funny to me hearing someone else describe the brand. Regardless of the perspective, it started out grassroots, and still is to this day, even though it’s on a different scale. That’s something that we all love about it.

What have you been doing with your time and art since leaving Johnny Cupcakes?

I’ve actually designed a great deal for JC since I’ve stepped down (but on a freelance basis of course). I also recently helped layout and design parts of the new JC London store. Aside from JC, I’ve reconnected with a couple of old clients and made some new ones that I’m really excited to be working with.

I’ve also been working with Benny Gold on his line. Benny is an inspiration for me, so to work with him is an honor – great guy, great brand. Also, I’ve been working with the hip hop label Rhymesayers and some of their artists. Been working some with Real Skateboards and Spitfire Wheels (my sixth grade prediction came true), a few other companies, and a slew of band merch designs.

My artwork/career eats up pretty much my whole life. I get busy and stay busy, so I don’t have much free time. I need to change that, cause there’s more to life than “what you do”, or so I hear. I want to travel more this year. I’ll be going out to the JC London opening in a couple weeks and then out to California shortly after. Also, my mom and dad just moved so I’ve been helping them with the move and renovations. Just started a Geocaching crew with some friends – Risky Business Crew! That gets me outta the house more.

You have quite the range in artistic styles, what do you attribute to this?

I would say it partially comes from necessity. At the end of the day, I’m a commercial artist. I don’t always get to pick what I do for my clients, so I have to adapt, while executing my vision. I have different kinds of clients who have different expectations and needs. One day I’m doing a death metal design and the next I’m working on a corporate brand identity. I really enjoy that variety. I love super-stylized artists, that’s just not really me. Also I would say my range is largely due to my various influences. Most artists create what they want to see (or try to) and what they like seeing. I’m hugely influenced by everything from traditional tattoo art, to pulp/sci-fi/horror comic illustration, to WPA poster art and mid-century advertising, to Swiss design. That said, many designers tell me I have a look or style, which I agree with. I would say my art usually has a classic or vintage feel with bold lines and a focus on movement, and is custom (if I had to explain my style in a sentence). I think the sweet-spot is to have a style, but not be confined by it. I hope that’s where I’m at.

Did you have any formal education or schooling in Art, and if so how do you feel it molded you as an artist?

I’m pretty much self-taught, however I got my Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts at the University of North Florida (not really an art school). I enjoyed my classes, professors, and classmates there, but I wish I would have spent that time, energy, and money interning, studying on my own and apprenticing; learning more about art and theory in a more hands-on, practical environment. I would actually suggest that route to other artists. Or if you can afford a nice art school or portfolio program. Most “successful” artists I know didn’t go to school for it… My dad actually has taught me a great deal, especially about typography, theory, and composition.

What have been some of your proudest moments as an artist?

I think each JC store opening we have is a big moment for me. Probably also when I was at the point where I was definitely making a full living off my art. Mostly, I’m proud to have people in my life that are proud of me and what I do, if that makes sense.

Any big projects in the works you would like to share?

Yes, right now I am working on rebranding myself – my design company. I can’t say what all it is right now, but it’s in the works and it’s gonna be a big thing for me, really exciting. I’m going to keep everyone updated, you can check for new updates on my twitter or on my website.

What is your favorite medium?

I’m a pencil and paper kind of guy, that’s where all my designs start. I’ve been drawing more non-work related pieces lately, scripts, lettering, and tattoo-style compositions. As far as final product mediums, shirts take up the largest percentage of my work, and I’m really digging working on skateboards lately – they’re a unique challenge for sure. I’d like to get more into full brand identities/strategies, & album and product packaging.

What is the best part of being an artist?

The best part of being an artist is all the babes. But honestly, the best part is when you create something new that is just as good or better than the last thing you created. Getting better as an artist and seeing the fruits of hard labor, is very satisfying. It’s also a unique sense of accomplishment to see something go from sketch, to a full, finished composition. Michelangelo said that in every block of marble was a sculpture and it was the artists job to find it. So to “find the sculpture” on each project, is great.

Where do you spend most of your time on the web?

I’m not a huge web-surfer, but some faves are: SwallowsnDaggers.com (tattoo blog), ffffound, Theprp (hardcore/metal heads rejoice), omgposters, Twitter, Uncrate, Dribble, and ThisAmericanLife.org.

If someone wanted to hire you are you available and if so how can someone get a hold of you?

You can catch me at www.clarkorr.com info is on the site. Feel free to hit me up. Heads up though, I have to be very selective with new clients/projects I take on, especially because of my availability. I’m also on twitter if you wanna be pals – twitter.com/clarkorr

Any last minute shout outs or announcements?

Sweet, never got to do this. Word to my fam and friends, I feel really blessed to have the love and support that I do. Word up to the JC crew and to my design pals in the struggle – You know who you are. It’s all good baby baby.

Ross Dewey and his company 8-Bit Zombie have been on a mission to single handedly bring back trucker flip caps, the good old days of NES and everything 8-Bit. He has really carved out a name for himself creating some of the coolest flip caps in the game and has recently branched out to t-shirts as well. With too much awesomeness to ignore we chatted with Russ about everything 8-Bit Zombie.

Please start by telling the fine folks in the audience your name and your company.

My name is Ross Dewey and I own a clothing line called 8-bit ZOMBIE.

When did you get the idea to launch 8-Bit Zombie?

A few years ago I decided to start a screen printing company. I went into it knowing that I wanted to make my own merch to sell on the side but I took some time to learn the ropes and hone my skills before venturing into my own clothing line. When I felt I was ready to start producing stuff for myself, there was never really any question about the themes I wanted to run with for my brand. 8-bit ZOMBIE was born out of my love for retro gaming (Specifically the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System) and all things 80′s. I love making things that bring back childhood memories for both myself and my customers. I see the brand as a tribute to the things I love from the past. Another inspiration for 8BZ would be zombies/horror. I’ve been a HUGE zombie movie fan for many years. Combine all that and you get 8-bit ZOMBIE!

I believe you are almost single-handedly bringing back the flip cap into style. Why the flip cap and what was the inspiration behind it?

Well thank you, that’s a pretty big compliment! The hats came about after I had seen some random hats with screen printing on the brims. They were cool looking but I knew I could make something way more rad. Most of the hats I had seen had text or writing on the brims but I knew right away that I wanted to do big illustrations that cover the whole brim. After a lot of research and a ton of ruined hats, I eventually got the process down and the rest is history.

More recently 8-Bit Zombie has branched out past just hats and into apparel. How has the t-shirt world treated you and when can we expect some new 8-Bit Tees?

The tee world has treated me great! Starting off with the hats, I was able kinda get my foot in the door and gain a small following. So expanding things has gone pretty smoothly and people really seem to enjoy the stuff I’ve been coming up with. As far as new stuff, I’ll be releasing a few new items this spring, then I’ll be doing a massive release this summer. I’m beyond excited about it. It will definitely be the biggest release to date.

Have you approached any stores about carrying 8-Bit Zombie hats or apparel and if so how has that gone?

I haven’t really approached any stores but I have been approached a few times. I’ve kinda decided to keep 8BZ an exclusive thing though. I attended a lecture by Johnny Cupcakes last year and he definitely influenced that decision. I could probably make more money off of my stuff if I sent it out wholesale to a bunch of stores but I like the idea of keeping the brand more of a unique thing. Plus I really enjoy all of the little extras that I put into each package. I feel like ordering stuff directly from me, customers get a much more enjoyable and memorable experience.

What have you done to promote 8BZ?

Not much, haha. 8-bit ZOMBIE pretty much started on Emptees and I still use that site to promote my releases. (Sadly it’ll be closing down March 1st) Other than that, Facebook and Twitter. And of course IATT has been very good to 8BZ from the very beginning! I feel lucky and I’m very appreciative that you guys dig 8BZ so much.

Do you have any advice for people looking to start their own brand?

Start saving and planning. And come up with a theme. I feel like brands with a solid and cohesive theme will always stand out from brands who just seem to randomly choose their designs. And don’t expect to get rich quick. In fact don’t expect your brand to even start generating profits in the beginning. Most start up businesses will lose money for their first year. If not longer. The tee biz can be a tough nut to crack. But it’s also very rewarding.

What if any extras do you include with your packaging and how do you feel this impacts your brand?

8BZ buttons and stickers go out with every order. For bigger releases I like to include freebies that go along with the theme of the release. In the past I’ve sent out old M.U.S.C.L.E. Men figures and vintage packs of Nintendo trading cards. I think those extra little touches can vastly improve the customer’s experience with your brand. I know from experience how much happier I am when I order a shirt and there’s cool stuff in the package. Even if it was just a button or a sticker.

Do you have any sales or coupon codes our readers should know about?

Use code “IATT” for 10% off your next order!

Any last minute announcements or shout-outs?

Come hang out with us on the 8BZ Facebook. Stay up to date on re-prints, new releases, contests and all other 8BZ news: http://www.facebook.com/8bitZOMBIE
And keep those peepers peeled for new 8BZ merch. The stuff I’m working on right now is absolutely amazing. Can’t wait to show off everything I’ve got planned. It’s gonna be nuts.

This interview wouldn’t be complete without a some Nintendo based questions now would it?

Favorite NES Game:

That’s a tough one! I love the classics of course – Super Mario Bros, Zelda, Metroid, Contra, Ninja Gaiden, Mega Man, etc. But some of the few games I actually owned as a kid have always had a special place in my 8-bit heart. Wizards & Warriors is one of them.

Worst NES Game:

I’m pretty sure the game “Deadly Towers” is considered to be one of the worst. And rightly so. For as many great and classic NES games that there are, there’s probably almost as many terrible ones out there. Seems like almost every big blockbuster movie from the 80′s & early 90′s had an NES game. Most of them were pretty bad.

Mario or Luigi:

Mario!

Power Glove or Power Pad:

Haha. Definitely the PowerGlove. It’s so BAD.

Legend of Zelda or Zelda II The Adventure of Link:

I’d have to say Legend of Zelda. They are both great games but Zelda II was a bit of a departure from the series. Plus the original Zelda just held so much more mystery for me as a kid, way more nostalgia there.

Favorite Mega Man bad guy:

Skull Man from Mega Man 4 is rad. And for some reason I’ve always like the lowly Cutman from Mega Man 1.

www.uneekgrafix.com

Could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself? (name, age, > education, the basics!)

Christopher Magruder, 30, BFA Graphic Design, Designs under the name of UneekGrafix.

So when did you first realize your passion for the arts and what really drew you to it?

Somewhere between eighth grade and freshman year in school. I was really into graffiti, handstyles, hip hop, djing …..the whole subculture. I had always been big into drawing and graphic design just seemed like the next step.

You are both a photographer and an designer, do you find it tough juggling both aspects and is their a side that your prefer more?

Not at all. Actually I find that they work rather nicely together. Its kind of a left-brain, right-brain type of situation. Working with one has helped me work better in the other. I think that it has helped me become more successful in both.

You have worked with a pretty wide range of clients anywhere from huge companies such as Wrigley and Volvo to upstart companies. Do you prefer working on those big clients or helping the little guys establishing
their identity?

I like the little guys. I like the whole interaction with a start-up. Working together from the initial idea and helping someone create their “big idea” is something that really inspires me to keep working. It is a very gratifying feeling knowing that I helped someone take an idea or thought and turn it into something tangible.
On the flip side it’s always nice to get a big client like the aforementioned because they always have huge resources, project scopes and of course budgets.

So did you go to school or get any formal training in the arts or are you self taught?

BFA in graphic design and some photo classes through school. That’s about it. No specialty art school or private classes. Just me, my sketch book, headphones and a mac.

What have been some of your favorite projects to work on?

Any branding project. I love logos. I love designing them. I love when you can take someone’s idea and create a visual representation of their thoughts. I guess if I had to pick one project for each of the avenues it would go like this.

Brands – I really enjoyed the PetFoto logo design project. Which as it turns out was an unused concept from a previous project. After some cleaver editing and some reworking of elements it turned into one of my favorite logos I have designed. Its fun, memorable and clever. Exactly what a good logo is supposed to portray.

Bands – I recently worked with group called Me,The Mirror for some promo photos. Now a while back the front man of the band was in another band I worked with so it was one of those return client/new band things. We really enjoyed the first go around and the second was no different. The guys in the band are great and their music is even better. Ohh yea the photos didn’t tunr out that bad too.

What is one thing you hate about being and artist and one thing you love?

The hours…. and the hours.
I work both contracted jobs and personal freelance with UneekGrafix so somedays seem to never end. 40+ hours on contracts plus client work gets to be tough. But I love what I do and it’s what keeps me getting up every morning. Well, that and my lovely wife and dog too.

One thing that I have noticed is most of the successful artist, photographers and designers have in common is they know how to market themselves and their product. What do you do to set yourself apart from the competition?

I have ridiculous low pricing and I try to give my clients the biggest bang for their buck. But beer and pizza is not the best form of payment. I try and keep my overhead low with projects, which helps me keep my costs low on the client side. Plus when I start a project with a new client I’m really not looking to get into a “one and done” type of situation. I want to build long lasting relationships with my clients and I want to see them succeed. Nothing makes me happier than when a satisfied client call back to discus a new project.

Now for some rapid fire questions!!!

Favorite Color:
Blue

Favorite Movie:
Super Troopers.

One word that describes you:
Uneek! Or Reliable

Biggie or 2pac?
Notorious (sung in a high falsetto)

Favorite Season:
Road Construction. That’s a season, right?

Favorite website?
Humm. (insert shameless self promotion?)

Thanks a ton for your time! Any last minute announcements or shout outs?

Yes if your a band and your looking for high quality, professional design and photography and you mention that your an IATT reader you get special discounted pricing. Get at it!

So you could start off by telling us your name and how you are involved with Dead, Serious!

Hi, I’m Yves & I’m the owner/founder of Dead, Serious!

When did Dead, Serious! launch and where did you guys come up with the name?

We started out really small over two years ago actually & been working our way up since.
As for the name, we wanted one that had a double meaning & also in a way had a sarcastic note to it. I was obsessed (and still am) with zombie flicks, ‘Dead, Serious!’ popped in my head & my partner at that time loved it too. So we decided to go for it & work around the name for our very first shirt. Keaton Henson took care of that by making an awesome zombie design. That’s how it all began.

What do you think makes Dead, Serious! standout from it’s competition and why should we shop there?

What makes us standout is the fact that quality is most important to us. Quality in general, ranging from the designs to the prints and material we work with. We want to offer our customers a product that they can truly cherish in every aspect.

You guys have worked with some pretty incredible artists, do you have any favorites?

I’m gonna be totally honest with you and say no. We truly love every single artist we’ve worked with so far. It would be unfair to mention only one because I do think all of them put in the best of themselves. Every single one of them is my favorite.

We really couldn’t be more blessed being backed up by all of these awesome designers to be honest.

How would you describe the Dead, Serious! style in one word?

Hot!

Something that has always impressed me about your line is how professional you guys come off. From the designs, to the mockups, photographs and more you guys seem to always take that extra step. Could you talk a little bit about how you are building your brand identity?

Oh, thank you, that’s really awesome to hear.

We’re continuing to build our brand identity by bringing in quality on all levels, ranging from the designs to the photographs and models. We feel that if we’d try to do everything as professional as possible we’ll hopefully come across the best way.

However, we’re still evolving in this matter but that’s what is making it all so fascinating, trying to grow bigger & better by learning out of the experiences from the past.

What is the most difficult part of running a clothing line?

The most difficult part is by far the whole financial arrangement behind it. Thank God we’ve fixed ourselves a very good accountant to take care of it. It honestly used to drive me crazy, the amount of time I invested in it kept me from doing the fun side of the company which was extremely frustrating.

Let me just throw this out there, you have some of the best looking models in the game. Are you just surrounded by gorgeous women or do you seek them out to help promote Dead, Serious!?

Haha thanks, well, it may sound unbelievable but most of them are actually just friends of mine. However, we also have a couple professional models that help us out.

You have to keep in mind though that about 90% of our models never modelled before so they’re absolutely doing an amazing job. They’ve actually become a very important part of our brand identity.

With so many indie clothing brands popping up do you embrace them or fear them?

I don’t see other companies as competition but in the contrary, I see them as colleagues in a way. I’d rather have good contacts with them instead of pulling out knives, you know. I believe you’re not doing yourself or your company a favor by acting all hostile towards newbies. I think you just have to keep on believing in your own product & your loyal fans and if that faith is there I’m sure you’ll be doing just fine.

What are some of your favorite websites?

My favorite websites are those of our designers. I check their blogs frequently because I’m really interested in what they’re up to & always love seeing new work of them.

Besides that I like visiting fellow brand sites & sites like yours to actually keep me updated on what’s happening in the industry all over.

Any new bands we should check out?

I’ve heard Blink 182 is rather good?

Any last minute shout outs or anything we didn’t cover that you wanted to mention?

We’d like to thank every single person that helped us out in any way, to help us push this brand. We wouldn’t have gotten this far without your love & support.

Make sure to check out their entire line at: http://deadseriousclothing.bigcartel.com/