Originally posted on www.livethescene.com. Thanks to Ernie at Toaster Br00tal Clothing for this interview. <img src="http://livethescene.com/lifestyle/images/promo%20picture%202.jpg" /><img height="255" src="http://livethescene.com/lifestyle/images/promo%20picture%201.jpg"> How long has the clothing company been going? How did it all start? TB: The company is relatively new. It started in the summer of 2008 as an interest to start a clothing company with a different approach to things. What were your main goals when you first set out? TB: To get the name out as much as possible, sponsor a few bands, and get a decent amount of shirts printed. Have you achieved or surpassed these? I have achieved some and surpassed others.Promoting the company and getting the name out will always be a progressing goal. As for sponsoring bands, we now have over 100 bands that we partially sponsor. What message do your clothes give out? TB: Stay br00tal. Don’t let anything get you down. Stay strong. What is the ethos behind your company? TB: Although the company is mostly about heavy music such as hardcore or metal, we are all about supporting every style and type of music. A motivation that drives the company is giving underground bands the ability to be sponsored by a clothing company. How do you make sure you stand out from the crowd? TB: We strive to create something that is original, tasteful, and different. With eye-catching designs, we want the shirts to pop out and send a positive message while being stylish and having vibrant color schemes. How do you come up with designs?</b. TB: Designs tend to hit me when I least expect it. Sometimes they are inspired by personal experiences or ideas that get thrown around. When they do hit me, I go straight to a computer and draw out rough versions of the designs to work with. If I’m not at a computer, I sketch it out on paper. I always keep an open mind and I’m always glad to hear ideas and suggestions. Could you please explain the design process from idea to product shipment? TB: First I design the shirt which is the hardest part of this process. The designing stage takes anywhere from 8 hours to a few months. After the design is done, it is sent off to our printers and they print it on blank shirts. Then they send the finalized shirts back to us ready to ship out. Do you feel band endorsements are key to getting you noticed? TB: Yes they sure are. Having an endorsement relationship with a band is a great way to promote both the company and the band. It’s a useful way to get exposure by having the bands wear our shirts or pass out fliers at shows. Which of your current or past ranges has been most popular? TB: So far it would be the Spring Line and now the Summer Line. It’s interesting to see some of our shirts posted up on various clothing reviewing sites by supporters of the company. Have you found anyone trying to copy your designs, if so what have you done about it? TB: Nothing major has happened yet. I’ve noticed slight details that others have copied, but nothing major. What would you say to people thinking about starting their own clothing range? TB: It’s a lot of very hard work. It takes a lot of time and dedication. Just don’t give up on it if you’re really passionate about it. But in the end, it’s very rewarding. Anything they need to watch out for? TB: People that ask you for free shirts!!! Finally, plug your current range: TB: The latest line out is our Summer Line! We’ve got three exciting shirts, including our first V-neck! All printed on American Apparel, this current and diverse line can satisfy virtually anybody’s taste. So pick one up, rock it, and keep it brutal! 2009-10-29T08:30:34-04:00 LiveTheScene.com "Thread Heads" Interview Feature by Shane Richardson 1531 Interview with Ernie Slenkovich of Toaster Br00tal Clothing

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Interview into the lifestyle, art methods and inspiration with college artist Zack Davenport. 1471 Interview With College Artist Zack Davenport

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Yes the economy has seen signs of improvement but nobody is in the clear just yet. Clothing retailers and brands across the globe have felt the effects from what has occurred over the last year and a half. Lots of clothing lines are thinking of ways to shave costs right now just to keep their head above water. Most of you will be tempted to make drastic changes but remember that decreasing the quality of your product in order to save some money will be detrimental to your brand in the long run. As a clothing brand owner you will be enticed to plunge in quality with your clothing items knowing you can save a few bucks per piece, is it really worth it? Take a step back and think about what this can do for your brand in the long run. Sure you might be able to see some short gains quickly but over time even your loyal shoppers will abandon your product. There is most likely a good reason why they became loyal shoppers in the first place, because they loved your clothing. Do you know how difficult it will be to win these customers back if they leave due to shotty material used for your tees or other clothing items? It is not easy to keep a commodity selling in rough times but it is important as a designer and clothing entrepreneur to continue to stay true to your word even during a recession. There are other creative ways to shave costs for your company but your product is your golden egg and once your customer feels that they have been cheated it will take double the cost to actually get them back. As an entrepreneur you will figure out where to shave these costs in other areas. Most of the time when a customer leaves because they just washed your tee and half the screen is faded out they will not come back no matter how much new marketing you throw at them. Remember, don’t piss where you eat. The internet has allowed everyone to have a voice and you better believe that a few customers who feel your product has gone downhill will kick and scream online through one of the many outlets available. When consumers make a decision to start spending again they will keep in mind the brands that they trusted. All it takes is one or two bad experiences shopping and many will turn towards your nearest competitor. Don’t give them a reason to head in the other direction. It is all about the fine points that keep customers coming back to your brand. There are some products that consumers will continue to purchase even when times get really difficult because of the fine points. Some customers know that no matter how bad things get they will still enjoy buying themselves a new t-shirt to put on their back from your brand. As long as you keep these customers happy your brand will continue to grow. Continue to keep your customers blissful through this period of time and when things get well again their devotion will tag along as well. By focusing on growing your clothing brand through any means possible and by keeping things distinctive your brand will thrive during dreadful economic times. As a business owner you need to keep things moving forward at all times, stalling never leads to anything good. If a products packaging could get your shopper excited and smiling before they unwrap the package than you’re that much closer to having a lifelong customer. For any company who sells a commodity like t-shirts you have to figure out ways to really stand out from the crowd. The more you stand out the higher your chance of surviving any downturn in the economy. About the Author: <img src="http://bostonknucklehead.com/wp-content/themes/foliotastic2/graphics/topimage.jpg" /> Maciej (ma-chi) Fita is a 20 year skateboard veteran who has launched a Boston based urban clothing brand representing the pride, history and culture of all aspects of Boston life. Products include cleverly themed t-shirts and hoodies but they will be launching many new things in the future. To learn more please visit the <a href="http://www.bostonknucklehead.com">Boston Knucklehead Clothing website</a>. 2009-10-13T20:49:07-04:00 An article dedicated to staying true to your clothing brand during a rough economy. 1451 Don’t Sacrifice the Quality of your Clothing Brand because of the Economy

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<title>How To Plan a Clothing Photo shoot</title> Photo shoots are a fun experience from your first to your 100th (if you are to be so lucky) so you should treat it as such, and plan for it to be a good time that results in great photos for promotion of your collection. This document has bits and pieces that can be used for "monthly release" photo shoots although the approach is gear more towards seasonal releases. Topics 1-4 can be completed in almost any order although the listed order is recommended. <img name="" src="http://shop.enveeapparel.net/images/article-images/th_envee-apparel-models.jpg" width="500" height="200" alt="Envee Apparel Photo shoot" /> Two essentials to growing a successful independent apparel company is brilliant marketing paired with unique designs. While that may be true, professionalism is still key. A unique design cannot shine in the lime light unless it is presented and marketed well. These items can often be overlooked in the rush of maintaining your business and trying to get your products sold. The result of all this attention to detail should be phenomenal photographs that sell your collection to the market you’ve identified. The purpose of the photographs is to sell your products. The final photographs should reflect your vision and present the way you think your designs should look. The key to all of this is preparation, preparation, and more preparation. Because I cannot go into detail on all aspects of a photo shoot due to it's unique nature, I will do my best to describe just the three topics below. <ol><li>Photographer</li> <li>Models</li> <li>Location</li> <li>Day of the shoot</li> </ol> <h3>How To Choose A Photographer</h3> Choosing the right photographer is the most important piece to the successful photo shoot puzzle. With photographs, people will spend far more time examining the way the clothes lay on the model, the details of the clothing, and the way the accessories work with the outfit. Photographers must have an detailed understanding of light, angle, and posing to bring out the aspects of the design that will be most appealing to your demographic. your photographer MUST understand your audience. <img name="" src="http://shop.enveeapparel.net/images/article-images/th_photographer.jpg"http://shop.enveeapparel.net/images/article-images/th_photographer.jpg" width="500" height="200" alt="Clothing Line Photographer" /> One question to ask yourself is if your collection will be photographed using film or digital. While film created a more organic looking photo it tends to raise costs making digital the optimal choice for any indie company with a low budget. I recommend you ask some questions about experience, equipment and retouching experience before making any final decisions on a photographer. The worst possible scenario is to not ask enough questions and find out the photographer cannot deliver what you need half way through the project. When choosing a photographer for <a href="http://EnveeApparel.com">Envee Apparel</a>'s ""<a href="http://shop.EnveeApparel.net/index.php/collections">Know Your Destination</a>" Spring/Summer photo shoot I made sure that the photographers background and experience matched my goals for the shoot. Our photographer had all of the right professional equipment (Multiple 10MP+ Nikon SLR's, lenses and light sources) and he had experience in shooting clothing. There are many areas of photography so be sure that your photographer has done something similar before and not just taken photographs of birds & flowers. When working with a photographer for the first time, it is best to introduce them to your line, explain your approach to the market and if possible, examples of photography you like. If you are going for a specific look, there may be some digital retouching that will need to happen. Digital retouching is a complex art that is usually separate from photography and photographer will usually have an assistant edit the photos post-shoot because very few people are experts in both areas. Be VERY careful when using friends or people that offer their work for cheap or FREE because as the saying goes "you get what you pay for". Remember, the photographs of your designs are a reflection of you and your company. Once you have found the photographer that is right for your photo shoot, it is time to plan all of the other elements that make a shoot amazing. I suggest speaking with your photographer about makeup, hair and how to accessorize the outfits for the day of the shoot. If going with a professional for hair & makeup, be sure to complement your product in the photos. <h3>Find The Right Models</h3> The first order of business is to decide if you are going to find professional talent or get together a bunch of friends that will look good on camera. Each method has it's benefits. It is your choice to choose professionals or friends and will ultimately reflect your choice in your photos. Be sure to let your photographer know what type of talent you have decided to go with. Look for models who can naturally create the curves and lines that will compliment your collection. Although it is possible to emphasize curves and modify body shapes using Photoshop, it is difficult to do it well. Again, the rule should be to try to get the look visually right before the shutter release is pressed. Post processing takes time and time. If the photographer has to take dealing with fundamental model and makeup issues, he or she doesn't have as much time to work with the overall look and feel of the photographs. <img name="" src="http://shop.enveeapparel.net/images/article-images/th_clothing-models.jpg" width="500" height="200" alt="Clothing Photo shoot Models" /> If you are going to hire a professional or aspiring model and do not have a local talent pool that is free, expect to dish out from $100-300 per person per day. When paying for professionals expect that they will need a professional hairstylist (for women) and makeup artist (for men and women). This can rack up another $500 per day on the low end. When hiring professional talent you lessen your headache as this is not their first rodeo. You will know that when they show up the day of the shoot that they will have everything they need and be ready for a pose-off. If you have decided to round up a half dozen friends for the shoot, be picky and do not invite everyone you know to show up. Make sure the people you choose will fit your demographic and display the look that you want to relate to your customers. Doing so will save you a ton of cash especially if they are able to handle their own makeup. Know that getting in front of a camera for the first time can be very intimidating. One thing to keep in mind is that first time models worry a lot about posing and you may have to rely on your photographer to coach them through different poses. Now that you have chosen you models you are ready for your photo shoot! Be sure that your models are aware of what they eat and how many hours they sleep the day before your shoot. Eat healthy (avoid fatty foods), drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol. Some other key things to keep in mind are wardrobe selection, props, accessories, flesh colored undergarments for the ladies. <h3>Decide On Your Location</h3> When looking for the best location you must first think about how you would like to represent your collection. Larger companies will usually use an indoor studio and change out the props/background to achieve while other pick various locations to use. Whichever your choice you must do three things: research, research and research. A great tool that can be used is Flickr. This is very useful because you can search around locally for places photographers have already deemed photo worthy and at the same time see how well they developed. When shooting outside you are at the mercy of the weather but the possibilities of locations are endless. You may want to coordinate your location search with your photographer. <img name="" src="http://shop.enveeapparel.net/images/article-images/th_photoshoot-location.jpg" width="500" height="200" alt="Envee Apparel Photo shoot" /> I would recommend finding at least 10 locations and then narrow the number down to a number you are happy with. Doing so will give you a better understanding of your location options. When I was looking for a location for <a href="http://EnveeApparel.com">Envee Apparel</a>'s Spring/Summer collection I had several locations I liked and will use in the future but decided on something that went with my theme well. In the constant battle between good and evil (part of the theme related to the <a href="http://shop.EnveeApparel.net/index.php/collections">"Know Your Destination</a>" collection) I thought something simlar to a Garden of Eden feel would work best. When deciding your location you should create a story board so you can visually map out what you hope to accomplish at each location. When doing this it may be a good idea to start planning what products/models you would like at each location as well. Before finalizing anything look over your story board to make sure your plan best represents your line. If you would rather play it by ear the day-of, more power to you. <h3>What To Do The Day Of The Shoot</h3> The day of the photo shoot itself is a very important one as you only have one chance to execute it correctly without dishing out more cash (or product) to everyone involved for a re-shoot. I made sure that everyone involved in our <a href="http://EnveeApparel.com">Envee Apparel</a> photo shoot recieved some free gear and swag for participating. Prior to this day you should have already confirmed that everyone will be arriving on time at the set location. For the "<a href="http://shop.EnveeApparel.net/index.php/collections">Know Your Destination</a>" collection photo shoot I created a nice email with the shoot details, a map and a little blurb about what to expect. It is recommended that you bring snacks, drinks and provide food. If you are providing hair and makeup professionals for your models, make sure that this part has been completed at least 30 minutes before "go time". <img name="" src="http://shop.enveeapparel.net/images/article-images/th_clothing-photoshoot-day.jpg" width="500" height="200" alt="Envee Apparel Photo shoot Day Fun" /> When starting the shoot make sure that everyone is having a good time because the more fun everyone has the better the photos will turn out. As the owner of the company you should be helping your photographer in the different locations and taking a look at some of the photos from the camera before you switch locations. This will help make sure that you are getting photos you can use from each spot. After you are done taking photos in each location get together with your photographer before everyone packs up and leaves and make sure every shot you intended on getting has been captured. After everything is wrapped up, it is time for post production and then implementation for marketing purposes.   --- Robert Hartland - In addition to running his <a href="http://blog.EnveeApparel.com">fashion and lifestyle blog</a>, He also owns <a href="http://shop.EnveeApparel.net">Envee Apparel - Artistic Men's and Womens T-Shirts</a>. Please send him an email if you have any questions or just want to say thanks. 2009-10-06T12:26:56-04:00 Photo shoots are a fun experience so plan to have great photos for promotion of your collection. 1411 How To Plan a Clothing Photo Shoot

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Originally posted on <a href="http://www.tshirtfashion.blogspot.com">tshirtfashion.blogspot.com</a> Special thanks to Reese Imhof at <a href="http://www.410bc.com">410 BC</a> for this interview and the rest of the 410 BC team <img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3536/3813476688_ef523b579d.jpg"> 1. Let’s start off with the basics, how and when and why did you start 410 BC? 410 BC is almost 2 years old and this is the basic story behind how we started. About three and a half years ago, I got into diy/screen printing with my friends. I was just designing tees and screen printing them by hand – very simple stuff. I wasn’t too great at it at first, but I kept practicing and got better. I started doing this because I’d always want a specific tee that I couldn’t find. I had all these ideas in my head for designs that I could never get anywhere. I just wasn’t happy with a lot of the selections at big name brands and stores. When I did find something that I liked it was usually too expensive, being a college student you have to learn to scrimp and save (at least I did). Also, I’ve always been into conscious consumerism and I’m very picky about which companies I support, I just don’t want to spend my money on a company I don’t respect and I hate buying things that everyone else has. Sometimes I’d get a tee and then see five different people at school wearing the same thing as me. All of these reasons prompted me to start making my own designs. Then a few of my friends got into it too. People found out about what we were doing and liked our designs, so they asked us to make them tees. Eventually we started getting random e-mails and requests from strangers who heard about us or saw a tee somewhere and wanted one. It was really unexpected and at that point we realized we could make a business out of this. It has always been fun since day one. Being able to make designs with your friends and meet and network with other artists and commission designs and give back to the art community is the best, I could spend my whole life doing this and be very happy. We’ve always been an artist collective and the thought of being an artist collective/business seemed so awesome because we knew we’d be able to do even more. At the end of August in 2007 was when we decided to become a full-fledged business and we created 410bc.com, which went live in September 2007. Ever since then we’ve been growing and pushing to expand and improve every way we can. 2. I read somewhere that you guys started out screen printing everything by hand in your college dorm room. Did you find it difficult to make the transition from completely diy to an actual professional company and brand? Not really, it came pretty naturally. Of course we’ve faced a lot of obstacles since establishing ourselves as a business, pretty much the obstacles that most small businesses face. In terms of just transitioning it was a fairly slow process, but a very natural change. Becoming a business just seemed like the next step and it always felt right and has been so rewarding. I’ve always felt very comfortable with this and although I know this isn’t the same for everyone at 410 BC, personally I love the business side of things. I do most of the business side and it’s probably my favorite work, which is saying a lot because I also really love the art/creative side. Ever since I was a kid I’ve been into business and entrepreneurship although I didn’t recognize it as such. When I was in elementary school I used to go door to door on my block selling my old toys and other things I made. Then when I got into middle school, I made my own magazine and Xeroxed copies at the library and sold it to kids in school/my parents (my parents bought about 20 copies each, haha). 3. What were some obstacles you’ve faced as a business? What was the hardest part of starting up? Finances, haha. Never having enough money. We’re all college students and none of us come from money, so that’s been really difficult. Every business needs money to start up, that’s just the way it goes. That old saying “you need to spend money to make money” is true. In the beginning most companies don’t even break even for a few years. Most small businesses fail because they can’t make ends meet. We literally had hardly any startup money, the only money I had was a tiny bit of savings from my summer job. Even though I’m young, I’ve been self-sufficient since graduating high school. I pay all my own bills, bought my own car, etc, so saving for the business was tough on top of bills. That goes for the rest of 410 BC as well; we all have a lot of personal expenses, mostly related to the high costs of college. Everything we make from 410 BC goes back into the company. We haven’t taken out any business loans yet or anything like that, so for now it’s just recycling our profit. We want to expand the business more, but that is going to take time and a lot more money. There are just so many expenses. The amount we’ve spent on accountants and lawyers alone this year makes my head hurt. 4. How do you manage running this business while being in college full time? Did you ever just want to drop out and focus entirely on the business? What would you tell someone who is trying to decide between being a college student or opening their own business? I’m going to be completely honest, yes, it has been extremely difficult being in college full time and doing this. There have been too many sleepless nights staying up to work on 410 BC while studying for an exam or writing a 20 page paper. I missed out on the typical college experience for sure. I had to give up a large part of my social life to keep my grades up and run 410 BC at the same time. Sure I’ve made close friends at school, but I never drink and hardly ever go to parties because I’m just way too busy. I always have 410 BC stuff to do on the weekends and I always have to turn down friends or be the one who has to leave things early. There were times when doing the business and school felt like too much, they are both so time consuming. I had thought seriously about giving one up. I kept at it and I have never regretted my decision. I am lucky enough that I have other people helping out so much with the company, some other students run businesses without any help at all. But again, everyone else at 410 BC is in the same boat as me. Nicole (Nicole Giambalvo = one of 410 BC’s co-founders) probably has it the toughest right now because she is applying to law school, taking the LSATs and doing 410 BC. She does so much, I don’t even know how she does it, she really amazes/inspires me. She is a Philosophy major at Mount Holyoke College, so 20 page papers are nothing for her, she gets crazy long papers all the time. A typical day at school last year she was updating the 410 BC site/blog, responding to e-mails, working on design stuff, working on marketing, student teaching a philosophy course at a school in Springfield, taking classes, doing school work (keeping up a 3.7 GPA!) and all the other things she does like volunteering and working in Mount Holyoke’s art department. She is probably going to be really embarrassed that I told you all this because she is super modest, but seriously all that work makes Harvard Law look like a walk in the park. I am really happy that I stayed in school and did not drop out. You never know where life is going to take you and if you are lucky enough to have the opportunity to go to college, you should take it because a college degree is so important. My experience at college has been amazing. Especially with networking, I have been able to meet and network with so many people and learn so much about business. And although it will be tough work, if you are dedicated and have passion, you can definitely run a business and do college at the same time. 5. Your website design has always intrigued me. It’s very clean and unique, one of my favorite site designs. Tell me a little more about that and how the actual site evolved. We have Luis Lucas (www.lalucas.com) to thank for that. Luis does a lot of work with ALIFE and Married to the Mob, which is how we first got in contact with him, when we found out about the awesome site design he did for MOB. He has been so great to work with. When we met him he was such a genuinely nice guy, so enthusiastic and made us feel so comfortable. He was really excited about the project and our brand, he gave so much feedback and industry tips and thought it was cool that we were so young and doing this. Sometimes people will patronize you when you’re young and breaking into the industry and Luis was just the opposite of this. He is truly gifted, a design genius and I cannot say enough good things about him. Working with him has truly been an honor and a privilege. Our re-design is still pretty new, before that we had gone through a bunch of different site designs. One by Elena Gallen, another person we have worked with a lot and love (www.elenagallen.com). The rest were all done by us using adobe dreamweaver, we probably went through about 6 different designs in total. 6. Have you guys ever gotten really bad feedback? What did you do? Of course, anyone who puts their stuff out there for the world to see will get some negative feedback! If it’s constructive criticism and you can use it, then it’s great. I actually really like getting constructive criticism because it’s helpful. If it’s something that is just malicious or negative for the sake of being negative and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, well you just shrug it off. You learn to not pay attention to certain things and you develop thick skin. I remember in some community or blog someone once said they hated, no “loathed”, 410 BC. I was a little bummed at first, not going to lie, but then I just realized how silly that sounded. Who has that much hatred in them that they actually spend time and energy on “loathing” some clothing brand that has no effect on them? It didn’t make sense to me. We’re just doing our thing, trying to do a good thing and giving back to our community any way we can. I mean you might not like our stuff, you might never buy it or wear it, but what is there to hate really? It’s not like we’re using sweatshop labor or killing people in the process of our tee shirt making, haha. There will always be people who never have anything good to say, there will always be people walking around with a lot of hate towards everything and everyone and you just have to accept it and you can’t let it get to you. Most of the time people will just say they hate something because they’re mad they didn’t come up with it first. Also, it’s always good to look at the ratio of people saying they like your stuff versus people saying they hate your stuff. If you’ve got tons of people saying they love your stuff and only one or two people saying they hate it, then you don’t have anything to worry about. 7. You guys have been coming out with more and more skate decks. What prompted that decision and how have the decks been doing sales wise? We started producing skate decks because a lot of our art has been influenced by skate culture and a few of us skate, so it just made sense for us to make decks. A lot of our customers and friends skate as well so we were constantly being asked to make decks. We always wanted to eventually do decks since day one, but we couldn’t afford it for a while. The first run we only released two decks. Those did really well and we made enough money from those sales to release an artist series of 3 decks. Then after that we did another very limited artist series deck. This line we have released 5 skate decks and they have all been selling well so far. People seem to really like the artwork on these, which is awesome. We do sponsor skaters and reach out to the skate community. We’ve sponsored skate competitions at local skate parks and we’ve gone to parks and had giveaways, so I think all that has helped us to get out there so people know we make boards. Our decks are very high quality and also sweatshop free/made in the US and they hold up for a long time, so that’s another reason people like our boards. 8. What are some other clothing brands you like? Obey, Ben Sherman, Cheap Monday, Obesity and Speed, Supreme and Mishka are a few of my personal favorites. We really like a bunch of the other indie tee brands out there as well. We’ve got so much respect for other brands doing their thing. Any brand that can get themselves out there and bring something unique to the industry is good by us. Got a lot of respect for Electric Zombie, Snakes and Suits, Seibei, Pyknic, Paper Root, Linty Fresh, all those guys and many more are doing awesome things. I’m actually wearing an EZ tee right now haha. 9. I was impressed by the cut and sew you guys came out with for this line, very strong pieces. I especially love the 410 BC varsity jacket. You usually don’t see such a young brand doing cut and sew. How did you make that happen? Are you planning to do more cut and sew in the future? Thanks! We were honestly planning this for a while. We just saved and saved for a long time to be able to afford it. It got a bit frustrating at times because it took so long to get everything together. We saved money that we made from previous lines and cut down on a bunch of costs in order to do the jackets, those were especially expensive. We’ve already made almost everything back from the jackets though, we’ve been selling those a lot. We were actually really surprised at how quickly people started buying those. We were a bit worried that people might not like them or might not want to spend money on them and then we’d be out the costs, but luckily that’s not the case. You can expect to see a lot more cut and sew pieces from us in the future. I don’t want to give away too much, but right now we’re working on some Oxford button down shirts and more sweaters, to be released in the winter in time for the holidays. We also have 410 BC books coming out with the winter line. They are commemorative books for our two-year anniversary. They’re hardcover, “coffee table” style. We’re really happy with how they came out and hopefully other people will like them. 10. What are your plans for the (near) future? After graduating this year, we’re going to get a new office space and hire 1 or 2 new full time employees and hopefully a few part-timers as well. We’ve also been looking at retail space. We definitely do want to open up a flagship store as soon as possible. That’s been a dream of ours for a long time and we’re going to do everything we can to make it happen. Whether or not it happens depends a lot upon things that are out of our control though. Hopefully our customers will continue to support us and make this dream a reality. Whether or not the economy improves soon will also be a factor. We definitely are not going to give up on this though, so at some point it will happen! 11. What do you think of all the new brands popping up? Do you think the market is over saturated? How many of these brands will actually end up being successful? Do you think there are too many brands doing the same thing? I think there are too many brands doing the same thing, yes, particularly young brands. I’ve noticed a lot of brands that are just starting up and they take ideas from more established successful brands. Now I’m not just talking about inspiration because in my opinion, that is totally fine and a natural part of the creative process. What I’m talking about is straight up copying of ideas and not brining anything new in terms of concept or execution. For a brand to be successful they must bring something new to the market. I admire unique and original ideas even if the design or product isn’t my style or aesthetic, I can appreciate it. Now I’m not saying that there aren’t any new brands that are unique, there certainly are many! But a lot definitely need to be more creative and make a conscious effort to do something different. You may sell tees and you may make money in the beginning by doing something that’s already been done many times before, but you won’t make it in the long run. You can’t build a memorable brand when you’re basing things off another brand. This can often be a really big issue and I don’t think there are enough open discussions and debates about it. There have been times that I’ve looked at sites of certain brands and their entire line is identical to something that another brand did six months ago. I want to make it clear though that I’m not even talking about brands that have similar styles or themes, rather I’m referring to an established and unique brand versus a brand that has yet to find it’s own niche, so instead directly copies designs from other brands. 12. I’ve read that 410 BC donates money to different charity organizations and gives back to the community in various ways. Can you tell us about some of the ways your company has given back? Why is this important to your brand? We’ve supported various non-profit organizations in different ways. Sometimes we’ll just release a specific tee and donate a percentage of the proceeds. Other times we are more hands on. For example we raised a lot of money for a local non-profit organization called Hands Up For Kidz (a group that supports children and families in underserved communities who are impacted by HIV/AIDS and alcoholism/substance abuse). Hands Up For Kidz had a fashion show recently where 410 BC was a main sponsor. The fashion show raised enough money to send 50 needy children from addicted families to a therapeutic summer camp environment with no expense to the family. That was through tickets to the fashion show and a raffle. That was definitely one of our big charitable contributions as of late. This is important to our brand because we promote ethical consumerism and a lot of our customers, especially ones who have followed us since the beginning, have always known us for that. We’ve been planning to do an entire line of shirts soon that all go to specific causes. I know Nicole wants to do something with the Guide Dog Foundation as well since she volunteered there over the summer. 13. What do you think are some necessary components to creating a successful clothing brand? Creativity, passion, a unique vision, a business plan or some knowledge of business management (I don’t mean you need to go out and get an MBA, but having an understanding of how you plan to run your business and make it successful is important. While some people have a natural inclination or talent with entrepreneurship, it’s still good to do some reading and research), patience. You also need to be a bit of a risk taker, especially in the beginning when you are starting your brand and investing your own money in it. It’s a risk all entrepreneurs take, but the thought of losing a lot of money is really scary to most people, which is why they don’t start their own business even if they have a great idea. Specifically in terms of a clothing brand, it’s definitely necessary to take professional product shots (photography is so important, especially if you’re web based, but so many young brands overlook this), creating quality products (you won’t get customers to come back to you if they buy a tee from you and then after getting it in the mail they find that the fit, cut or print are bad), going the extra mile with packaging and presentation so that customers are really surprised and excited the day they get your package in the mail. Although I don’t think it’s necessary, having a blog has been very beneficial for us. We update the blog regularly and we have various people who work for/with 410 BC blogging on a number of subjects. We get e-mails regularly from our blog readers, so it’s been a great tool for us to stay connected to our customers. 14. What advice would you give to a new brand or someone who wants to start their own clothing line? It’s so imperative to have something that will make your brand stand out, to offer something to customers that they can’t get from somewhere else. You need to really ask yourself “what is going to make my brand unique?” and think, “why will people want to buy something from my brand?” Then go from there. Having some sort of a business plan is important, even if it’s not a traditional business plan. It can be very helpful to just write your ideas out. I got a journal and forced myself to use it and that has been so helpful with generating and remembering ideas I have for 410 BC. 15. There have been a number of well known bands and musicians seen sporting 410 BC such as Tegan and Sara, M.I.A., Hayley Williams of Paramore, Beirut, etc. How important has this type of publicity been for your business? Do you think it is necessary for a brand to have popular bands wear their clothes if they want to be successful? I’m not sure if it’s necessary, but it definitely helps. We’re just grateful that some of the bands and artists we admire like our stuff. We were sort of in awe when we found out about all these bands wearing 410 BC, we would get messages from customers and people started sending us photos, most of the time we had no idea and it was just a huge shock. In running 410 BC we’ve been able to meet different bands and musicians, interview them for our blog, work out sponsorships and it’s just been so awesome, we’ve been really lucky. 2009-09-28T19:52:54-04:00 Q & A with one of the 410 BC owners. Good resource for start up clothing brands. 1351 Interview with Reese Imhof of 410 BC

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There is no doubt about, times are tough right now. It seems like whenever you fire up your laptop or even the TV there is some sort of broadcast of a new business or organization crumbling that will somehow affect your daily life or business. With today’s economy owning or starting a clothing line could get tricky and require bringing in the big guns. Don’t worry though! There is a lot you can do as a clothing line owner to really market yourself. There are many different ways to really bring new website visitors to your brand you just have to think outside the box and sleep a little less. Here are some sure fire ways to further your reach online. <h3>1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)</h3> – Optimize your clothing brands website for search engines. If you have a physical store, there is a good probability that there are specific keywords that people use every day that will help find your store or website. It is time to sprinkle those specific keywords tastefully throughout your web site so your audience can find you. SEO works like a powerful magnet for your targeted audience. The broader the keywords the longer it will take to be visible, but if you have some products that cater towards a “niche” audience then SEO will be your best pal. <h3>2. Launch a Blog</h3> – Launch a blog immediately on your website. The blog will be your brands voice. Depending on what you choose to write about will determine the type of audience you are looking to attract. Don’t expect riches after you launch though. Writing in a blog takes time, patience and quality. You can write about anything and everything linked to your clothing brand. Do you have a physical location with employees or new products launching? The blog is where you can show everything from who stops by your office to Jimmy falling out of the office chair. The choice is yours. <h3>3. Learn to Write</h3> – You are going to have to learn how to write, and well. If you want others to see your vision, you will have to be able to convey that vision through words and text. The reason for this is that you will most likely be broke when you start your brand, most of us are tapped for funds when we first launch. You will find yourself trying to do as much as possible for the least amount of cash spend. Writing articles and press releases will be one great way for others in the community along with the press to start recognizing your brand. <h3>4. Social Networking</h3> – There are many diverse ways to find individuals or groups online. The best part is that most of them are free to use! Setting away sometime every day to grow your presence online through websites such as Twitter and Facebook are so vital it is not even funny. Neglecting them will cause a delay in your success. This is where your audience is hanging out. Make sure you leave your social networking profile links on your website so your web traffic can come over and connect with you. Just start looking for people to connect with and interact. Over time you will see this approach open many doors for your new brand. All it takes is connecting to that one right person and all of a sudden you have an article in a magazine, cool huh? <h3>5. Send Emails!</h3> – Your website visitors need to be able to leave behind their information if they want. Have an email sign up form on your website and start brain storming how you can communicate with these people through email marketing campaigns. A weekly or biweekly newsletter to your list is a great way to remind them that you are not gone and still thriving. <h3>6. Brand Video</h3> – Making a video for your brand might sound like a lot of work and money but if you think outside the box there are ways to get it done on the cheap without sacrificing quality. A one minute video that describes your brand is perfect. Pushing that video through all the various video marketing websites is a great way to bring in some new traffic to your brands website. It is also nice to have a video appear in the search results when someone searches for your brands name. There are inexpensive software’s out there that can help you put together a sick little video representing your clothing line. You don’t have to hire a big film crew, just grab someone’s handheld camera and get creative. <h3>7. Stick Out</h3> – The last thing you want is for your brand to be like everyone else’s. Don’t be scared by being too different. Too different is what sells. It is important to be distinctive by putting your clothing brand into a whole new category. Instead of shipping in a brown bag get some custom boxes made. If you don’t have the money get some stickers made and cover the shipping packages with them. This is just one creative inexpensive way to market your brand. When times are tough and money is tight, you can always get creative with packaging! People don’t want to receive a dirty FedEx bag with their tee stuffed in it. <h3>8. Education, Education and more Education</h3> – When you first launching your brand you are not going to know everything, not even close. There will be times where you have to get your hands dirty and learn how to do some things yourself. It costs a great deal of money to be constantly hiring contractors to do work for you. <h3>9. Exchange of Services</h3> – Once you start educating yourself, you will know things others don’t. When first launching your clothing line, offering exchange of goods will be important. Don’t go giving away your gear to just everyone; but if you know a photographer and you need some professional photos taken for your website; offering free clothes for kick butt photos is worth it! You will have to gauge when it is appropriate for your budget. <h3>10. Learn to Sleep Less</h3> – For every minute you want to sleep in that is one minute less you could be building your brand. That doesn’t mean you have to sleep two hours per day but your clothing brand will not build itself. If you launch your business when you have a day job you will absolutely have to wake up early in the morning and stay up late working to get things done. You have to hustle, work hard and eat, breathe and sleep your clothing brand. Businesses do not build themselves! You can sleep when you retire… until then it is balls to the wall!!! <h3>About the Author:</h3> Maciej (ma-chi) Fita is a 20 year skateboard veteran who has launched a Boston based urban clothing brand representing the pride, history and culture of all aspects of Boston life. Products include cleverly themed t-shirts and hoodies but they will be launching many new things in the future. To learn more please visit the <a href="http://www.bostonknucklehead.com">Boston Knucklehead Clothing website</a>. <img src="http://bostonknucklehead.com/wp-content/themes/foliotastic2/graphics/topimage.jpg" /> 2009-09-25T06:57:17-04:00 A top ten things you must do when launching your own t-shirt or clothing brand. 1291 Ten Things You Must do When Starting Any Clothing Brand

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2009-11-08T02:15:23-05:00

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2009-09-15T15:29:05-04:00

Popular t-shirt line owners answer: What advice would you give to someone starting a clothing line? 1221 Expert Advice: Running A Clothing Line

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2009-11-08T00:07:50-05:00

http://www.popculturetees.com/2009/09/15/advice-for-starting-and-running-your-clothing-line/

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2009-09-10T14:40:21-04:00

A Interview with owner/creator of Elusion Clothing: Danita Davis. A must read inspiring interview. 1191 Elusion Clothing Interview

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2009-11-08T01:58:10-05:00

http://www.complexfashion.com/blog/?p=1837

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2009-09-06T20:13:42-04:00

An article dedicated to explaining networking, its importance, and a brief "how-to". 1181 All About Networking

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2009-11-07T11:09:06-05:00

http://www.toolegitclothing.com/wordpress/?p=411

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If you like this interview please visit <a href="http://www.complexfashion.com/blog">Complex Fashion</a> <img class="alignnone" src="http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo76/talktomrwilliams/wallpaper.jpg" alt="" width="440" height="250" /> Simply Complicated is not just any other company. Each design they produce has a message tied into it. Grant Tucker and Monray Penny were inspired to create a clothing line because of the serious lack of any kind of thought or purpose behind the designs in the clothing industry now. We sat down with Grant Tucker 1/2 of Simply Complicated Apparel or better known as SCapparel for a interview How did you come up with the name SCapparel? SC actually stands for Simply Complicated, we really only go by SC because some people can't say our real name without completely screwing it up. Who are the owners/creators of SCapparel ? SC is owned by Grant Tucker and Monray Penny. What are each of your roles in the company? Grant handles all of the design side of the company and some business accounts. Ray is in charge of all sales in the company as well as finding new and creative ways to market the line. <img class="alignnone" src="http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo76/talktomrwilliams/300-6.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /> What inspired you guys to start a clothing line ? The fact that most "streetwear" in the market today has a serious lack of any kind of thought or purpose behind it. With SC, we try to put as much possible symbolism and meaning into every aspect of the company. No matter what design you look at or even our website for that matter, every small detail is completely thought out and has an overall purpose. How has the clothing line been doing ? We debuted Simply Complicated with 4 solid tees and ended up snatching up 2 premier Houston accounts right off the bat. At the H-town Sneaker Summit on August 2nd we will be releasing 7 new tees as well as selling 3 of our old designs for a lower price. It should be fun considering the average turnout at this event is 1500+ people from all over Texas and parts of Louisiana. Are you guys just sticking to shirts or will you expand ? We have a nice surprise for the Winter, that's all I am saying on that matter right now. :) <img class="alignnone" src="http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo76/talktomrwilliams/300-2-1.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /> What type of people are your target market ? Even our target market in itself is Simply Complicated, the type of designs that we release can be seen in stores from Urban Outfitters to Commonwealth. It's the kind of aesthetic that I feel more brands should adopt. If you work so hard on your products, there is absolutely no reason that you should segment the consumer base. I want people of all walks of life to enjoy SC, just as any company should. This being said...a certain, but very small degree of segmentation should be taken into account to ensure the growth of the brand. What is the best seller out of your collection ? Global View is by far our best seller, the black version sold out within 2 weeks of release and the reprint on Purple went just as fast. The design in itself is very complex. The astronaut is comprised of several nebulae and starfields. Most people don't notice this upon first glance of the design but the more you stare at this shirt, the more you fall in love with it. Period. Do you have any sales going on ? We ran a special for preorders but that is over now. <img class="alignnone" src="http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo76/talktomrwilliams/300-1-1.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /> What sets you guys apart from other brands ? The amount of detail, thought, and symbolism that goes into each and every tee definitely sets us apart from the crowd. I don't think I have ever seen another brand out there that is doing anything like what we are doing. What do you have planned for the future of the company ? If I told you that, I might have to kill you. Do you have any advice to give aspiring clothing designers ? Put your heart into everything you do and learn to take criticism. If you don't strive to be the best and use every resource to your advantage..ethically of course; you have no reason doing what you are doing. Grant <img class="alignnone" src="http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo76/talktomrwilliams/300-3-1.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /> Connect With SCapparel <a href="http://www.scapparel.net/" target="_blank"><img class="alignnone" src="http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo76/talktomrwilliams/Untitled-1.gif" alt="" width="100" height="100" /></a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Complicated-Apparel/94241326680?ref=ts" target="_blank"><img class="alignnone" src="http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo76/talktomrwilliams/sidebar1-facebook.png" alt="" width="130" height="56" /></a> <a href="http://www.myspace.com/scapparel" target="_blank"><img class="alignnone" src="http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo76/talktomrwilliams/sidebar1-myspace.png" alt="" width="130" height="56" /></a> <a href="http://twitter.com/scapparel" target="_blank"><img class="alignnone" src="http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo76/talktomrwilliams/sidebar1-twitter.png" alt="" width="130" height="56" /></a> 2009-08-29T20:38:10-04:00 We sat down with Grant Tucker 1/2 of Simply Complicated Apparel or better known as SCapparel 1121 Simply Complicated | SCapparel Interview

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2009-11-08T01:23:57-05:00

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2009-03-26T10:45:26-04:00

We will walk you through the process of your first print and bring up any “did you knows?” 298 Your First Printing Experience: How to Prepare

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2009-11-07T07:01:09-05:00

http://theartofapparel.com/index.php/your-first-printing-experience-how-to-prepare/

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2009-03-17T10:52:11-04:00

Interview with The Butcher from Pyknic Clothing 293 Interview with The Butcher from Pyknic Clothing

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2009-11-07T06:58:55-05:00

http://iamthetrend.com/iamthetrend/pyknic-interviewfeature

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2009-03-16T18:27:33-04:00

An interview with the founder of Glamour Kills about starting a clothing line 291 Interview with Mark of Glamour Kills

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2009-11-07T06:59:44-05:00

http://www.shredclothing.com/

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2009-03-11T13:03:22-04:00

A few tips to on how to illicit responses when asking for help. 289 How to ask for help and get responses

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2009-11-07T08:11:12-05:00

http://assaultblog.com/tips-ask-for-help-just-starting-clothing-company/

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2009-02-25T21:12:04-05:00

A simple guide to brand launches and timing. 274 Starting a Clothing Company (part 3) – Launching to Success

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2009-11-07T00:07:06-05:00

http://blog.lowdtown.com/?p=149

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