Sublime

You can buy our apparel elsewhere and soak up the culture through social media, but to witness the real thing, you’ve got to see and hear it live, the way it was intended. Our clothes are essentially concert merch. You purchase the gear to prove to the world that you were there.

When every other designer is scrambling to keep up with the ever-shifting progressive liberal decency mandates, Velez’s refusal to shut her mouth is inspiring. Very few avant-garde American designers feel as authentically American as Velez.

As a young man, I’d realized that skateboarding didn’t reward tough guys, popular kids, or athletes. What mattered more than anything was if you could skate. And because it wasn’t a team or competitive sport, nobody cared how skilled you were. It wasn’t about talent. It was solely about how hard you tried. How much fun you had. How down you were. I... See more

@mrb5994

2 years ago

Breakdown of the video:

+ Find a personal narrative to amplify your work. Give it a authentic identity.

+ Find a inefficiency in the industry that you are able to utilize.

+ Have a wider skillset. Do not focus on one particular aspect of the business.

+ Try to reverse-engineer garments. You will learn a lot about the construction ... See more

I wanted the brand to have my face. I wanted the product to convey the culture, life, lifestyle, dignity of work. We are a listed company, and I wanted to manufacture a product with dignity. I wanted a profit with dignity. Because the press all talk about the moral ethics of profit. Why can’t we have a dignified profit then?

Would you buy something ... See more

How many brand owners can attest to community action like this? When you build a brand centered on people over product, you are reminded time and again of the strength of these personal bonds. This Is Not a T-Shirt is not just a book, it’s a conversation, it’s a piece of advice, it’s a relationship.