Still Proud Clothing Interview

Clothing Line Name: Still Proud
Established: 2009
Website: www.stillproudclothing.com

Tell us about your brand. What’s the name? How did it come to be?

What’s good everyone, my name’s Gavin and I run Still Proud established in the Summer of 09 out of sunny Tampa, FL. The brand was started after I was laid off from my first big job in the Winter of 08. I had been contemplating starting a line for some time prior but never really had the time to focus on it. So with a nice little chunk of savings I took a risk and stepped into the crazy world of streetwear. Ever since then, I’ve lost a lot of sleep and gained a lot of friends ha.

How would you describe the style of your brand? Who do you see wearing it?

Our style is very direct, as the pieces tend to be heavy on messages and symbolism. The underlying message behind SP is to stay true to the things that have shaped you as a person (your sense of youth) no matter where you are in life. For some people its music, skateboarding, grafitti, sports etc. The medium is not necessarily the important part but it’s holding on to YOU in a society that thrives on conformity, that is. So it doesn’t matter if you’re a streetwear or hip-hop head, hardcore kid or skater, I like to believe that there’s something for everyone in my line.

Everyone today seems to have a clothing line; how do you make yours better or stand out more than others?

Clothing lines are absolutely a dime a dozen and breaking through so much clutter can definitely be a challenge. For me though, I just try to do my own thing, focus heavily on promotion and keeping our world transparent. If you follow our social networks you know what I mean. There are no egos or facades with SP, just a pissed off dude with a lot to say, real recognize real!

Since the start of your clothing line, what has been your favorite piece? Why?

I think my favorite piece would be the dollar bill seal, which was on our “In self we trust” hoody, and stickers (soon to be T-shirts, coming Winter 12). It’s always stood out to me because it takes such a contemporary piece of our culture and flips it. The 2 strongest attributes of the brand are present: believing in self and going against the grain and there’s also a bit of symbolism with the inverted all seeing eye and torches, which I commonly use throughout our pieces.

Speaking of favorite pieces, who designs the clothes and comes up with the concepts?

As far as the concepts behind the designs, it’s all me. Since I tend to mix graphic and hand drawn pieces I have a few artists that I’ve been working with over the years. Shouts to my dude Lafe, Tony Medellin of Nightmare studios (Reno) and G from Defamnation for helping me bring this vision to life!

What was your day to day before starting the brand? Did you always think you would do what you do now?

I currently run SP on the side while working a 9 to 5 but hopefully soon that will be a thing of the past. The day to day for the last few years has consisted of countless early mornings/ late nights not too mention weekends, so pretty much if I’m not at work I’m working on SP ha, believe it! I never really would’ve thought I’d be in fashion. As a naturally outspoken person always looking for new mediums of expression, I found the tee shirt to be a very direct weapon and ever since the first line, I’ve been hooked. Street wear like the music I love is a very independent and free-spirited scene that really drew me in and with so many diverse brands and walks of life within it, it’s definitely a cool experience to connect with likeminded ambitious people seeking to live a life on their own terms!

What is the biggest challenge you have ran into while running a clothing brand?

I’d say just juggling everything and keeping the ship on course. Many clothing lines are ran by more than 1 person but with SP, I’m the 1 man army. Between promoting the line, coordinating the design and printing while learning to run a business, can get a little hectic especially while working a day job and trying to have somewhat of a life, but so far so good. Dedication has always been a strong characteristic with me and when you’re very passionate about something, you find a way to make it work regardless of what life throws your way. In the words of Immortal Technique “No matter what the fuck life throws at me, I continue to make it through indefinitely.”

What’s the best part of running a clothing line?

I think the best part is having something to call my own and of course my supporter reactions. The line is a direct reflection of who I am and what I believe and to have supporters vibing with that all across the world is really the coolest thing ever! There’s nothing like getting messages saying that I influenced someone to start their own brand or even affected an individuals beliefs. Much more than a clothing company, my goal has always been to put out pieces that have something to say and I feel like in today’s streetwear scene, this is severely missing. In other words, I’d rather you pick up one of our pieces because of what it means then buying it solely to look “swag” and match your Air Max’s.

What’s in the near future for your brand? Anything special coming up?

Yep, I have A LOT coming up in the next few months. Last month I dropped the “Our Way” Spring release and in July our Summer line comes out with a ton of new designs including our first baseball & pocket tee. Following our Summer release is a special 3 year collection in August with a couple reprints and caps which our og fans will certainly appreciate, then our Winter gear will drop sometime in October. So tons of new designs and some reprints from past seasons so y’all will DEF want to keep us on your radar! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is shaping up to be our biggest year yet!

Where can we find more about your brand?

Hit up our site/ blog here and you can also find SP on all of the major social networks: Instagram: Stillproud (my current favorite),Tubmlr, Twitter, Facebook