So where's the collection heading?
Maybe that should be are you heading towards a collection: We have always commissioned artists on a more fluid basis that producing collections. The artist series T-shirts are produced to coincide with exhibitions at our gallery or events outside - or when we come across people making work that we really love. As we evolve we are planning to expand our clothing range and this will probably necessitate working on more coherent collections.
What's the theme?
So far, when we commission an artist for an artist series T-shirt we give them free reign. No real themes or briefs. We like their work and we trust them to deliver great stuff. We will then work together to tweak certain aspects to make the design really work on a garment.
Why Concrete Hermit?
When I move to London I was indoors a lot designing and trying to get my business off the ground. I was always skint and stuck inside, it just came from that really
How do the T-shirts wash?
Very well on a 30-degree cotton cycle.
What's your overrirding mantra?
I'll get it to you on tuesday, I promise.
What market do you want to hit?
Blokes that know a good t-shirt when they see one
What have you done before?
We did a special artist series for Tate Modern last year. We also did a showcase exhibition at the Conran Shop Tokyo. The books that we publish can be found in boutiques and museum shops internationally. I had a week in the Yorkshire Dales last summer.
What clothes do you love and hate?
I like clean, hate smelly.
Why release this brand now in a difficult market place?
Life goes on. We are not expensive either. Its been going for a while - six years - but we are constantly evolving, exploring work through the gallery and with the new central location we're engaging with retail a bit more again. This could also give us an opportunity to engage with/critique branding and consumption while simultaneously being part of that machine...
What does it bring to a marketplace that is saturated with shit t-shirts and logo'd brands that mean nothing in the wider sense?
When I started out I was looking at what was being pushed out, served up, to us as consumers and I was angry at how stupid the marketing people assumed we all are. 'Youth', 'culture', 'alternative', 'independent', and the big one 'Urban' were/are all just hollow phrases used to sell shit T-shirts and logo'd brands. Lazy retro graphics gave way to lazy stenciled graphics and I couldn't see much that was truly an independent culture. As soon as something interesting starts to happen it's watered down, re-packaged and sold back. Punk couldn't happen in the same way now. Remember NU rave?! That was a bubble of marketing bullshit.
But within all this there are still creative people and original ideas and it's those people that I've been trying to find and work with. As we're engaging more with retail it's going to be fun to try and be part of the beast but at the same time try and stay separate, (yes) independent and keep sane. Or maybe I'll just sponsor a skate ramp.
What brands do you wear?
Shit T-shirts and logo'd brands.
What makes a great bit of male clothing?
Versatility, simplicity.
How does male fashion work in 2011?
I do think that a few years ago the internet really levelled the playing field for small brands, but now as bigger labels start employing whole teams dedicated to facebook etc. and are really getting more aggressive with their online budgets I think it's getting harder. I think small super-niche labels will continue to look for new ways to work and think that there might be even more of a synergy with collaborations/ productions with larger or specialist retailers.
Cheers, nice one.
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