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Well, I decided to get crafty with an old raggety Nike t-shirt, a soft blank t-tshirt, a sewing machine and a couple of labels. I have a couple of un-wearable t-shirts I want to try and creatively reclaim, Mr. Nike was first up on the chopping block. My sewing isn’t perfect, but it was fun (and frustrating!) piecing together a one-of-a-kind garment all by hand. I can’t wait to rock my new creation around town.
Posted in: My Work - Sweet New Stuff | Tags: apparel, BKNY, creativity, cut and sew, Nike, t-shirt
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As you can see from above, BKNY’s new scissors design is hand-printed by me at FLEAHEART’s studio. I can safely say I didn’t blow anything up or mess up any blanks, all-in-all a good first print run.
Also, (only fair) I made sure to print on a blank that I know the ladies dig (AA’s Tri-Blend Deep-V). Both designs came out great and interact well with the V’ed necks of both shirts.
Posted in: My Work - Sweet New Stuff - Updates - Videos | Tags: apparel, BKNY, Brooklyn, clothing line, hand-printed by me, mad-skillz, scissors, t-shirt, v-neck
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A big thanks goes out to my good buddy Erica for letting me borrow her Singer sewing machine. From the photos above you can see that things at BKNY are starting to come together. It started with sewing my labels on my pillow cases (ugh, that was a learning experience), but now I am sewing like a semi-pro (if I don’t forget to put the foot down…).
I plan on finishing all of my shirts this weekend (cases are done!) so I can start to really think about how I want to market my products (besides on Facebook). I have a couple of blogs I am going to send stuff, as well as some t-shirt sites as well.
Going forward, I have a really tight design currently in the works. I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag just yet, but it’s going to be printed on v-necks and deep-vs (for chicks!). Be excited ladies, I am keeping you in mind on this one.
Posted in: My Work - Sweet New Stuff - Updates | Tags: apparel, BKNY, sewing 101, Singer, t-shirt
Above is a picture I snapped of Miso at Transmitter Park the other day. My new (refurbished) Canon EOS Rebel XS has become a permanent fixture hanging from my neck. I have been taking it everywhere I go trying to familiarize myself with its settings etc. Having a nice digital camera is totally worth it. I was a dummy for not having bought one sooner.
This morning (after realizing I needed a Camera RAW plugin for CS3), I finally had the chance to shoot and process RAW pictures. Above is the picture I am now using as my background on BKNY’s shop homepage (check it!). To put it simply, shooting RAW is the sh*t! Levels, cures, saturation…pffft! Using Camera Raw is ridiculous.
Lastly (above), my BKNY labels have finally arrived! The people over at Stadri hooked it up. They came out great! All BKNY products going forward will have one of these sewn in/on them.
Along with learning the in and outs of my camera, I am also going to have to learn how to sew. Luckily for me, my blank wholesaler is able to re-label for me so I will just be left with the pillowcases and anything other than shirts.
Posted in: Eye Catching - My Work - Sweet New Stuff - Updates | Tags: apparel, BKNY, Canon EOS Rebel XS, clothing line, labels, Miso, RAW
It’s here…well sorta. Even though I have a ton of more work still to do, I decided early this morning (6am!) that today was going to be the day I pre-launch BKNY to the masses (via Facebook). I am very thankful for all the positive feedback I have been receiving and proud of what I have achieved so far, but far from being satisfied. Be on the look out for constant updates and new style releases in the near future as I try to expand BKNY creatively. I definitely have some stuff cooking on the back burner that I am really excited about.
Posted in: I Dig - My Work - Sweet New Stuff - Under Construction | Tags: apparel, BKNY, Brooklyn, clothing line, graphic design, looking good, t-shirt
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My mini photo shoot with Clint was a success. I was able to re-design my BKNY landing page yesterday (to what I originally had in mind). My metal rimmed tags and striped string also finally arrived. I am planning on hand stamping each side of the tag, then with a safety pin, affix them onto the shirts (hanging under the sleeve). All the pieces are coming together slowly. I can’t wait until I can hold up a completed product (or better yet, make my first sale!).
Besides BKNY, the word has gotten around that I’m kinda an indexhibit master. My friend Emily came over and I helped her install (and code) a site for her book covers she designs. That last picture was from our walk with miso. Greenpoint has great unobstructed views of Manhattan along the East River (blocks from my apt).
Posted in: I Dig - My Work - The Posse | Tags: apparel, BKNY, Brooklyn, clothing line, Emily Mahon, Greenpoint, Indexhibit, New York, t-shirt
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I couldn’t keep the cat in the bag any longer…
Although as it stands, it’s nothing but a site that sells nothing, I figured I might as well put up a landing page for my BKNY brand (either that or a rubbish GoDaddy placeholder page). I had hoped to launch before summer is over, but now it’s looking like it’s probably going to be more like an early fall launch. Every time I think I am taking two steps forward, I find myself taking 3 steps back. I’m hoping my thoroughness pays off in the end (trademark, strengthening brand identity, photo shoots, flippin’ awesome site).
As of now, I have 2 designs at the printer and one other ‘hot’ item in the works. I did though pick up a bunch of sweet custom stamps this week from Casey’s. I highly recommend paying him a visit (rad ol’Irish dude). All you need is a black and white laser print out (to size) of your artwork and he’ll make you a stamp. Trust me, it’s worth it just to pay him a visit and shoot the sh*t, he is a trip.
In the meantime, you may want to look out for Clintees (an offshoot of Clint’s Headhoods line) which is probably dropping real soon.
On a totally different, I’m seeing Washed Out tonight at the Mercury Lounge, should be an awesome show, can’t wait!
Posted in: I Dig - My Work - Shows Im Attending - Sweet New Stuff - The Posse - Under Construction | Tags: apparel, BKNY, Brooklyn, Casey's Stamps, Clintees, clothing line, HeadHoods, Mercury Lounge, Washed Out
This past week I have been mia from posting because I have been busy trying to put together my new apparel line (!). It’s going to be real small to start (what I can afford). But what has been a long-time dream of mine ever since working in the industry is finally starting to come together. I’m not going to show anything yet, I’d rather drop everything (get the full experience) at once. I’m so excited to be finally selling something I created (had no one telling me what I should/shouldn’t be doing) – Take that man!
Anyhow, while my designs are at the local printer, I have been really focusing on the back end and branding (how my brand comes through via hangtag, sewn/printed labels, packaging etc) because that is something I think is important and for those who know me, take really seriously. I hope to launch within the month (may be wishful thinking), but we’ll see. I will definitely keep all my worlds (facebook, twitter, blog) posted on any progress.
Stay tuned…
Posted in: I Dig - My Work - Sweet New Stuff - Under Construction | Tags: apparel, clothing line, top secret