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When I was first starting out <strong>not</strong> a lot of people were using Myspace to promote<br />
their clothing companies on online social networking sites. For instance<br />
Myspace up until then only bands/musicians were using it to market and promote<br />
themselves. I, myself growing up in the music community, thought this<br />
was a no-brainer. Why <strong>not</strong> promote your clothing company via Myspace. Nowadays<br />
you can’t step foot on Myspace without seeing a million clothing companies<br />
trying to make it.<br />
Embrace Your Own Style<br />
Figure out your style get to know it and embrace it, don’t try and do things because<br />
you think other people will like it or because Johnny Cupcakes or Obey is<br />
doing it and its popular at the moment. Find your niche and stick to it. Some of<br />
the best and long running brands that have been doing this for years and years<br />
have their aesthetic, yet still roll with the times, never straying from their own<br />
unique style and vision for their brand.<br />
Trendsetting<br />
I started GK with intent of bringing a new style to this music scene (then it was<br />
all black band tees small print maybe 1-2 colors). Now everywhere you look its<br />
neon colors thrown about, when I started GK I wanted to bring something fresh<br />
and new; our first few collections were very bright little did I know it would kick<br />
off such a huge trend. To this day I still keep the same aesthetic with off the wall<br />
and weird designs and inspiring quotes but I want to keep things fresh, new,<br />
and always moving forward. I never want people to become bored and expect<br />
the same ol’.<br />
My Secret to Success<br />
Hard work, hard work, and hard work. For the past 2 years of GK , I was able<br />
to save money by running the shop out of my parent’s basement. I was a one<br />
man operation maybe working 10-14 hour days doing everything from packaging<br />
orders, designing, promoting my brand on Myspace, and answering emails<br />
(the list can go on). To this day I still have my hand in almost every aspect of<br />
the company. One thing you can’t do is just assume your going to have this successful<br />
brand right off the bat. Marketing, promoting, and building your brand<br />
is just as important as your designs. You could have the best looking designs in<br />
the world but if no one knows who you are then it’s pointless.<br />
THREAD’S NOT DEAD • Jeff Finley<br />
Case Studies & Interviews 108
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