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BreakawayINK Apparel Interview

Posted in Accessories, Men's Fashion, T-Shirts, Urban Sophisticate | 1 comment

We were lucky to have the opportunity to interview Kyle from BreakawayINK Apparel and gain an insight in to the mind behind this powerful brand. Check it out!

What are the inspirations behind your designs?

My designs come from various pieces of inspiration – mainly a hip hop influence, and I’m not talking about Kanye or Drake, I’m talking about Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Biggy and Run DMC. I’ve always been into graffiti and the ruggedness of big cities. I feel they’re more real, I love the grittiness. In addition to the hip hop – I’m a huge fan of The Doors, The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix. Their words are timeless and inspirational… and sometimes off the wall. But those words make you think, and sometimes the hidden meaning is what drives me. Many of my designs will be deeper than you’ll notice at first glance, so dig deeper. – Art, grunge, music, urban culture. Life.

What is your personal favorite tshirt design (done by you) and why?

I’ve recently created a logo that started out as an Asterisk * … I thought about the other companies out there – the DCs, the Burtons – - and understood that if I wanted my line to stand out, not only does the name have to ring a bell, but you need a brand image, a logo, that the public can relate to… and it has to be simple. Less is more, that’s the Feng Shui in me – I have bamboo all over my house and my office also. So, I’ll have a new short-sleeve tee, a long-sleeve tee, and a hoodie with this “Asterisk” logo. I added a little bit of that grunge to it by giving it a paintbrush effect – this is the design that you’ll see on the header of breakawayink.com

What have been the highest and lowest points of having your own tshirt line?

The line began with high points, selling tees all over my college campus… then a low point came for the company when I graduated and took a job in corporate america. It was tough to sell tees on a campus when you no longer know the students and you dont have that credibility. Then, in 2010, I decided to get serious again. I began to do much more research and re:brand BreakawayINK, narrow down my target audience and put together an online store. I took on a big risk by printing a bunch of shirts and throwing that debt on my credit card. I started setting up booths at flea markets, which lead to fashion shows, which then led to BreakawayINK Apparel being sold in boutiques and the King of Prussia Mall. Working full time all week, promoting INK after work, then setting up shirt booths on Saturdays and Sundays is exhausting, but it’s worth the hard work.

Some say that the environment you work in can influence what you create. What is your workspace like?

My workspace changes. I work mainly on a laptop, therefore I can change my surroundings. My office has a TV, Xbox360, art by Justin Bua, multiple clocks on the wall, a large bookcase containing books of all genres, family pictures, a bamboo plant, a palm, a cactus, and a bunch of Phillies memorabilia. If I’m not in there, it’s the living room couch, or laying in bed where I currently am.

What one tip would you give aspiring designers?

1 - Continue to create.

2 -enjoy it. Once it feels like work, the fun may disappear.

3 - Have a purpose – mine is to “Deliver Confidence through Design” – I want those who wear BreakawayINK Apparel to have a sense of empowerment when they walk outside to the real world.

What websites do you visit on a regular basis for design inspiration?

I feel like I find a new tee shirt site daily – but HideYourArms.com, ClothingWire.com, and of course, JohnnyCupcakes I keep on my radar so I can see what the other folks are doing and build on it from there.

Is there a particular methodology or process you have for creating a design? How about a walkthough?

It depends. Sometimes it may just be a quote from a design – I’ll write it down and come back to it another day. I’ll draw it on a notepad in 20 different ways, then hop on Adobe Illustrator and try another 20 ways until I’m satisfied. I actually created the “asterisk” logo in Microsoft Paint one day while I was at work, went home, traced it in Illustrator, then weeks later decided it needed tweaking so I added the paintbrush style to it. Now I’m satisfied. But, typically, when it comes to writing a blog post or creating a design, I like to write it down in one mindset, and come back to it another day in another mindset and see if it needs tweaking. It usually does.

We have a time machine and we are going to set it to 5 years from now. What can we expect to see from BreakawayINK when we get there? Where do you see your design career in 5 years?

This is an interesting question, and an important one. I’d like to see BreakawayINK with a Board of Directors, myself as CEO, a sales rep or two working with PR, Retail companies and setting up tradeshows. I’d like to see a graphic designer (maybe me) – in charge of everything from postcards to web design, to HTML email newsletters, etc. Also – a copywriter/blogger to cover what’s going on in the BreakawayINK world as well as the rest of the independent clothing and music world. I’d like BreakawayINK to be a household name in Philadelphia, NYC, Chicago and San Diego.