Tripp Apparel is creating quite the stir amongst street-wear enthusiasts. The independent, innovative clothing company draws inspiration from life’s triumphs and tribulations to create stimulating graphics that support and inspire those from all walks of life.
According to designer and founder Jonathon Tetsuya Tripp, Tripp Apparel represents “that slap in the face, hard dose of reality. Tripp Apparel isn’t sugar coated. We will represent what we NEED and not what we WANT. Tripp Apparel is a stick it to the man lifestyle that doesn’t let people or obstacles get in the way of your dream or main objective.”
Jonathon/Tetsuya/Tripp/T has designed over two thousand hats for New Era, giving him the confidence and know-how with which to launch his namesake brand. He was a pleasure to interview, providing thoughtful, in-depth answers that are a must-read for anyone and everyone striking out to achieve their own dreams. Prepare to be inspired.
Do you prefer “Tetsuya”?
My whole life up to eighteen, I went by my middle name, which is Tetsuya, but legally I’m enlisted in school and other social activities as Jonathon. So how we meet determines what people call me. Some call me Jonathon and some call me Tetsuya. Some even call me T cuz Tetsuya is too hard for them to pronounce and now with this clothing line, people just started calling me Tripp. I know, so confusing. Please feel free to call me whatever you would like.
Where were you born?
I grew up my whole life in Stockton California. (It’s like forty-five minutes south from Sac and about an hour East from San Francisco.) I grew up in a pretty bad neighborhood, not the worst, but I did have bars on my windows and remember waking up to an occasional drive-by shooting, BUT I was fortunate enough to be on an inter-district agreement that allowed me to go to a better school than what I was zoned in.
How do you think growing up in Stockton may have influenced your career of choice, as well as your style preferences?
I do believe where I grew up has had a tremendous affect on my artistic skills. I hung out with a lot of ”gang bangers” and not your “typical” group of friends, but I did also have my friends in school, so I was fortunate enough to live two lives. I started out graffiti-ing, which influenced a lot of my color palette (bright pop colors) as well as my line weights and gradient affects on some designs. In class when I was goofing around, I would always doodle or sketch around but never had any formal training. I never took an art class growing up; I was self-taught until I went to college. It was actually kinda cool. Seeing as how the school I went to didn’t really have people like me who could sketch up a tag, a piece, a character,or a throw up, people would frequently ask me to do their name or something, a yearbook project, draw on their back with my paint pens and markers, illustrate a children’s book, or do some project for homework. I really wanted to be an architect growing up, so I took a lot of drafting classes. Never thought art would ever be a career. But I’m glad some design aspect was in play. You can kinda see where the architect aspect comes in as well. Some designs are very ninety-degree/forty-five degree angles or a very symmetric design that’s proportionate in aesthetic value. So it was great being able to mesh my white collar drafting knowledge with my wild and free graffiti style and form some illustrations that I feel are different and more unique than most. Most people push the envelope on their style far left or far right, while I believe mine is in the middle to match both parties.
So how did you eventually arrive at your current career choice?
As for my career choice, like I mentioned, I never took an art class, I was set on becoming an architect. I went to Cal Poly for architecture, but once I was there I realized it wasn’t my thing. Stockton wasn’t a very great or safe place to live, especially in my neck, but way worse in others, so getting out was a good thing and San Luis Obispo showed me that. This more Urban kid from Stockton got to mingle and mesh into this surf lifestyle that really inspired me as well. Instead of broke-ass cars on twenties, it was now beach cruisers in wet suits carrying surfboards. Everything really did happen for a reason and the inspiration is always carried with me. Now I’m in L.A. and I’m back into this more urban/surfer/hipster/everything culture, so it’s good to be exposed to all these new artists and styles and fashion. This city, like most cities, will never get dull. It’s a moving, living organism in a way and you can’t possibly learn everything, but sorry, back to my point:
The use of colors and style really related to me, even at a later age than most. So I changed majors to art and design, walking out with a BFA in Graphic Design. Thinking back, I don’t know how Stockton affected my career choice, but I would stop and think if seeing all those graffiti pieces and Urban Culture somehow subconsciously made me pick my career. I do know that I don’t like following rules, and in architecture there were a lot of rules. We had to study cement and steel and boring crap like that, while in art you get to be free and are never bound by any limitations, just an opinion and how to better execute what you are trying to say without words. If anything, I should’ve majored in Fine Arts, but I know it’s hard to make money in that (hence “art for art’s sake”) and I didn’t come from a rich family, so I NEED money. But that’s another reason why I think it all panned out. My designs all have some symbolic or subconscious meaning that I think a lot of clothing lines lack these days. Just a bunch of mindless babble that looks pleasing to the eye. So I try to do both. Take simple illustrations influenced by my graffiti/architecture style that have a meaning behind it and tell a story of a time or place or person or situation or reminder that we’ve all had to battle and conquer.
Has living in L.A. affected your designs or style?
L.A. has really taken me back to the street wear lifestyle where I feel like I just fit. We never had clothing lines in Stockton that fit that lifestyle. I got to follow brands and learn and meet them on a personal level and just fell in love with how everything in my life seemed to indicate that I was meant to start my own clothing line, based off of Stockton to SLO to LA. New Era has really challenged me and taught me a lot. They’ve exposed me to some really cool stuff, ideas, people, places and I’m so thankful that it all seemed to play out in my favor. Looking back from where I was and how the journey has taken me here makes me really want to give back to those that live the street wear lifestyle but have no idea about the little niche that is out there. I just really want street wear to stay “street” and it’s sad to see people that do not live that lifestyle repping it. Or people that don’t surf wearing O’Neill, et cetera. I mean, I’ve never worn a tie to the office and I’m proud of that. I’m comfortable in my jeans and tee shirt, repping a sideways New Era cap and I know there are a lot of other people out there that feel the same. I mean the fact is that we grew up and are still growing up and I’m proud to have a clothing line that makes you feel like you don’t have to wear a suit and tie to be successful. It’s that street wear lifestyle that I never left nor intend on ever abandoning. I want to make sure my roots are shown to the world and let them know this is who I am and this is where I came from. Don’t dress a dog up in a tuxedo; dress him like a dog, you know? I just don’t feel like we should have to act or dress a certain way to make society happy.
Amen to that!
I’m proud of my art and style, I am proud of the lifestyle that we live, and I’m proud to launch Tripp Apparel. I hope other people can see that reflected in my work and in the people repping it. I will not sell out, I will take my street game mentality into this business, take what I’ve learned, and apply it. I mean, shit—if I can sell crack and bud, I might as well sell shirts and clothes.
Speaking of selling out, how do you feel about the “designers” that capitalize on certain people’s need to “fit in”? Without naming names, there are designers out there who started small and eventually sacrificed art for the sake of cashing in, turning their brand or logo into an entire lifestyle. Additionally, what do you feel people are actually representing by buying into the hype instead of repping their own personal taste?
Well, for my personal taste and for Tripp Apparel’s image, there is a saying that I abide by in all my designs, whether for Tripp Apparel or New Era:
“Trends are temporary, but style is forever.”
I really believe if you stick to what you’re good at and to your own style, you will be creating something better than a “follower brand”. You will become a tastemaker, an avante garde brand that other brands will try to copy. You will be creating a statement. “Legacy is greater than currency,” and that is also a statement Tripp Apparel tries to abide by. I don’t care about the money. It’s not about that for me. Yes, it would be great, but “money doesn’t make the man” and again, “legacy is greater than currency”. If you find yourself capitalizing in this business, then you’re getting closer to being a sell-out. You have lost why you initially did this in the first place. The day it’s no longer fun is the day you shouldn’t be doing it anymore. This isn’t work for me. I’m doing something I enjoy, something I’m pumped up about to wake up to and get dirty in. Money should come last.
You have to look at the brand like a baby. You invest all your time and money into it and try to raise this child as best as you can. You don’t try and raise this child the way other mothers and fathers are doing it. You do it your own way; you do it the best way you know how. No parent out there is a follower of other parents and if you are, then you’re going to have one screwed up kid.
If you find yourself solely interested in making money or taking money from your business, then that’s when you realize you haven’t given it your all. And most importantly, where did your heart for the industry go? I try and look at it like “anything is better than zero.” I’m not making any money on this. Everything I make goes right back into more designs or more product. This is a statement of a lifestyle. There is no point in catering to trends because eventually it will change and if you cant adapt to that, then you’re screwed. I believe in creating timeless art pieces that will last a lifetime. Not just a point in your life. These are pieces that you can wear over and over again until the threads are falling apart.
There are some companies out there that start a trend like the MMA group where they have all these foil prints and distressed this and that and printing that expands onto the sleeves, but time will pass and that will no longer be a trend and the brands that started that trend and coined that look will be S.O.L. Other companies who have been around long enough and have capitalized enough money can afford to do that, cuz they no longer have a set coin look and just adapt to the fashion trends. They have built a brand so big that no matter what it looks like, people will buy it. But what does that have to say about that company? Big brands have lost their souls to the point where they no longer stand for something, they no longer know who they are, so they depend on other brands to create an identity for them. And in most cases, that big brand probably sold it to some other parent brand, hence making them a sell out. Then, to make matters worse, you have the people that wear it.
Look at high school for example: if you’re not wearing the coolest brand or have something that’s “in,” you’re looked at like some loser. Or even in elementary school, if you don’t have the hottest trending toy (think of that South Park episode), you get made fun of. Those are brands that have lost their soul and have cashed in so much that they have to go after innocent high school kids and their mother’s wallet. Tripp Apparel is bigger than that. We aren’t playing those immature games. I’m not going to market towards your not-even-legal children that can’t make their own decisions just so I can cash in and go to the Bahamas. If you like it, cool. If you don’t, cool, it’s not for you and we don’t want you wearing our product. The day you can stand up to your peers and tell them “F U, I’m not a follower,” is the day you’re ready to wear Tripp Apparel.
What makes Tripp Apparel unique and different from everything else out there?
This is what Makes Tripp Apparel unique and different: My pieces will be timeless. Sure, they’ll change over time, but that’s only cuz the skills to do so will have matured. I look at brands out there and shake my head in amazement on how much they sold out and how much of their identity is lost. Some brands that started off in Moto racing are now making wetsuits and surf boards…which is great to cater to that niche, but you only did it to make more money. There is no racing in surfing. You have created something so big you can just go through people and co-workers like toilet paper. I want to keep Tripp Apparel small and core. I never want to be in some corporate office. I don’t want to follow other brands’ styles and most importantly, I don’t want to sell out. We will do things our own way and in our own STYLE, not trend. We won’t cash in or sell the brand to some bigger one. We will keep it core, keep it street, keep it family-owned, keep it small enough to still have fun and support this lifestyle. We will strive to be that tastemaker and avante garde brand. Follow us enough and you’ll start to see that we are a year or two in advance above other brands. You will start to see brands copy our style, our ideas, and that will make you feel proud. We aren’t followers, we stand and lead. It’s sad to see people get so big that they lose who they were and are forced to trade in their style and lifestyle statements and follow others. It’s easy for a brand to take the money and fame after all their hard efforts, but it takes a stronger brand to say no and walk away. This is why we are the bull: we are stubborn, we won’t budge, and we are strong in doing so.
Give me an example of an offer you’ve rejected in the name of maintaining integrity.
The other day, I had QVC call me asking if I wanted to sell my clothes on TV. Sure, it would’ve been great exposure and probably would’ve made tons of money, but I had to stop and think about what that would do to Tripp Apparel and how much of a hypocrite I would be. So I turned down the offer. As the great Too Short say, “Get in where you fit in.” Don’t try to squeeze a circle into a square—it won’t work. Don’t try to follow someone’s style that’s not your own. Don’t wear something that isn’t you. If you do, you’re only further supporting a brand that means nothing. A brand that lost who they are. You are supporting a brand that has become so big that you have officially become a statistic. You are now one in a million trillion other kids in the US or possibly just your hometown that are wearing the EXACT same thing. With smaller boutique brands such as Tripp Apparel, you are now a lower ratio, like one in ten people in the U.S or your own town, which should make you feel more unique and be beneficial in giving you the edge of knowing something most don’t. You get to be one of the first supporters of a growing movement instead of another kid on a conveyer belt.
What does your typical day consist of?
Hmm, interesting question. My typical day consists of just being on the internet, really. Usually I wake up and get ready to go, show up at New Era around 8:30 and hit the blogs hard. I read gossip columns, celeb gossip, trends, fashion sites, some blog that we work with here at New Era (mainly the boutique brands like Hundred, Crooks, Rogue Status, Mishka, JSLV, Frank 151); just brands that I think relate to my brand and try to keep up with them. Also, I’m working on my website, filling it with content that I might see as being relevant to my audience. YouTube videos, pictures, models, events around the areas that I’m trying to promote (throughout LA, SF, Stockton, SD, Huntington Beach), interesting facts, funny pictures, new clothes that are coming out on other brands I support, shout outs to the hip hop groups/people/dancers/ other friends companies etc. Also, in the meantime, I’m usually on the phone talking to my screen printer, ensuring pricing and timelines. I’m Facebooking, telling my audience what new events I might be at or clothes that are on sale or the release of a new cap or shirt, getting feedback on how I can make my business better. Either through email or Facebook, I handle customer service, making sure people are getting their orders/free give aways/ stickers. Also, I’m texting throughout the day, getting info on events, trade shows, collabs, product, web maintenance, product placement, magazine articles, advertisements, et cetera. I’m talking to stores for vendor opportunities, looking at pricing for other products like jewelry, skateboards, hard goods, slap bracelets, shot glass, beer mugs, et cetera. I’m following with the people I sponsor, asking when a video or photo shoot will be ready to blast online or make flyers for it. I’m talking to printers, getting pricing turn around times on brochures, stickers, banners, tent, hang tags. I’m handling the business side like business plans, trademarks, taxes, et cetera.
Meanwhile, I’m still designing for New Era. Multi-tasking is all I do every day all day. Not like two or three things at a time…more like twenty to twenty-five different things at a time. You should see my desk. Post-its everywhere! I might as well be sponsored by them, haha. The weekend is where I do a lot of traveling, usually up north or AZ. This is where I do a lot of meet and greets, putting names to faces and locking in business relationships and friendships. This is where I meet celebs or B/C listers and give them free product. This is where I buy them lunch or dinner or a drink or two and really strengthen the relationship. This is when I talk to stores in person or talk to my screen printer and /or paper printer and just kinda celebrate our hard week. Or maybe it’s just a bunch of us going out to skate and or moto or MX around and slap stickers and hand out product to little groms. I’m always working. Even when I’m not working or at work, I’m working. If I’m in a six-hour car drive, I’m answering e-mails or Twittering or Facebooking via cell. Getting new events, gigs, getting things in some stores or online stores, putting product on new people, mailing out orders or stickers and following up with them.
In a nutshell, that pretty much describes my whole day. And again, in the meantime, I’m still designing for New Era and following up with our partners and accounts and the factories. Everything I do for Tripp Apparel, I also do for New Era, or I’ll be freelancing at home and somehow have time for my dog and girlfriend. It’s a crazy life, but it makes me happy. Again, this isn’t work for me, I love what I’m doing and I’m having fun in the process.
I’m glad you mentioned self-promotion. Many artists would prefer to create day in and day out without having to deal with the business and promotional aspects, but it’s definitely a necessary evil in order to attain any sort of success. Do you find the non-artistic side to be tedious or do you kind of enjoy getting the word out there?
You know, that is a very good question. If you’d asked me that four years ago I would have said no, I don’t like it. Don’t get me wrong—I LOVE the art side of it, but that’s the easiest part for me. The self-promotion is the hardest part for me, so it’s new and exciting. Plus, I get to meet a bunch of new people that are super killer. I think people are more likely to like/buy/believe in a product if they get to meet the artist or the person behind it and in person.
I whole-heartedly agree.
For example, at New Era, we designers are stuck in the back designing—ACTUALLY MAKING—the product, but the marketing guys are the ones that get to deliver it, so they get all the praise and attention (we call them The Face). Everyone loves the guy who brings the beer to the party but no one stops to think of the brewing company that made the beer. Tripp Apparel lets me get the credit behind my creation, whereas at New Era, I can be like, “I created that hat,” and they’ll be like, “You did?” So I do love the artistic side, but I also like getting out there and getting credit where credit is due. Plus, like I said earlier, I get to meet people and put a name to the face. Like I hate being the first one at the office and the last one to leave. We’re slaving away designing caps, and the marketing (The Faces) are the ones that get to go to all the events and meet all the celebs and get the kudos. I always thought that to be unfair, but don’t get me wrong here, I didn’t start this with intentions to get attention, its just now something I’m discovering as time progresses. Its getting to the point where people are being exposed and saying “good job” and I’m like, “Wait a minute—why didn’t I get this at New Era?…Oh, that make sense now.” So it kinda dawned on me down the road.
But like I said: yes, I do enjoy it, it’s new, exciting, exhilarating. The art side comes naturally, I mean, I do like sixty caps a week, so it’s gotten to the point where I’m quicker and faster, memorizing pantone colors and application techniques, et cetera…but it’s the “how do I get in this store” or ” how do I get into this magazine” that’s making me really think and plot out a plan to get there. I get to used the other side of brain, rather than the creative side. Like, I have no business sense whatsoever. I got my degree in design, but I do have the street smarts to be like “Yo, if I can sell weed then I can sell shirts” type of mentality. Like, “Okay, this shirt cost me ten to make, so I need to flip it for twenty to make up for that one I gave away and they need to flip it to stores for twenty-five to thirty” blah blah. Seriously, I know this sounds whack, but the business side of selling drugs is pretty similar to how it is selling product. Keeping up with inventory is hard because it’s hard to stay on track with all your product and which ones you gave away and which ones you sold. Sometime I get stuck in a rut selling shirts online but then realize I gave all of them away to someone. So you always have to stay on top of EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING (product, pricing, timelines, retail, inventory, customer service, meetings, product placements, orders, e mails, FAQ’s, et cetera). Making flyers, brochures, business cards, tents, and banners is tough, too, cuz it’s all out of pocket, so I have to save up to party with the big boys. Advertisements cost money, too, but again, how do I build that friendship relationship with them to get me in? You just meet people and get out there. Throw yourself on the picket line. And with fingers crossed, hopefully they say okay. That’s what’s great about this new discovery, the business side of things: I’m not learning from a textbook, or in a classroom. I’m learning by doing and by trial and error.
Six months ago when I started, I didn’t know how to approach things, it was overwhelming to think of, but I said “fuck it” and dove in. There were a lot of doors slammed in my face, a lot of laughs and snickers, but I didn’t let them get to me. I kept going. Hands on, getting dirty, and that was fun to me. Especially coming out of college, and living this professional life. It makes me feel younger and alive again. Kinda like building a fort. I’m no architect or contractor but I’m learning by doing. It makes me feel foolish and hungry again rather than some degree giving me an upper hand opportunity, handing me a job on a plate. I don’t know, like I said, I’m having a lot of fun and it doesn’t feel like work to me. I’m meeting really cool people in lots of fields and hearing their stories and their lives, what they do for a living and the things they learned and I don’t know, it is awesome to me. Who knows what’s going to happen, but I can’t wait to find out!
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Shop online for New Era and Tripp Apparel. You can also find Tripp Apparel on Facebook.
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