Click <a href="http://www.theartofapparel.com">HERE</a> to see the full article with photos as well as the AlrightOK 08 winter release video on the home page. <h3>When and How did you get into the apparel industry?</h3> I guess you could say i've been messing with it since 2003-ish doing freelance for bands and such, but I didn't do anything of my own until 2007 with my 'AOK Mart' line that was intended to only be an off shoot of my own freelance work. It was really a place for rejected designs from clients that I thought had 'legs'. After about a half a year of running it I decided to change the name/logo to something that would leave me free from any possible legal troubles moving ahead. You can read more about that on my blog: http://alrightok.com/2008/08/06/use-your-confusion-pt-2/ <h3>What does your brand name mean and How did you come up with it?</h3> I'd been freelancing under 'Alrightok' since I was out of school and working. I honestly don't remember where it first came from but it's definitely in a lot of rap songs and it is a combination of words you'll hear one after the other so i'm sure it was repeating in my head and when time came to register a domain for my portfolio it just stuck. I think part of what made it work was at the time of me leaving school and being unsure of the future a phrase like "alright? ok..." just made sense. <h3>What inspires the designs done for the line?</h3> Wow, it's really something that's hard for me to answer because we're still feeling it out ourselves you know? I think the biggest thing we're trying to impart is that we're trying to give all of our ideas, experiences, and influences through the visual medium of the tee shirt. We aren't a traditional brand in the sense that it's built on one singular vision, theme, or lifestyle in mind. Part of that, i'm sure, comes from doing client work where the goal is to stay consistent and on a guided path when it's my turn I want to take so many different paths and express so many different ideas that it'd be impossible to pin AOK as any one thing. We've got a lot of respect for this medium/business (I pretty much don't wear anything but tee shirts) and all we're really trying to focus on right now is adding something worthwhile and learning the industry. <h3>As you know there are tons of new brands out now, what are some things that you think are sometimes overlooked by start ups?</h3> I'm going to completely contradict what I just said but having a point and/or theme and sticking with it. While I did say we don't have one theme or market in mind, all of our artwork is done in-house between myself and another artist, so by nature everything will have one consistent look and feel to it. I see a lot of new brands throwing paint at the wall and they end up with a mish mash of ideas and styles. To me a lot of it looks like band merch that happens to have the brands name on it instead of a bands. There's obviously a market for this but if you want to be a real brand and 'blow up' you need some level of consistency and follow through. The other thing that i guess stands out to me is presentation. I suppose a lot of people who own these brands aren't designers themselves and sometimes they don't see the importance of good web design, finishing on the garments, photography, etc., but part of what separates you from what someone can get in the mall are these things so I wish there was more care taken. It makes all of us look better. <h3>It seems like a majority of newer brands are geared towards the younger crowd and feature super bright poppy colors, not saying that is a bad thing, but you're going a different direction correct?</h3> Yeah, you're right it isn't a bad thing at all it just isn't me. My general taste leans more towards subtlety and creating something classic. Doesn't any artist or designer want to do this? The basic idea of a graphic tee will never go out of style so I would feel odd creating something that years from now i'd say "man, that looked so 2000". I'm really big on things like tone on tone printing, garment finishing, quality of the overall garment as opposed to just the design. These are all things, as a designer, that make me feel good internally as opposed to a brightly colored loud graphic that, I would assume, make a person feel good externally. Myself and the Yesh (the other artist with the brand) come from loving comics, video games, cartoons, Japanese culture, etc. but we feel like there is a difference between regurgitating all those things and creating something new with those influences in thought. <h3>Can we expect you to be around for a while, what is down the road for AlrightOk?</h3> I mean we can hope right? Haha, we definitely have a lot of things planned we've only recently dropped our first set of tees. We don't plan on leaving the still very fertile ground of tee design for a good while. I believe people should stick to what they're good at and more than just designing cool graphics for tees I want to feel we've mastered it before we decide to move on to things like cut and sew, hard goods, etc. <h3>You have a blog at alrightok.com where you post videos and insight into the business, what makes you do this?</h3> The biggest thing is wishing I had a resource like this when I was starting out. I had so many questions and rarely were the answers either 1. good (for the kind of brand I was aiming to create) or 2. from someone who's made the mistakes themselves. In a short 2 year span there are tons of blogs about this subject now and great forums to ask these questions, so it only strengthens my thought that there's a want for it. I'd like to chronicle the growth of the brand and let people take whatever info they can from that rather then just say 'here's how you do it' because there really isn't a right way to do this. <h3>Do you have any advice for those looking to get into the game?</h3> Research and planning. Pick a name that you can live with and make sure it doesn't bear resemblance to anything else out there. Figure out who it is you're trying to sell to and design with them in mind. Create something that stands on it's own. "When you make something no one hates, no one loves it." - Tibor Kalman <h3>Any last comments or shout outs before we finish up?</h3> Any person who's supported me thus far either with words or buying a shirt. Hopefully some of these answers didn't come off as pretentious I'm generally a ridiculous person. Comment: Do it because you love it! 2008-12-15T20:34:36-05:00 Interview on www.TheArtOfApparel.com with Ryan from AlrightOK. true 0 203 AlrightOK Interview 537 1 2009-11-21T22:53:32-05:00 945 There are many varying prices for tees all over the internet and also in stores. For many, the question of what to price they're shirts is a tough problem to tackle. Hopefully, this will help some people decide upon a price point and allow them to define that price once set with a valid reason. Let us start first with the lower bracket. <h3>$15-20</h3> This is the most commonplace price for most shirts, and for good reason. This price normally covers most of the cost of producing the shirt, while still allowing the artist and or business to make some very reasonable profits off of its merchandise. When to price like this... This is recommended for most Indie labels or relatively consumer friendly stores looking to move most of its stock as painlessly as possible. PROS <ol> <li>Easier to swallow prices give better chance of sales.</li> <li>This is the standard most people are expecting to pay, give the people what they want! :)</li> <li>Doesn't make you look like a greedy bastard.</li> </ol> CONS <ol> <li>You won't make a killing if your not selling a boatload.</li> <li>You may be selling yourself short (more on this later...)</li> <li>Pricing is the first indicator of the success of a business. You essentially make it very difficult to raise the price when you start low, so if you price your shirts at 19 dollars a shirt, then raise the price on your merchandise after you have already established a fan base, expect to feel the wrath of your disappointed customers who were used to paying a certain price for your shirts.</li> </ol> <h3>$25 and up</h3> This price is in my opinion, reserved for more "high class" or "specialty" brands, and as such usually has a solid buyer base that is willing to pay for the brand name more so than the design. An example of this logic is Nike. If you walked into Payless Shoe store and saw a pair of shoes priced at $120, you would be baffled and more than likely would question the sanity of anyone paying such an exorbitant price for shoes. Yet, it is more than common place for Jordan's and other Nike sneakers to sell for much more than $125. What's the difference? Name and image. People know what Nike as a company stands for, and they understand that the cost of wearing that name is most likely higher than other brands. But they are willing to pay the price. The same goes for high priced shirts. People will more than likely be purchasing higher priced shirts with emphasis on brand name more than anything else. PROS <ol> <li>If you do sell, you will make an absolute killing, and more money means more merchandise, and more (insert vice here).</li> <li>Loyal fan base. Many a times, higher priced shirts or any other apparel for that matter can create a cult following, and this is always good for business as dedicated fans are great repeat customers. Example: Johnny Cupcakes</li> <li>More room for expansion and growth. It almost seems like a sure sign of greater things to come when you are selling things at a higher price than what is accustomed to, and this could be the makings of a store front or new directions for the company.</li> </ol> CONS <ol> <li>If its your first foray into the tee biz, this is a risky move, because you stand the chance of alienating people right off the back if they don't think your stuff is worth it.</li> <li>Lack of good design. This is more of a personal issue, but it seems that 50% of all high priced tees are just blatantly terrible designs, and i wouldn't pay 12 dollars for them let alone 35 or more.</li> <li>You pigeonhole yourself by making any visitors to your site or store have the impression that those prices are there to stay, so for better or worst, the first impression of possible clients may very well be they're last.</li> </ol> and Finally... <h3>$13 or less</h3> Why did I end with the low number you might ask? Because this number, unless on "SALE", should in my experience, never be used unless your trying to make your company look like "cheap amateurs who make clothing in mass quantities of pure sh*t." This low price makes people think that, A. You have a crappy design and are now attempting to move all of your bad investment for whatever you can reclaim from the wreckage, or B. You know your design is crap, and are trying to peddle it to an unsuspecting and gullible public. PROS <ol> <li>Possible movement of inventory fast, but don't make it a habit.</li> <li>When used effectively as promotional events such as "SALES", or "Clearance", this can be a very successful to sell a lot of shirts.</li> </ol> CONS <ol> <li>Two words. CHEAP. ASS.</li> <li>You get what you pay for is a tried and true mantra, and by you selling below the industry standard for no good reason, you'll be spitting in the face of those wise words and making sure people will always remember your brand as the " Cheap Stuff."</li> <li>Bad Designs. If you are selling this low because the designs are bad, take it as a learning lesson on your already printed shirts, and make sure you don't repeat the same mistake and get better designs next time.</li> </ol> So there you have it, a nice little overview on pricing in the industry. Hope this helps anyone thinking of pricing and other branding dilemmas. If you have any thoughts or comments, feel free to add them. Sincerely, The Prime Scoundrel of the Internet, Quest 2008-07-28T04:11:44-04:00 A walk through of industry standards when it comes to pricing your merchandise. true 0 53 Pricing your Tees and what it means for your business 1822 1 2009-11-22T01:52:02-05:00 2014