Fashionware: Hips and Hair of Los Angeles, California

Putting it down for fashion today before your Memorial Weekend we have Hips and Hair coming straight from Los Angeles, California! With there unique style in apparel, let get to know them a little bit more !

Clothing line name : Hips and Hair
City / State : Los Angeles, CA
Established date : 2007
Website : http://www.hipsandhair.com/

Price range for clothing : $20 – $60
Where to buy your clothing : http://www.hipsandhair.com/

How did you come up with the name ?
– It took me a while to come up with the name, at least a few months of brainstorming and asking people’s opinions on different things. But basically what I did was create a giant list in one of my sketchbooks of about 100 different names and slowly narrowed them down. When I got down to the last 10 or so I asked for feedback from trusted friends and artists, as well as did a preliminary check on other brands/companies with names similar to those on my list. I did this to make sure I would not be in any legal trouble, sidestepping the headache of accidentally choosing a name someone else already had.

Description of clothing line ?
– Hips and Hair is my artistic aesthetic applied to apparel and various forms of fine art. With Hips and Hair I am creating the type of art I want to see and experience, as well as creating the type of apparel I want to wear and see others wearing. Hips and Hair is where pop culture’s glossy exterior converges in on itself to reveal just how insignificant it is, all the while hypocritically celebrating it’s trivialness. Hips and Hair is the outlet that allows me to create the type of art that I need to create. Creating art is not a choice for me, and although I love it and loving making it, it is something that my mind and body must do to survive. Hips and Hair is the brand that I always wanted to support. A brand rooted in art and artistic expression, different than those championing some extreme sport or some dime a dozen tattoo tribal hippie bullshit. Having integrity and portraying a sincere love for art and the product that I create is the basis for Hips and Hair.

Who are your influences ?
– My influences are numerous, and come from many different arenas. As far as art goes, I am influenced by a lot of street artists such as BAST, Space Invader, FAILE, Rot Gut, and a few others. I’m also influenced by some fine artists such as Joseph Cornell, SFAUSTINA, Warhol, and Jose Parla, My own aesthetic is influenced a great deal by hardcore and punk music along with the straight edge movement. I am personally straight edge, which means I abstain from consuming drugs and/or alcohol as well as having promiscuous sex. The issues commonly addressed in hardcore music, as well as the lifestyle choices that I have chosen filter directly into the artwork that I create. With these also comes my interest in vintage imagery and advertising, as well as societies obsession with celebrity and why it is what it is.

What sets your brand different from others ?
– What sets my brand apart from a good portion of all the other brands is that I individually hand screen print all my garments. I have complete control of everything, from the creation of the design, to the making of the silk-screens, to the printing of the garments. I am obsessive over quality and do not trust anyone else to print my garments. I try to do everything by hand, and give my brand a true DUI feeling, which is why I print it all myself by hand, as well as other smaller goodies, like hand pressing buttons, and screening my own business cards. I am also the photographer for all my shoots. I do however have a great support group, which starts with my girlfriend Kolbie, both my parents, and my best bud Ryan. Without them I would not be able to do what it is I do.

Are there any challenges you run into while running a business ?
– Too many to count! There are challenges on every step of the way when creating/running a small business. The biggest challenge if I had to choose one, would probably be staying positive, as it is very easy in today’s economic climate to become disillusioned by slow sales, and the constant turn downs by boutique stores.

Any plans for the future with your clothing line ?
– For the future my main goal is to just keep pushing my brand and hopefully being able to pay the bills by doing what I want to do. Having my own brand is not about “having a brand” at all, but simply about having a clean avenue to create and distribute my artwork to those tired of the same old stuff, looking to be a part of something small, unique, and quite special.

Here is some photos of there clothing line :

Interveiwed by : WWS Mag Jerry Rodrigo