Indie Threads

October 22nd, 2007 by Brad

Sharpshirter Interview

Hey guys, it’s David from SEIBEI – awhile back, I got a bunch of messages from this guy Dan Lachman, who was looking for advice on getting his line, SharpShirter, into stores. So, I told him what I knew about getting in touch with buyers, good ways to scope out potential stores, and whatever else I could think of, and he ran with it – now, he’s kicking ass in retail stores, and the first guy I turn to for advice on getting more retail accounts.

Dang. Fortunately, Dan was cool enough to take some time to answer a few of our questions, and tell us a bit more about where he’s taking SharpShirter.

(more…)

April 15th, 2007 by Brad

Hide Your Arms Interview

Andrew Bowness has been running the popular sleeved clothing blog, Hide Your Arms since January 21st, 2006. Since then he has built up quite the following as the only sleeved blog around. He’s also been a big supporter of Indie Threads since it’s inception.

Would you mind giving us a little background info on yourself?
I’m 22 and I currently live in a part of England called the Lake District. Last summer I graduated from the University of Leicester with a degree in History and Politics, I am currently working on a casual basis for my parents interior design and project management firm whilst I decide what career path to follow.

When I’m not scouring the internet for hoodies I enjoy going for walks in my local area (it’s called the Lake District but we’ve got loads of mountains too), taking photos (here’s the URL for my Zooomr account: http://beta.zooomr.com/photos/11851@Z01), going to see live bands, cooking and hanging out with friends.

What made you decide to start HideYourArms?
As I was entering the last semester at university I was contemplating a move into journalism (yeah, I was trying to work out what job I wanted after being at university for 3 years…), and I thought that running my own blog about clothing – something I was becoming increasingly interested in – would be a good way for me to get a bit of experience within the industry without having the pressure of a real job or internship getting in the way of studying for my final exams and writing my dissertation. To be completely honest, I also thought it might be a fun way to earn a bit of money and maybe get some free clothes.

Youv’e been around for a decent amount of time (a little more than a year, right?) and you’ve gained a pretty fair amount of readership. What would you say has helped your blog become a success?
Above all, I think that quality of products will make or break any blog, if I picked bad clothes, people wouldn’t come. But I do think that the way I write has something to do with it, I’ve had comments from store owners that they want me to look at their products because I give more of an opinion than other bloggers, which is funny because I always feel as if I’m being too nice and going too easy on clothing designers, but I guess if I really didn’t like the design it wouldn’t be on my blog anyway, so obviously most of the stuff I write will be positive. HYA is also the only sleeved clothing blog in the world, so I guess that people don’t really have many other options if they’re looking for a blogger obsessed with hoodies!

What was the first thing you posted about on HYA?
It was a track jacket by Aeropostale, which I actually still think is quite cool, but it doesn’t really represent the kinds of products that I like to post on HYA now, actually it’s a bit of an anomaly from every other post.

Do you ever chat with any of the other apparel bloggers, like Preshrunk, TEEES, CrownDozen, or addic[tee]d?
Yeah, I used to chat to them quick a lot when I was just starting out, when I was doing a series of posts with some of my favourite bloggers telling me what their favourite hoodie was. Recently most of the talk goes on through comments on their posts and name-checks in posts, largely because I don’t really have too much to discuss with them, but if I ever need any advice or want to float an idea out there then we can usually get a pretty good dialogue going.

Do you ever try to avoid covering something that they’ve already posted about?
I never really know where to stand on this issue. On the one hand, it can be pretty annoying to see the same company or t-shirt mentioned by three or four bloggers (sometimes even more) on the same day, but on the other hand, I can’t really expect my readers to read the same amount of t-shirt blogs as I do, and I don’t want them to miss out on something cool just because several other people published their posts before I did. There’s also the problem that we all get hit up with the same standardised press releases at the same time, and since our whole game is telling people about the newest clothing its only natural that people are going to post about those companies as soon as they can. I thought of the ‘Cotton Filter’ as a way for me to combat this, I can give put lots of press releases and news items into one post, giving me more time to focus on finding hoodies and writing about them.

How many of your posts are reviews of actual shirts you’ve been sent?
I took a quick look through the reviews category and I could count 15, although I think there’s a couple more that I haven’t categorised properly, so it’s probably about 16 or 17. It’s a figure that surprises me, since I can often go through periods of my friends never seeing me in t-shirts that I’ve worn before, which really enhances my reputation as being “that t-shirt guy.”

Do you ever get really crappy stuff sent to you hoping for a good review?
I’m actually not as much of a sell out as people would think, I only accept tees from companies and designers that I like and would shop at myself. I really don’t enjoy writing e-mails to companies saying I don’t want their stuff, so I usually offer them a mention in a news post if I think that other people will like their designs. There was one company who offered me money for a good review upon their first contact with me, which gives a pretty strong indicator of the quality of their products, as you would expect I didn’t take them up on their offer.

People don’t actually offer me bad tees that often though, I think they probably get a bit scared of rejection when they look at the stuff that I usually post about.

What are some design elements that you think are overused?
Antlers, lightning, hearts, anything with tentacles, butterflies, paint splatters and clouds. Oh, and skulls too, but that’s been the case for about 30 years so I don’t think that’s ever going to end. The thing is, I like a lot of t-shirts that have these elements (I have at least one tee that features each of the elements previously mentioned), so I’m not going to be a hypocrite and say I don’t want to see people using them, and as long as we don’t see companies springing up called with tees called “The antlered flying unicorn with tentacles for legs that floats on clouds whilst nursing a broken heart” then I don’t really think that there’s too much to worry about.

Are there certain things that you have a particular weakness for – cute models, antlers, interesting print locations, etc?
Yeah, if you are a clothing company and you’re wondering how to get onto HYA, take good product shots, and if you can rope a good looking girl in to model for you, then you’re pretty much set for a bit of HYA post-love. I know it’s really shallow, but this is the fashion industry, right? Interesting print locations are also a bit of a soft-spot of mine, just having a design placed in the middle of your chest is fine, but putting something on your back or an element in a corner can take a tee from being nicely designed but fairly standard to being something really special, as long as the element is in context.

How do you feel about Threadless these days?
I’m still a big fan, they’re the biggest success story of the online tee stores and should be given a lot of respect for that, but I do think that they could improve in a couple of areas.

I’m not sure if its just a coincidence of the times when I look at their store and buy tees, but it does seem to take longer to get a tee from them now than a couple of years ago. They used to be able to process your order in a couple of days, but now the average seems to be three or four, and sometimes more than a week during a $10 sale. Considering how big they are and the amount of tees they sell on a monthly basis (reported as 60,000 a month in August ’06), you would expect better times than that, but it isn’t exactly a huge issue.

I know it’s probably my ego talking more than anything else here, but I would like to see Threadless communicating with bloggers more. Granted, they’re so popular that they already get more press attention than any other brand on a regular basis, but considering how much time other tee companies spend building up a rapport with bloggers and other tee companies, it would be nice if someone from Threadless could integrate themselves within the community more, because despite the transparency of skinnyCorp I feel as if we don’t get that much information out of them on a regular basis. Having said that, it might just be company policy that they don’t give preferential treatment to certain people, and I guess it probably adds to their image if they treat everyone as equals.

One criticism of Threadless that I really don’t like is the argument that Threadless aren’t cool anymore because kids keep seeing other people wearing Threadless shirts. If these people are so concerned about wearing a t-shirt that no one else has, they can just buy from a different store, there’s 100s of companies online selling shirts that are just as well designed and well printed as the tees that Threadless puts out every week.

With your seasoned taste in sleeved clothing, have you ever considered designing on your own? Or at least considered hiring some designers and putting out a line?
If you’d asked me that a year ago I would have given you a straight no, I got into writing HYA precisely because I don’t have the artistic skill to put out clothing good enough to be featured on my own blog, or anyone else’s blog (even the ones that suck!). But recently I’ve been playing around with the idea of putting out a themed line of hoodies designed by some of my favourite designers and artists. There isn’t anything down on paper yet, but I think it could be pretty interesting (have you ever heard of a hoodie-only clothing line?), although it would be kept pretty limited if I went ahead with it. Hey, that’s a bit of exclusive news for you, I’ve never even mentioned it on HYA!

What is the most you’ve ever paid or considered paying for a t-shirt or hoodie?
I once bought a Hugo Boss hoodie for about $190, which is quite a lot but it has lasted for more than 5 years and still looks and feels good. My most expensive clothing purchase ever was a jumper by Paul Shark that was around $380, which is a lot of money, but it is probably the comfiest a well-wearing jumper I’ve ever seen, I actually bought it at the same time as the Hugo Boss hoodie and looking at it you could easily think I bought it yesterday it still looks that good. In terms of t-shirts, I don’t really buy many anymore because of the samples I receive, but I’d imagine it would probably be about $50 for a fairly non-descript designer label tee like Calvin Klein or Hugo Boss, something that I’d pretty much never consider buying now that I spend so much time looking at cheaper and more lovingly-crafted t-shirts.

Do you prefer American Apparel/Sweatshop free shirts over, say, Hanes of Fruit of the Loom?
I am very much against sweatshop labour (who isn’t?), so its a no-brainer for me to go with sweatshop free. That said, I’m not always impressed by the quality control of American Apparel’s products, their tees aren’t that consistent in shape, the stitching isn’t always perfect, but I can’t really argue with the softness of the product. I don’t really have a problem with Hanes and Fruit of the Loom though, the tees last for years and retain their shape, although they aren’t really as soft as American Apparels offerings.

What do you think of clothing companies donating a certain percent of profits to non-profit organizations?
I love it. You might be aware of my commitment to give 50% of all revenue that HYA receives to charity, which has been heartily backed by my sponsors and advertisers. I know most clothing companies can’t compete with me in terms of percentage, I think it’s great when companies try to give a bit back.

You’ve visited quite a few of the more popular cities around the world. Could you list the cities and what you thought of their state on fashion?
I do have a bit of wander-lust running through my veins, so I love to travel, and I’m pretty lucky that I’ve been able to go to a lot of cool places. Here’s a quick list of some of the more notable and recent places I’ve been. Tokyo, New York, Amsterdam, Berlin, St. Tropez (southern France), Rome, Barcelona, Marseille, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Tunis, Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg (in Russia not Florida!), Tallinn, pretty much everywhere in the UK, and probably some others that I can’t remember.

I have to admit that I wasn’t always in fashion mode when I went to these places, so it’s probably not entirely fair for me to compare them all, but I was amazed at how well everyone (from toddlers to grandparents) was dressed in Tokyo. Apart from the obvious exceptions of goths, harajuku girls and the other well known subcultures, they generally have a very subtle and well-tailored aesthethic, usually in subdued colours, which made me (already head and shoulders above them at 6 foot 2 inches tall) stick out even more in my colourful tees.

New York was cool, and because Americans tend to have slightly larger waistlines than most Brits I was able to do quite a lot of clothes shopping. I don’t want to go into ‘melting pot’ cliches about America and its application to fashion, but there was a huge amount of diversity in clothes stores, switching from high-end fashion to streetwear in just a couple of clothing racks, which I really enjoyed since I usually find British high street stores to have a distinct lack of variety.

It would be unfair to comment on the state of French fashion based upon St. Tropez because all I can remember is paunchy perma-tanned men wearing white linen shirts and medallions as they held onto their trophy wives whilst skippering their ludicrously large yachts, and most of those people probably weren’t French anyway (for those who are uninitiated, St. Tropez is basically a rich mans playground in the south of France where I worked for a couple of months last year).

Threadless or Oddica?
Even though I like Threadless, I have to go with Oddica on this one. They’ve always been good to me and we have a good working relationship together, and it’s clear to me that Oddica is run by some really good guys that want to give their artists as much as they possibly can (their 41% programme is amongst the most generous of all the t-shirt companies I’ve come across). They’ve also picked some great artists and has managed to consistently put out high quality designs since they opened up last year. Oh, and their packaging is utterly fantastic.

Krudmart of Karmaloop?
I’ve gotta be honest, Krudmart have been off my radar for a while, I don’t really know why since they stock some great brands, but there’s only so much I can look at and sometimes some good companies get forgotten. So I guess by default I have to pick Karmaloop, although I don’t pick them grudgingly since they are so consistent in putting out great clothing from great brands. I like the way that they sell both popular mainstream clothing (such as their wide selection of adidas and Paul Frank) and support smaller labels both through the main site and the Kazbah.

What do you think of Karmaloop Kazbah?
I think it was a great idea and something that needed to be done considering the vast amount of new labels that have been springing up over the past few years as the internet has made it easier and easier for people to sell their clothing designs online. I like what Blake (the guy in charge of the Kazbah) is doing with it, and how he’s taken on brands that fit in with the Karmaloop image rather than just picking up labels that are most likely to rake in the cash. I’ve also discussed the Kazbah with a few of the brands that are on it, and they all seem happy with the arrangement, so I guess everyone wins!

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A big thanks to Andy for taking the time to answer these questions. It’s much appreciated. Don’t forget to check out Hide Your Arms

January 12th, 2007 by SEIBEI

Crowded Teeth Inteview

Meeting Michelle Romo of Crowded Teeth is about the only good thing I ever managed to do through MySpace. I could tell you plenty of impressive things about her – she’s only 24, she’s self-taught, her designs grace countless boutiques around the world and Zach Braff’s closet, and that she’s probably only just getting started, but what I would really like to stress is that she is one of the nicest people in the business, and I bet she’s a blast to hang out with. Enjoy!

I’ve only known you and CROWDED TEETH for the past six months or so – could you tell us a bit about how you started, and how long you’ve been at it?
I’ll start way back at the beginning! When I was 16 my mom brought home a fancy new G4 computer, and it was loaded up with Adobe Illustrator so I just started to play around and make graphics. A couple years later I started working at a place that made iron-on t-shirts and did some printing. So I decided to put my graphics to work and started making my own iron on tees. It was just kind of a fun side project; I taught myself how to sew and got into hand made goodies- like purses and hoodies. That was called “Yellow Toothpick”.

I did that for a few years and eventually bought my own screen printing equipment and did my own tees and stuff. Cut to about 3 years ago – I moved to LA and cut back a lot just because of lack of space, time, and money. But by chance I found out that the TV show ‘Scrubs’ filmed down the street from where I was living and dropped off a few shirts. The wardrobe lady loved them and I actually let her pick my first “Crowded Teeth” line. After that I got more into trying to make it into a serious deal. I just got really motivated and started pushing for more business and trying to grow. It’s been really overwhelming. So to answer your question – Crowded Teeth has been around since about 2004, but I’ve been doing a little something for almost 8 years now.

Do you miss not being as involved in the production end of CT as you used to be?
I do NOT – AT ALL. Hahaha. I do miss sewing and stuff for myself – but the stress of trying to do production and satisfy customers sucks. Especially because I get hella mad at myself when I mess up. I’m kind of learning what I like to do, and that’s to design the graphics. I like to be involved in the production and setup so I end up with what I want (telling people what to do – hooray!), but I don’t miss being in front of the screen printer or being awake until 3am sewing furry purses. I think I just like to draw and that’s about it.

I’ve looked through the pictures of your art show, which I wish I could have gone to (you win this time, Geography), and noticed that there were some paintings/prints that were also designs on CROWDED TEETH, and some great ones that I don’t think ever were – for you, is there a defined line between what works better as a t-shirt and what works better as a painting or print?
There isn’t a defined line, because sometimes things work for everything! But I think I go into a design knowing what I’m going to use it for and then it serves its purpose. I’m trying to learn how to have more of a business mindset but I just can’t get into it (putting my graphics on EVERYTHING, making money on everything blah, blah, blah). I think for the art show I was specifically trying to design for that event and I wasn’t even thinking “t-shirts” so that’s why a lot of the prints never crossed over.

I’ve seen your work compared to Hello Kitty, and there’s immediately an enjoyable Paul Frank feel to it as well – how do you feel about these comparisons, and what other artists and designers do you see yourself as comparable to?
I think being compared to those lines is great and totally flattering because they are an inspiration. They are both well crafted and well designed and it’s awesome if people put me in that same category. I don’t really want to compare myself to anyone though because I also want to feel like I’m doing my own thing at the same time.

You’re half Japanese (that’s my assumption so if I’m wrong please let me know), so let’s ask the obvious question – how do you think that’s influenced your work? Do you think that has influenced how people consider your work?
I am half Japanese (thanks, Mom)! I think it’s influenced my work because I had a rad time growing up. I look back at toys and books my grandparents used to bring me, and all the awesome snacks I got to eat and I say “THAT IS GREAT” – and since I’m trying to make great things, and I like to own great things it influences my sense of style. My knowledge in the culture has always been kind of half-assed (which is a bummer). I just never took the time to submerge myself into it. I do have a sense of pride about being Japanese, and also a sense of embarrassment from not knowing enough about it. I don’t know if it has influenced how people look at my stuff. I guess in a negative light it could be seen as something obvious – “Oh that Japanese girl likes Japanese things” – but I’m just trying to do what I like.

Daniel Vosovic’s showing on Project Runway was “inspired by Japanese design and military uniforms”, Gwen Stefani has that awful Harajuku Lovers line – do you think people are too eager to cite Japanese influence?
I don’t know – I don’t see it as a bad thing though. Whether it’s giving people what they want, making money, or being creative, do what you gotta do.

What do you like to do when you’re not at your day job, running CROWDED TEETH, or hosting fabulous art shows?
I like to do a lot of nothing! I watch bad TV, buy too many shoes, play the new Nintendo. Mostly I just like to hang out with my pals; they help me keep my sanity. It seems like work is constantly overwhelming, and the answer to that is to be around the people I like and talk about nothing.

So, sometimes independent designers are commissioned to do design work for bands, celebrities, and the like – who would you love to design merchandise for someday?
I’m lucky, and at my day job I get to work with a lot of big licenses. So I do get to work with artwork and people that I never thought I would get to work with. It’s a difficult thing to get someone’s approval though, and sometimes my brain can’t take that. So to give you the most generic and wishy-washy answer – I want to work with anyone who wants to work with me :)

I’m actually wearing my EAT! Crest shirt right now (it’s the beeeeeest) – what are some of your favorite foods?
Dude, you’re wearing my favorite foods. I love junk. I think burritos in any form might be my all time fave though. It’s like good times wrapped in awesome.

You’ve been in the game for a while, you’ve been to trade shows, and no doubt have seen a lot of brands out there – is there anything that you’re tired of seeing, that’s played out?
I don’t know – there are things I don’t like and are tired of seeing but I don’t fault people for doing what they do. Like I said – whether it’s giving people what they want, making money, or being creative, do what you gotta do. I don’t want to be negative.

In a lot of ways, you seem to be where a lot of independent designers want to be – do you have any advice for those of us in the shadow of Michelle Romo?
Always make sure you are doing what you want to be doing. Stay creative. Growing is hard, and I think I realized that I as much as I loooooove money – It’s not what it’s about.

What’s in store for CROWDED TEETH? Any big plans or possibilities that you can share with us?
Crowded Teeth is actually taking a step back a little. Less designs, but more creativity. I want to feel like I’m making something again instead of just cranking out stuff for a deadline. I feel like it’s going to be more of myself and go back to how I used to feel about it. In the products department I’m going to be doing metal jewelry (necklaces) and totes next season! And winter will be fun again because I am going to bring back the mittens in new designs.

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Thanks, Michelle, for being the first person I ever interviewed. Be sure to check out CROWDED TEETH online and in stores!

December 13th, 2006 by Brad

SEIBEI Interview

For the inaugural featured shop interview, we chose the relatively young company, Seibei. After only being around for a year, they’ve gained a large fan base and grown from only a few t-shirts to now fourteen and they’re getting ready to introduce their first hoodie – just in time for winter.

Who’s behind Seibei?
SEIBEI is me, David Murray, and my friend Lauren Hammonds is my printing assistant and design consultant. Unfortunately, due to conflicting schedules (mainly my keeping weird hours), we don’t get to work together a terrible lot these days, but if nothing else we still get to bounce ideas back and forth a decent amount. Of course, SEIBEI wouldn’t still be going if it weren’t for the support of our fans – I’ve had tons of crummy days where I get my car towed or I get scolded by the garbage man or I’m worried about the business or something but then I’ll get an e-mail from someone who got a shirt for their birthday and loved it, or something, and it’s all turned around.

What inspired you to start your company?
I think, like most of us, screen printing and design started off as a hobby that slowly turned into obsession. I was a Japanese literature major who had been working some job at a Mediterranean restaurant ever since I’d graduated, and I just knew I had to try and do something for myself.

What’s your best selling t-shirt?
There are countless Intramural Zombie Hunters roaming the globe – for the most part, I really like it, because it’s great that people seem to really enjoy this concept that I’ve created, and they’re usually pretty fun to make. We’re even going to be introducing a few more Intramural Zombie Hunting League products, but I’m not sure if I want to be making loads of customized shirts for the rest of my life.

What would shirt in your catalog would you like to see selling more?
I really like it when people order On Eating the 100% Perfect Sandwich One Beautiful April Morning, but I’ve actually got kind of high hopes for the hoodie we’re about to release, tentatively called Ice Wizard, so I’m really hoping that one takes off.

You print all the shirts you sell yourself, right? Did you teach yourself how to screen print?
I had always been a fan of stenciling, and actually briefly studied wood block printing while I lived in Kyoto – I actually really wish I had studied that more diligently, as the teacher was fantastic, but, and it’s lame to admit this, I had problems with two of my classmates and just ended up not going to class anymore. When I came back to the States, looking for something in the same vein to do, I taught myself how to screen print by messing around with Speedball kits and reading How To Print T-Shirts For Fun And Profit, but it wasn’t until I got a job at a commercial shop (where I’ve worked for about a year and a half now) that I really started to get a handle on it, and get a clear idea of what works and what doesn’t. I know plenty of self-taught printers whose work is fantastic, but, for me at least, I had a lot of bad habits until I had worked in the shop for awhile.

What’s been the most difficult thing to keep Seibei going?
It’s way too easy to second guess yourself when things aren’t going as well as you’d hoped. Also, I’m not terrific at managing money.

What’s been the best thing about keeping Seibei going?
The other day the Little Friends of Printmaking saw the Ice Wizard online and said that it was awesome – I idolize their work, and it was a nice reminder that I must be doing something right. Other than that, goofy things that I draw are worn by people and given as birthday presents all around the world. That’s pretty sweet.

Do you have plans to make this your sole source of your income?
Eventually, that’d be great, but I imagine I’ll try and keep my job at the print shop for as long as I can – it’s nice to be working side-by-side with veterans of the business who can answer basically any question I have.

You recently changed the brand of shirts you printed on to American Apparel. Has that had a positive effect on sales?
I think so. Some people have trouble looking past Dov Charney’s personal life, but, that aside, they have terrific fit, are consistent, and have the best color range of any company out there, which was really important for us.

You have a degree in Japanese language studies. What made you decide to go into printing shirts rather than pursuing a career in that field?
For years, my plan was to go to grad school for Japanese literature and work as a professor and translator, but there came a point where that had been the plan for so long that I had to reconsider it. I finally knew that I was going to stay in this game for good when I was up for a job with a manga publishing house in Los Angeles and all I could think about was how the extra money and networking possibilities would be good for SEIBEI. I guess I just wanted to do something exciting.

A lot of your friends seem to be inspiration for various shirts in your catalog? Is that going to continue further down the line?
Back when we first started, some guy sent me an e-mail that read:

“These shirts are fucking stupid. It’s fucked up that you blame them on your friends, either that or they must really hate you.”

So yeah, of course that’s going to continue. One of my best friends from small times is actually pretty bitter that I haven’t made a shirt about him yet.

Do you think that without a mention in Preshrunk‘s blog you’d be where you are right now? (That’s when I started seeing you seem to break out)
That was definitely a big break for us, and definitely gave us the momentum to push forward. I’m bummed that (for whatever reason) Jason seems to have given up on it, though there are some good t-shirt/hoodie blogs out there to pick up the slack.

How is the venture for brick & mortar shops across the country going? Where can someone go and buy the shirts in person now or in the coming months?
We haven’t had the opportunity to hit any of the trade shows yet (though I’m hoping we’ll hit Pool next summer, at least), so I’ve been hitting up individual shops – sending out samples, writing e-mails, calling, all of that, with some success. It’s kind of a bummer sometimes because we’ve had shops approach us after seeing someone in one of our shirts, and we’ll talk and things seem to go really well, and then I’ll never hear from them again. One shop seemed really psyched about our stuff, and even told me that they’d be placing an order, but never did and is giving me the cold shoulder. On the upside, there are some shops out there that like what we do and follow through on it – you can find the complete list of those at SEIBEI.

What makes you keep going with this? I see mentions of Johnny Cupcakes in your blog a lot. Is he a big inspiration for you?
There’s a point where you’ve put too much into something to be able to cut your losses and leave. We’ve got enough supporters and good reviews that we’ve got to be doing something right, and I don’t really have any other exciting options other than bankruptcy.

Seeing a feature on Johnny Cupcakes in NYLON about a year and a half ago was a big inspiration for me, and made me think that we could really make it. I think he’s definitely an inspiration for a lot of us – he’s living the dream, you know? Regardless of whether you like his work or not, he’s made it.

Are there any new designs in the works right now? Anything getting ready to be added to the shop?
Pretty soon we’ll be adding our first line of hoodies, which I think are going to do really well, and we’re going to work on getting patches and track jackets and scarves soon as well. A little further down the line, we’ve got a collabo with our friend Nate of the Unknown T-Shirt that should be something different for both of us, and we’ve got other artist collabos coming up that will explore the weirder side of the SEIBEI aesthetic.

You have a strange obsession with zombies and sandwiches? Could this be because you are, in fact, undead and just really hungry?
I think I have lots of strange obsessions, but zombies and sandwiches are two of them that seem to work well in design and have some appeal. No one wants to wear a shirt that shows how much I love the Pet Shop Boys or whatever.

What does the year 2007 hold for Seibei?
My girlfriend is going to teach me how to sew, though I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to do with that. There’s also a chance that I’ll be moving, which means that I’ll either have to find a new place to print, or start outsourcing the majority of our work.

Do you have any inspiring words to the folks attempting to start their own t-shirt line?
If you really want it and have a good product, get ready for a fight, and good luck.

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A Special thanks to David for answering these questions for our first ever featured shop interview. You can learn more about Seibei and visit their website at http://www.seibei.com.