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why is it that everytime I want to buy a nice tee I have to spend an exortionate amount of money and get it overseas? I only know of one shop in the US that carries the brands I want and that would be justbedesign.com. I'm looking for stockists in the US that carry (and still have) brands like Tonite, Hunter Gatherer, Gimme Five, Good Enough, Silas, Alife, etc. why hasn't anyone in the US started a one stop shop that carries all these brands? Is it because these labels know they'll make more money selling overseas? gimme some links.

if they move, kill 'em.

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I agree w/ you . No one has stepped up to start this. I am just thinking that there are not enough heads that are into it and willing to spend the $$ and shortage of demands. As u know europeans and the asians have a more of a selective taste in these brands. all the brands u have mentioned which are big in overseas but it's going to take time to educate the american consumers to justify the prices. what city are u from?

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I think there are plenty of people that are into the brands here in the US, it's just no one is willing to start a shop that sells the stuff, or none of the established brands are willing to sell to US shops because they know they'll make more money overseas. or conversely, those brands from overseas are too expensive as it is so there's no way to justify the mark-up other than to say these items are imported, but they're still just tees. part of it is the huge mark-up for product, Japan and England seem to double their prices for tees that would normally cost $24-28 here in the US. i'm starting to see companies like Recon creating a proper online shopping experience for us 'merkins but it's still only the tip of the iceberg. unfortunately it's all about $ these days.

if they move, kill 'em.

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I will give you an example. I am from Los Angeles and friends w/ alot of shop owners, Union,undftd,carve,indigo flower and situation normal. all dope shops and they carry all the brands silas,neighborhood, tonite,parkwalk and more. They all tell me their best sellers are domestic brands clarendon, Champion of none ,sarcastic , stussy and etc. If they solely rely on selling these import brands they will go under. as Far as the production overseas it is way pricier then us silk screen companies. I know this for a fact because,I helped to do some production in japan, you are looking @ about 2-$5.00 for silkscreen. The import tax alone is crazy it's about 28% even if the tees wholesale @ $14.00 by the time it lands here w/ the mark up $28.00-30.00 + shipping + duties= $40-50 per tees. we all know it's hard to move tees @ these prices. it's same here I 've sold some tees for My friend overseas we were selling this@ 14-15.00 whole sale. By the time it got to europe, They were selling them for $60.00 . To be honest no one really can make $ from tees , unless they are doing volume(urban shitfitters) or have a high mark up. I guess we have to make a choice of $$ or something else.

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why doesn't Union open an online shop? they seem to be the likeliest store to do it, not only because they've been around for awhile but also because they carry practically every brand you can think of. I'm not necessarily specific to some of these overseas brands, i'd definitely buy stuff from US companies, it's just none of them really offer online sales. it sucks knowing the only way I can get this stuff is to either fly to NY or LA, otherwise I have to order from overseas. with the US dollar being so weak I can't justify spending $70-80 for a tee anymore. how about pressuring the peeps at Union to start an online shop

if they move, kill 'em.

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Hey marine_corpse

where are you from? state. If you want, I might be able to hook u up w/getting some of these brands. as far as union goes they have too much shit going on w/ their own labels,undftd and supreme. They get enough business and I think online shop is extra wprk and $ they don't want to spend. so hit me up if u want a particular items. I know for silas just be design has the best prices. let me know

peace

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One reason to not sell online is that if you're an already well established brand... making it more difficult to get your product helps create the perception of exclusivicity(is that even a word?? anyway you all know what I meant) and more in demand.

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edward--i'm in minneapolis/st.paul. I'll probably just order some stuff through justbedesign, although they charge $8 shipping for 1 shirt which is a bit of a rip. I guess I could just get off my ass and go to NY or LA and hit up the Union shops myself.

dolo--I dunno, this whole limited edition thing is a bit played out for me, it has to be one of the biggest shams ever perpetrated by a company just to sell product. I understand that this holds appeal to many people but what's the point? As a company isn't your primary goal to reach as many people as possible? are seasonal and limited edition considered the same thing? I can see if a company only produces so many designs per season but when it's limited to something like 250 worldwide then it's getting a little ridiculous. I mean, 250 worldwide for a t-shirt...with a population of 6 billion people?

if they move, kill 'em.

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BUt look at it this way.. lets use Recon as an example. THey do manage to reach every single person they'd like to with out eer having enough product for them all. It just creates a sense of longevity and hipness to a name.

I'm not supporting it, or in that sense even bashing it.. it's just a marketing practice that works

another example is to look at Bathing Ape. Notice just how quickly they go the way of Stussy circa 1997... becoming more and more passe and unpopular as they get more press and it becomes easier to get their clothing. At least Stussy was able to untarnish the frat boy images that had become as commen with their name as a pair of JNCOs by making it harder to get their clothes, by raising their prices slightly and well by actually making nicer clothing also.

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Hey Edward, I noticed that ur email addy is from Apparel Lab...you guys are a dist. right? I'm in Chino Hills (east of LA) and probably know some of the same people you mentioned above. Anyway, what is the procedure and how often do you guys to check out/look for new labels? Let me know.

Peace,

Patrick

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Latin quarter

How u doing? I was outhere in chino last week for a bbq. It was hot but the food was good.

anyways, I am more of a middleman for distributors. Anyways , I look for a lot of new labels for japan and overseas . contrary to popular beliefs, The Japanese do not buy just because it's made in the usa. This is bull

the market is so saturated w/ overnight and corny companies, It's killing the market .There are so many companies it's unbelievable and most of them are pretty bad. Here are some suggestions

A) be original/ do not do what everyone else is doing (grafitti tees, a black guy on a tee, dripping paint etc)

B) Define your customer ( urban outfitters kids/ wiggers(eminem)/skaters/ Deep heads(the harshest critics)

C) Quality (extremely important!! If the quality is there you can have a higher mark up)

D) P.R / Stores ( this will clearly define what kind of shops you are going to end up with for example

If u do skate mag /vibe hip hop mag or surface/anthem(High end fashion)

E) Duration ( shit don't happen overnight! pace yourself the market is changing drastically keep your eye on the situation and if you are good,They will come find you.

F) Never trust a sales rep ! in the beginning do the sales yourself. you will save $ plus the bullshit w/ reps(all their promises and lies (speaking from experience) once the brand gets known a good rep will come looking for you. It's hard to get a rep for a tee line.

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Latin quarter

How u doing? I was outhere in chino last week for a bbq. It was hot but the food was good.

anyways, I am more of a middleman for distributors. Anyways , I look for a lot of new labels for japan and overseas . contrary to popular beliefs, The Japanese do not buy just because it's made in the usa. This is bull

the market is so saturated w/ overnight and corny companies, It's killing the market .There are so many companies it's unbelievable and most of them are pretty bad. Here are some suggestions

A) be original/ do not do what everyone else is doing (grafitti tees, a black guy on a tee, dripping paint etc)

B) Define your customer ( urban outfitters kids/ wiggers(eminem)/skaters/ Deep heads(the harshest critics)

C) Quality (extremely important!! If the quality is there you can have a higher mark up)

D) P.R / Stores ( this will clearly define what kind of shops you are going to end up with for example

If u do skate mag /vibe hip hop mag or surface/anthem(High end fashion)

E) Duration ( shit don't happen overnight! pace yourself the market is changing drastically keep your eye on the situation and if you are good,They will come find you.

F) Never trust a sales rep ! in the beginning do the sales yourself. you will save $ plus the bullshit w/ reps(all their promises and lies (speaking from experience) once the brand gets known a good rep will come looking for you. It's hard to get a rep for a tee line.

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Latin quarter

How u doing? I was outhere in chino last week for a bbq. It was hot but the food was good.

anyways, I am more of a middleman for distributors. Anyways , I look for a lot of new labels for japan and overseas . contrary to popular beliefs, The Japanese do not buy just because it's made in the usa. This is bull

the market is so saturated w/ overnight and corny companies, It's killing the market .There are so many companies it's unbelievable and most of them are pretty bad. Here are some suggestions

A) be original/ do not do what everyone else is doing (grafitti tees, a black guy on a tee, dripping paint etc)

B) Define your customer ( urban outfitters kids/ wiggers(eminem)/skaters/ Deep heads(the harshest critics)

C) Quality (extremely important!! If the quality is there you can have a higher mark up)

D) P.R / Stores ( this will clearly define what kind of shops you are going to end up with for example

If u do skate mag /vibe hip hop mag or surface/anthem(High end fashion)

E) Duration ( shit don't happen overnight! pace yourself the market is changing drastically keep your eye on the situation and if you are good,They will come find you.

F) Never trust a sales rep ! in the beginning do the sales yourself. you will save $ plus the bullshit w/ reps(all their promises and lies (speaking from experience) once the brand gets known a good rep will come looking for you. It's hard to get a rep for a tee line.

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Latin quarter

How u doing? I was outhere in chino last week for a bbq. It was hot but the food was good.

anyways, I am more of a middleman for distributors. Anyways , I look for a lot of new labels for japan and overseas . contrary to popular beliefs, The Japanese do not buy just because it's made in the usa. This is bull

the market is so saturated w/ overnight and corny companies, It's killing the market .There are so many companies it's unbelievable and most of them are pretty bad. Here are some suggestions

A) be original/ do not do what everyone else is doing (grafitti tees, a black guy on a tee, dripping paint etc)

B) Define your customer ( urban outfitters kids/ wiggers(eminem)/skaters/ Deep heads(the harshest critics)

C) Quality (extremely important!! If the quality is there you can have a higher mark up)

D) P.R / Stores ( this will clearly define what kind of shops you are going to end up with for example

If u do skate mag /vibe hip hop mag or surface/anthem(High end fashion)

E) Duration ( shit don't happen overnight! pace yourself the market is changing drastically keep your eye on the situation and if you are good,They will come find you.

F) Never trust a sales rep ! in the beginning do the sales yourself. you will save $ plus the bullshit w/ reps(all their promises and lies (speaking from experience) once the brand gets known a good rep will come looking for you. It's hard to get a rep for a tee line.

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Another thing with online shops is the question of exactly who is going to do the fulfillment (wherehousing/storing, shipping, etc.) Do you have an on-line store and you do the wherehousing (that'd be cool, but that's a commitment) or do you have someone else (the labels you provide on the site) doing the fulfillment and sending from thier stock and updating the data base from the site it was gotten from, on the fly... the logistics of doing it such that the label is happy and wants to do business and a feel of authenticity and rarity (elitism) is established is a challenging line to tow, but it can be done...But I have yet to see it done right...(all the right merch, in the right place at the right time... as Marine Corpse and Ed were talking about.)

contact tyrone spencer phone 619.231.4266 e-mail [email protected]

i·con(imageconcepts)©

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well, it's quite simple really. someone establishes a business, buys product from said labels at wholesale prices and you handle the warehousing, order fulfillment & shipping through your own building. it can definitely be done. ningyoushi.com seems to be a good reference point for this sorta thing. I think they started out as an ebay business and managed to establish a presence on the web through their own site, they only recently opened a storefront so they must've had a storage facility of some sort that they were using to receive product...but it wasn't an official storefront. the next thing you know there are shitloads of copycat businesses trying to do the same thing (kid robot, sweatyfrog, etc).

so yes, it's a definite possibility but you're at the mercy of the label you're trying to buy from. It seems like a lot of them are ridiculously picky about who buys from them---they want shit like pics of your business or whatever so they can see if you're good enough to buy their product....total elitist bullshit. if someone is interested in your product then they must have some fashion sense right? the street fashion world is a bit ironic that way. if an artist/designer is a nobody he'll seemingly do anything to get his name out but once he's established himself he/she will become a part of the exclusive crowd of people that don't want anything to do with you.

if they move, kill 'em.

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Hey everybody

Hope all is well. couple of things , Yeah I am like a middle guy for the distributors, I scout potential labels for

couple of distributors in Japan and europe. What I look for is originality but not too outhere. There are so

Many shitty companies (especially tees) ,everybody copies everyone. Of all the line sheet ,I get 90 or more a

week. I probably see 2 that are good. Here are some advices

A)Be original( No more grafitti/ Black person on a tee etc)

B) Define your line (Is it urban/ Fashion/ Skate? )

C) Define your stores ( Is it Pac sun/Urban outfitters/ Colette union, You can't be both!)

D) Duration( Shit don't happen overnight! We want to see history and evolution of the brand)

E) Is there a future? ( Is it only going to be a tee line or progressing into a life style (silas,Supreme etc)

F) P.R( Make sure you approach the right type of press, This will determine what kind of a brand your line is

going to become . Higher mags attracts Higher stores!

G) Sales reps (Most of them are full of crap and if you are doing tees good luck finding a rep (the commission is not worth their time, unless u can gurantee them you can do $100,000 a season)

as Far as brands being elitest ,The truth is that most of these brands agree to exclusivity within the

demographic within the city and as a brand you have to pick the best shop. I will give you an example, I

sold a line to a store in Minesotta called Len Druskin, The buyer told me he has the best shop in the area. so,

I give him the product and a week later he complains that it's not selling because people in his area do not

understand it. Knowing this ,I will not sell to him in the future because, It makes the brand look bad ,If it's not

moving. you have to understand that better brands are in it for a long term and it also makes the product

more desirable and valuable.

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Quote: I

sold a line to a store in Minesotta called Len Druskin, The buyer told me he has the best shop in the area. so,

I give him the product and a week later he complains that it's not selling because people in his area do not

understand it. Knowing this ,I will not sell to him in the future because, It makes the brand look bad ,If it's not

moving.

I did a search on Len Druskin and i'm not surprised the stuff he got from you didn't sell, he's way out in the suburbs and I can tell you this, kids out in the suburbs here know jack squat about fashion. Minneapolis isn't exactly a hot spot for street fashion connoisseurs either. I've only ever seen a couple of people sporting Bape gear or other notable brands (including myself) and that's it. I've been wanting to start a shop here in the cities but haven't been able to find contacts for the stuff I really want.

so are you a rep then? if so, what labels have you scouted and how can you get these labels to your distributors?

if they move, kill 'em.

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Marine,

Nah , I am not True rep( meaning I don't sell everyday to stores and accounts ) . I just introduce good lines

that I feel my clients will be interested in But, It's more for an Import deal Not really domestic. I know what

u mean when they ask you to show you photos of the store . Who asked you? They are just

making sure their products don't end up in a shady shop. Couple of good lines I have been looking at are

wlvz,cent, C.O.N ,House 33 etc. These are some of the better brands that the stores are responding

overseas. Also, when you are a brand new store , once you establish the feel of the store ,the better brands

will come and solicit you a good example id ubiqlife in phillie, I think when they started they had a mediocore

brands ,but now it's off the hook! If you are having hard time getting the brands there are a lot of store that

does backdooring ( buying a brand from an unofficial suppliers),I won't go into that. what kind of brands do u

want to carry?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think the online business is a tough one. I also think that the brands are pretty weary of selling to online stores here in the states, let alone anywhere else. The established stores like Union mean cred by the other brands that they sit next to as well. Plus, you have to really want something and make the trek to Union or similiar stores (if you live outside of NY or LA). Ubiq in Philadelphia is a really good example of a store taking the NY/LA formula and putting it somewhere else. The store is amazing, my friend is the creative director, he's got some amazing brands in there (Rogan, Prps, Anything, Clarendon, Orchard Street etc.). The only problem is I think the heads in Philly just don't get it. Stussy sells the best out of anything in the store. The sneakers do a brisk sale as well, but something like Rogan is a little slow there.

My point is online isn't exclusive. Small stores in certain neighborhoods are so alot of brands don't want to sell online.

Edward, I see you mentioned House33. What good stuff have you heard?

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hello. my name is derek glass and i am writing to tell you about my new

line Manifest. i came across you on superfuture and am interested in seeing

what you think my line. a brief rundown of what the brand is about:

yes i know everybody has a t-shirt line nowadays, but i call mine

"vintage hip-hop/ pop culture". i can send you a catalog and some shirts so

you can check it out first hand. i use based down inks so the shirts have

a soft, worn feel. the graphics are a kind of throwback into when hip hop

was good. i'm 27 and grew up when hip hop was at its peak so alot of

the graphics are lyrics that i've brought to life that only some true

fans might get. if you don't get it that's cool, but if you do

get it, it's even better. the designs are printed in small runs

just to make it so everyone in the world isn't playing out the same

shirt--see the von dutch knockoff. i do it all myself, from creating the

artwork to setting up screens to catalog development to mailing the

product to you. it's alot of work for one person and alot of hours

poured into seeing this happen but it all pays off when someone asks,

"where'd you get that shirt?" and i say "i made it!" as of now, i am in

three stores, one in philly, la and san francisco, but i am in the process

of hand picking boutique stores i think best represent what the line is

all about. going forward with the fall line i am really wanting to up the styles

a little meaning; screen printed polo's, screen printed wovens, sweatshirts

and long sleeve t's. take a look and tell me what you think of the collection.

thank you for your time.

derek glass

[email protected]

www.manifestworldwide.com

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hey edward, clarendon is a good seller in the LA ?? yo u wanna hook a brother up if u can ?

here's my contribution to online shops:

kaws did it, everyone i knew bought one, next release, no one even considered

some of these stores, concept is to be like a gallery, u sell it for outrageous prices, u make it look like its worth that much

sure e-retailing is cheap, cuts labor, widens' the scope, but lacks interactivity, lacks scarcity/exclusiveness, decreases customer inflow outflow in the physical store

u got tourist coming from half way around the world lining up at supreme, someone's gotta pick up all the other unsold crap, while they are already halfway around the world

so what's the price on tonite @ justbedesign ?

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If you want to see some cool T-shirts that don't cost you an arm and a leg, check out Essex Clothing at:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html/103-7380809-1179806?me=A1W9Z5ID3E22O9

Essex is based in NYC and sells T-shirts for a normal price. Any one who works in the Apparel Industry knows that a printed shirt usually wholesales for about $10-12 dollars, so to pay more than $24 for a cool tee is a rip-off.

Jib Hunt - NYC

[email protected]

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