BloodBath "The City Of Roses"

How did you come up with the name BloodBath?
As cliche as it sounds, the name found me.

Years before the brand started, I was at a KRS One show in Long Beach, and I spotted a label on a shirt that read: "Bloodbath". Upon closer inspection, I realized that I misread the name.  I forgot what it said, but

I never forgot Bloodbath.
Blood represents life, death, sacrifice, martyrdom, and family.
Bath represents a clean style, refreshing designs, and renewing yourself.
Bloodbath's mission and acronym is:
Breaking Locks On Open Doors , Boundaries Are Through Habit.
The locks are limitations and obstacles. The doors are your opportunities and goals.
The lock is within yourself. It is something that has been trained into you growing up; from society, history, racism, sexism, etc.  We are here to break that mold.  This is our mission as a company..
Keep it clean!

When did you realize you wanted to do fashion? 
I grew up around art all my life. I used to draw comics, took calligraphy, built models.
High School and College was filled with graffiti and fine art. I graduated with a Graphic Design degree.
I've always wanted to do art that influenced the like minded. I started printing up some tee's under the Bloodbath label mainly for myself and friends to wear... a year after that I luckily met some good partners to work with and it became official.

What characteristics embody a BloodBath consumer?
We are not what we seem. We move in silence. We look, listen and observe. We question everything...  We forgive but never forget.  We keep our style clean and aggressive.
The identity of our supporters will become more defined as each season unfolds.

What do you feel like is your greatest achievement so far?
Doing what we love and making it what we do.

Tell us about the collaboration with Brooklyn Projects, how did that come about ?  
Dom offered us the opportunity and we are honored to build with Brooklyn Projects.
The collaboration is a commemorative piece for BP's new Pasadena location. Since Pasadena is dubbed "The City of Roses" - the design was to revolve around that concept.  This limited edition tee shirt will be offered in 2 colorways (White and Black) at Brooklyn Projects, Pasadena.
For drop dates and more info make sure to check in at: Bloodbathproject.com   / Brooklynprojects.com

Who makes up the BloodBath team?
Here is a quick roll call: EZ, Trev, Patterson, All Dway, and myself Rome One.
We keep it close-knit. Each of us handle different aspects of the company, but are also all around players.
We also wear uniforms to work and speak a secret language.

lol That's funny might have been "Bubble Bath" ha!.
Yea, it could have been "BingBong " for all I know...ahahaha.

So what's the thought process for BloodBath when coming up with a new T-Shirt ?
Tee's are fun because I treat them more like a wearable canvas.  When I am working on cut & sew stuff it actually feels like making clothing.
As for the thought process I work outside in. Each season is built around a concept. We usually have a tee shirt to serve as a title piece; a "cover page" to that season's theme. Choosing a theme for a collection can make things easier, and at times much more difficult.

Each tee design is then filtered by the conceptual basis of that season.. I draw inspiration from anything and everything that comes to mind from thinking of our theme.
For instance, our Fall 2009 is dubbed:  "Draw First Blood" - so we kept the designs aggressive, and also played off the word "Draw" and included hand-drawn elements in every piece.

One of the Fall shirts is titled: "Escher".  For this design I flipped the original art from M.C.Escher's "Drawing Hands"  - where it is two hands drawing each other at the same time.  I redrew the piece and added a dagger being held with the hands instead of pencils.  Once the design is drawn and inked, I scan it into the computer to clean it up and get it set for printing.

Do you find yourself more inspired by fashion or things external to the fashion world?
That's a great question.
I get inspired by both.

Fashion lets me see what other brands are doing, who's pushing the envelope, and the trends that emerge.
I tend to look at fashion to figure out what NOT to do.  I respect many brands out there, and it's not just their designs that are dope...it's their brand as a whole.
But as for a certain look or style, Bloodbath definitely is always striving to carve our own identity.  Inspiration comes from our life and what we do.
I wouldn't be able to design anything if I just sat in front of the computer all day. Usually the greatest artists lived the craziest lives.

We exhale a filtered version of what we inhale.

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 ?
Man! We are still figuring that out everyday...

One thing when you are starting a brand: Start ahead. When you are new, take advantage and start with a future season that you have time to sell for.

How do you intend on keeping your brand image that of one consumers will actively want to associate with?
We keep it true. Not just true to what we want, but we keep it honest. We don't go out and pay for some big star to wear our gear. The influential heads that rock Bloodbath genuinely like and support what we do. In turn, we need to truly respect and support their grind as well- before we even work together.

I feel that a conscious consumer can see right through the bullshit anyway. We aren't trying to fit in with "streetwear", we are focused on pioneering our own path.
You can see it from our name, our designs, and our way of life.  We have not chosen the "safe route".  We listen to our heart and use our heads to make the best decision.

All of this attracts like minded individuals that support us - and in turn we support them.

What are some daily design challenges that you face?
Everyday is filled with deadlines. Being creative is not something you can turn on and off like a light switch.
It's easy to design when you "feel" like it - but try doing art when you are hungry and tired.... my stuff comes out shitty.

Another challenge is functional design.  It needs to adhere with your budget, your printing capabilities, and all the practical things - as well as the form and look of the design.   100% Form. 100% Function. It's always a battle trying to get there.

So you mention that you want to set your own path and not trying to fit in with "streetwear", with that being said what do BloodBath have for the future ?
We have a cut & sew program launching in Spring '10. We have projects coming up that are very different from our past collaborations. Well make sure to plug you in once they are ready to announce. Bloodbath will be expanding our product line into more than clothing, bags, accessories, etc. Seasonal mixtape's will be dropping with every collection...

I have always wonder how a design is took from a sheet of paper to the cpu is really that simple as drawing and inking or is it more ? If you could walk us through this. 
Usually I start with a really rough sketch of loose ideas. Then I pick what I feel is most successful and hone it down and only keep what is needed, add what it lacks. During this process the concepts get tighter and we explore methods of execution. Then we design and set up the art on the comp.  Once the art is mocked up - we get together as a crew and figure out it's strengths and weaknesses....final changes are made. Colorways are explored....and finally samples are made.

You said "We(BloodBath) have not chosen the safe route".But is there a design that you have done but got a feeling like "This might be to much for them to like" and never put that said design out ?
Yes, we don't use everything we ideate.  Initially when we started we were hesitant about what to put out...as our following grew - our identity began to solidify. Now, we have more of a checklist of things that each design must fulfill before we run it.

What's the dream collaboration for BloodBath ?
We are already blessed with the people we have built with and build with now. Each project we do is a dream a year ago. We hope that our progression maintains it's steady flow - and we thank everyone for supporting us and helping us grow. We will not forget it.


Have you guys started talking about what you will be doing for spring 2010 ? And if so can you spill the beans ?
Our debut Cut & Sew program. Look out for it - it's pretty cool.