My Swag:Please state who you are and your role at LOUD& OBNOXIOUS.
Vincent Apostol :My name is Vincent Apostol and I am one of the owners of LOUD& OBNOXIOUS. It's tough to assign a job title to any of us here at L&O because we all handle several tasks at once, so let's just call it multi-tasking.
Tell us about your background in fashion and design.
To be honest, I don't really have that much background in either of those fields. When I was college I was an electrical engineering major and then switched to music business, and now my brother and I are both "taking a break" from college to pursue our business endeavors. We've always been very hands-on about our learning experience. Pretty much "learn by doing". We've been picking up knowledge all on our own for the past few years and just kinda running with it. We know what we like to wear, and we know what we like to see other people wear, so we try to take those ideas and just make it a reality.
How did LOUD& OBNOXIOUS come about?
My brother and I started printing t-shirts in our garage because our band needed merchandise to sell at shows. All the local screen printing shops were just way too expensive and didn't cater to the smaller guys, like us. So we started printing our own merchandise at home and it quickly became addicting and we wanted to learn as much as we could about it. Soon after that, we started printing for other bands and schools and anyone who wanted shirts for cheap. Not too long after we started doing that, we decided to just give it a name and start our own screen printing company called GLAD RAGS INK (http://www.gladragsink.com/). Then at some point out of nowhere, we wanted to start making our own t-shirt brand and collection. And that's making a long story as short as possible..
How did LOUD& OBNOXIOUS come about?
My brother and I started printing t-shirts in our garage because our band needed merchandise to sell at shows. All the local screen printing shops were just way too expensive and didn't cater to the smaller guys, like us. So we started printing our own merchandise at home and it quickly became addicting and we wanted to learn as much as we could about it. Soon after that, we started printing for other bands and schools and anyone who wanted shirts for cheap. Not too long after we started doing that, we decided to just give it a name and start our own screen printing company called GLAD RAGS INK (http://www.gladragsink.com/). Then at some point out of nowhere, we wanted to start making our own t-shirt brand and collection. And that's making a long story as short as possible..
How would you characterize LOUD& OBNOXIOUS attitude?
When we started the brand, we were fueled by our discontent with the current state of street and youth fashion. We felt that there was too much focus on being "fresh" rather than trying to actually bring about something new and refreshing. We work very hard and I think it shows in our products and overall brand personality, especially since we do everything ourselves from design to manufacturing to sales and marketing. Our motto is "Upholding the D.I.Y. Mentality" and we will always stay true to that. We don't mind being the odd man out because nowadays that's the only thing that will set you apart, which is why we also incorporate a lot of punk/hardcore/metal influece and style into our shirts to go along with the Southern California lifestyle aesthetic. We're definitely not trying to pretend we're something that we're not and all of our influence and inspiration comes from our friends, family, and our own every day lives. We all have very "loud and obnoxious" qualities; from our friends to our fashion style to the music we listen to and we try to translate those ideas into our designs.
Who is the LOUD& OBNOXIOUS buying demographic?
Who is the LOUD& OBNOXIOUS buying demographic?
I would definitely say it's for the the more youthful crowd, like high school and college kids. Anywhere from young teenagers to people in their late 20's. We take pride in the fact that so many different people can get into our brand.
How do you intend on keeping your brand image that of one consumers will actively want to associate with?
How do you intend on keeping your brand image that of one consumers will actively want to associate with?
Well like I mentioned in your question about our attitude, I think the "D.I.Y. Mentality" is definitely something that a lot of people are down to support because hard work can go a long way. We do this because we really love it and enjoy it. We find fulfillment in the fact that people dig what we stand for and we love keeping a close relationship with our customers as best as we can. The people who buy our shirts become like our extended family, in our opinion, because when they buy one of our shirts, that means they shared a similar interest in what we're doing. Along with that, we do our best to keep our brand identity a top priority by always putting our logo and our personality forward.
What are some daily design challenges that you face?
What are some daily design challenges that you face?
Similar to writer's block, sometimes the ideas just don't flow as freely and it can be frustrating to not be able to finish a design. Actually, we're currently looking for a graphic designer(s) to join our team and help us crank out more designs. Since my brother and I also run our screen printing company full time, it can be very very difficult to find time to just sit down and design so we've decided to finally open up and see if anyone would be down to give us a hand with design. If you'd like more info on the position, please visit http://www.loudobnoxious.com/ and check out one of my more recent blog posts haha
Do you find yourself more inspired by fashion or things external to the fashion world?
Do you find yourself more inspired by fashion or things external to the fashion world?
I like to think that we are inspired by a little bit of both. We take the best of both worlds and try to put it in a blender and see what comes out. We take inspiration from everything past, present, and future, both in fashion and not so in-fashion.
Where is Streewear headed?
Your guess is as good as mine, man! When it all comes down to it, I'm just another regular dude who happens to know what he likes to wear. I really have no idea where it's headed, I just know that we're going to do what we can to present our own ideas and see if people dig it.
When you are creating, is there a certain environment that you require?
When you are creating, is there a certain environment that you require?
Ideas can come to me at any point in my day, I just try to do my best to not forget it when it strikes. I'm always jotting things down, typing ideas in my phone, and writing on post-it notes. Actually, I think a lot of my ideas depend on the environment I'm currently in. Inspiration can strike at any moment and you gotta be ready to conceptualize on the spot to turn it into a design ideas.
Any thoughts on the current state of streetwear?
Any thoughts on the current state of streetwear?
It's kinda hard to really sum it up into one general viewpoint because it's become so big. There's a ton of really awesome brands who continue to release amazing products and there's also a ton of sub par brands who continue to embarrass themselves and the people who happen to support them. Overall, it's a very fast paced and overly competitive world to be part of, but as long as you can find a niche and grow within that niche, you'll find some success. The rise of technology and the internet is allowing for more and more people to start their own company (like us!) and even though the economy is still recovering, the American dream is alive and well.
For some of the up and coming brands, what are some of the overlooked tasks that you had to complete during start-up that they may not be aware of but definitely need to know about?Definitely the entire legal side of becoming a brand/company. All the legal documents, registering, and taxes. It sucks, but someone's gotta handle it. I'm not gonna lie, I'm terrible with that stuff but luckily we have a partner in both of our companies who understands it like a second language.
Do you have any collaborations in the works?
For some of the up and coming brands, what are some of the overlooked tasks that you had to complete during start-up that they may not be aware of but definitely need to know about?Definitely the entire legal side of becoming a brand/company. All the legal documents, registering, and taxes. It sucks, but someone's gotta handle it. I'm not gonna lie, I'm terrible with that stuff but luckily we have a partner in both of our companies who understands it like a second language.
Do you have any collaborations in the works?
At the moment we're still in talks regarding some collaborations and joint projects, so we can't really release any information on that yet. We'll be updating our website more regularly so stay tuned at http://www.loudobnoxious.com/ and if anyone ever needs any shirts or apparel printed, hit us up at http://www.gladragsink.com/. I guess the only project we have going on right now is that we just released an exclusive colorway of our "Fast Times" Tee at Karmaloop.com and it will be the final pressing for the shirt EVER. So if you missed out before, don't miss out on your last chance to grab a tee! Check it out at www.loudobnoxious.com/karmaloop. Thanks for the interview! We appreciate it.
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