Fashion – Rawburry Streetwear

May 30, 2012 in Fashion

We love bringing you some of the most dope brands & stores around the world. Holding things down in the indie fashion industry we’ve got a clothing brand based out of Seattle, Washington by the name of Rawburry Streetwear. Now relax as we get to know Rawburry Streetwear a little more and how they started out in the industry.

Clothing line name: Rawburry Streetwear (Pronounced Robbery)
City/State: Seattle, WA
Established date: June 15th, 2007
Website: www.Rawburry.com

Price range for clothing: $5 – $40
Where to buy your clothing: http://RawburryShop.com | http://Facebook.com/RawburryStreetwear

So tell us about your brand?

- Rawburry Streetwear (RS) was founded by yours truly back in 2007 and was originally a strictly graphic design company (formally known as Rawburry Designs). Our whole squad here at RS shares a love for action sports, hip-hop and fashion, so you will see a lot of those influences in everything that we produce.

How did you come up with the name?

- I came up with the name “Rawburry” during one day of summer school — classes were about four hours long so you had a lot of time to think! I had just spoken to my dad about launching my own graphic design company and we brainstormed some ideas, then the next day at school I came up with “Robbery”, mainly because I wanted something that incorporated my name within its title. As I looked at it, I thought it was cool but I wanted to make it unique, so I switched up the lettering a few times until I hit “Rawburry”, and that was all she wrote.

What were you doing before launching your brand?

- Before I launched RS as a clothing company, it was mainly a graphic design specific company. I would design posters, Zune backgrounds, websites and other variations of artwork for myself and other people. It wasn’t that serious of a thing at that time because school and football were my main priorities, but it was always in the back of my mind.

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

- I’ve always been into fashion to a certain degree. I first began shopping on Karmaloop.com back in 2005 and became very interested with the streetwear culture. At that point, their website didn’t even carry too many brands but it was still a great view at something different and new, which is what I’ve always been about. After I got really into graphic design in high school, one day I decided to start my own graphic design company like I mentioned before, but nothing really came out of it besides more graphic design experience. I was still very much into fashion at this point and decided to mix the two together and just go for it.

What influenced you to start this line?

- My biggest influence was my confidence in my graphic design ability and knowledge about the streetwear culture at the time we started producing clothing. I would go on various websites and see clothing that was so lame, but so popular, and I knew I could make an impact and get noticed if I just gave it a shot. As long as you have confidence in yourself, then there really are no limits. Yeah things will get slow at times, but if you honestly know that you’re putting out designs that are doper than some brand that is hella famous, than you will make it, it’s just a matter of time before someone notices – and I stuck to that thought through the entire beginning of RS.

How is your brand different from others out there?

- Rawburry Streetwear is one of the few brands, that I’ve noticed, that always writes back to fans and interacts with them on every level. I wouldn’t even be writing these answers if we hadn’t had the support over the years from our fan-base, and I feel as though we owe it back to them to at least write back and let them know they’re appreciated. We’re just a group of guys that always keep it real with everyone, and that type of brand is fading out very fast unfortunately. But like I said earlier, we owe it to each and every fan we have to be at the point we’re at right now.

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

- Definitely, challenges and struggles are what make your brand evolve. I’ve learned so much from failing. As a new company, you obviously don’t have the experience with several aspects of the industry, so there’s a lot of trial-and-error and experimenting with different methods. I’ve gotten in contact as much as possible with big brands to “learn the ropes” so I wouldn’t have to waste money, time and effort on different techniques. Another challenge is just staying faithful with your product when sales are slow. I’ve had months where we sold a few shirts and I’m saying to myself, “Man, is this even worth it?” but then I just think about how every huge brand out now has been around for so much longer than us and they’ve all struggled too at one point, so it’s just a part of the game. I’ve always had confidence in myself and that’s honestly what has made the biggest difference.

What ways did you find promoting your brand worked?

- We’re currently on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram, and those all play a big role in our marketing scheme. I’ve noticed that the most affective out of those four would be Instagram. I’ve been able to reel in so many people that have never even heard of Rawburry Streetwear and show them our product through hella cool photos on our page – and the response has been amazing. We also just recently got 4.5” stickers printed in Seattle and those help a lot too. Just by simply throwing one on your car, you’re showing hundreds of people a day your logo and people become intrigued. 1-on-1 interaction has also had a huge impact. If you talk to someone personally about your product then you’re much more likely to sell something rather than posting something where no one really feels obligated to interact. Take notes kids!

Are there any future plans for your line?

- Basically just keep expanding and opening people’s eyes to our brand and what we have to offer. About a year ago I got the paperwork to go onto Karmaloop.com’s Kazbah website so that’s probably the next big step we undergo. I feel as though that will give us the brand exposure we need to truly show people our potential within the streetwear culture. Until then, we’re just going to keep producing solid clothing and gaining buzz! Everything takes time though for sure. If you think your brand will become huge overnight, then you have a long journey ahead of you!

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

- FKN Famous hit me up one day and asked if I was down to do an interview and I was all for it! You guys are FKN dope and I appreciate the love.

Any last shout outs?

- Big shoutout to: GAJ, Stick Up Kids, Atrophy Clothing, Bobby Fresh, Karmaloop, Dirty Laces, Die-Cut Stickers, Yo! Louis Streetwear, our music artist Troyman and all of C.L.Z., Underground Media, DJ Hoppa of Funk Volume, the FKN Famous crew and everyone who has ever been down with the Rawburry Streetwear movement over the past five years. We appreciate all of you.