Fashion – Sharkface Apparel

April 9, 2012 in Fashion

We love bringing you some of the dopiest brands & stores around the world. Holding things down in the indie fashion industry we’ve got a brand based out of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania by the name of Sharkface Apparel and Design. Now relax as we get to know Sharkface Apparel and Design a little more and how they started out in the industry.

Clothing line name: Sharkface Apparel and Design
City/State: Bethlehem, Pa
Established date: 2008
Website: www.sharkfaceapparel.com

Price range for clothing: $5-25
Where to buy your clothing: www.sharkfaceapparel.com

So tell us about your brand?

- Sharkface Apparel and Design® is an underground, new school apparel company that is making its way to the top. Not only do we specialize in the highest quality clothing but we offer Graphic Design and Fine Art services. Based just north of Philadelphia, Sharkface Apparel® does all of its designs in house. We offer everything from beanies in the fall/winter, to coffee mugs, to koozies to keep that summer brew cold! We try to tackle every possible market by offering designs for the younger more hipster generation, designs for horror fanatics, designs for the tattooing industry, college kids and even for the older folks!

How did you come up with the name?

- The owner and operator of Sharkface Apparel® was visiting Atlantic City, NJ in the summer of 2008. While there, he meet up with some of his closest friends and they stated that he has bigger facial features then the normal human. This observation ended up transforming into the nickname, Sharkface. It stuck with him ever since!

What were you doing before launching your brand?

- We were focused just on Graphic Design and Fine Art. After doing many business cards, fliers, magnets, and shirt designs for other artists and companies, we decided to tackle some designs for ourselves. Some of our first ever designs, we brought out of hiding and threw them on some t shirts and we really felt like we could penetrate the market with our style and work.

When did you begin thinking about launching your own clothing brand?

- It wasn’t until the summer of 2011, when Sharkface himself, decided he was going to do his first line of shirts. The first line did better than we thought. Selling out of 24 within the first 2 months. After that, it became much easier to find designs that people would enjoy wearing on a daily basis.

What best describes your line & who is it targeted to?

- We try to target everyone. We offer shirts with a keg on it for the college partier’s, some more illustrative designs that the younger generation seem to love. We also have multiple Tattoo related shirts, and shirts even our parents wear!! We really tried not to be apart of a niche market. Most of our designs are bright, multi colored prints. How many times have you seen a bright eye catching shirt and asked where they got that? That is exactly the reaction we are going for.

What influenced you to start this line?

- It would have to be my friends. We have a ton of friends in the growing tattooing industry who said we need to start taking my designs to another level. Giving me some ideas on safe tattooing shirts and just bright and flashy shirts. After taking their advice, we really saw the potential in what we had going.

How is your brand different from others out there?

- We really think that by offering so many designs that target an array of markets, that is what makes our brand stick out. We are a very small and simple company. No corporation here. Plus we offer other things like coffee mugs, koozies and a Featured Artist every month on our website.

Are there any challenges you run into while running a business?

- The biggest challenge for us was trying to develop a fan base. Some of our first designs weren’t as popular as our new ones. And of course some designs we run now, are more popular. It’s really just a matter of getting your product in the eyes of the right person.

What ways did you find promoting your brand worked?

- We do multiple conventions every year. Tattoo conventions and art conventions mostly. Aside from using the normal Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, we do offer free care packages to everyone who either send pictures of themselves supporting us or anyone who sends us their address in request of a free care package. These packages include multiple stickers, magnets, koozies, bumper stickers, business cards and a handful of other goodies.

Are there any future plans for your line?

- More conventions, more designs and more supporters of the Shark!!

How did you hear about FKN Famous & what do you think of us?

- I was linked from an online post. I emailed you, and got a response the next day. Everyone has been super nice and very quick on responding.

Any last shout outs?

- In no particular order, we really want to thank the parents, homies at Moonlite Tattoo, Vinnie and Geckle, Evelyn for being probably one of the most supportive people we know, everyone who comes to the conventions and supports us, and of course the big man upstairs to putting us all on this earth and giving us all the opportunity to do awesome things with our lives!