Good morning everyone, on our downward climb toward the weekend, I have something special for you all. I’m having a lot of fun with fashion week and I hope you all share my excitement. During this past week, the clothing company Dime a Dozen shouldn’t sound unfamiliar to anyone who’s actively reading my blog. I had a chance to sit down with the owners Steven and Ian for a little chit chat about the company. These cats have a real good head on their shoulders and I’m really excited to see what the future brings for Dime a Dozen Clothing
Calvinabra:
What made you decide to come out with your own clothing line?
Steven:
We started Dime A Dozen Clothing based on the foundation of expression. We’ve always been into clothing and the fashion industry so we thought what better way to express ourselves than through that same industry.
Calvinabra:
“Dime a Dozen”, I love that name, it makes me think of a Too Short quote (which I won’t mention here) but what made you guys come up with the name?
Steven:
The name was a mission. We actually went through a couple of name changes before settling on Dime A Dozen. I know right off the back when people hear Dime A Dozen Clothing, they think, why would these guys want to be a dime a dozen? It’s funny because we stand for the complete opposite. I remember growing up, I’d always hear BLANK come a dime a dozen, but what’s gonna make you stand out – whats gonna make you special? This really stuck with me as I got older, and it served as motivation for me to try and be above average. It’s like everyone can be good at something, but only a select few will be GREAT. We feel that of that dozen, we will be great at what we do and in this case, clothing.
Calvinabra:
There are quite a few other companies doing fashion out there, what differentiates your style/vibe from everyone else?
Steven:
The main difference from us and other companies out there is, we base our clothing line on simplicity. What this means is that through each piece we release, something that is so simple, will make heads turn. Whether it be word play, clean design, etc. people will look and be like, “Why didn’t I think of that?”.
Ian:
All the other clothing brands like to have complex designs and cartoons and what not and thats’s their style and liking. What differentiates us is that we don’t choose to follow what’s out there, but to create our own image by expressing our pieces through simplicity.
Calvinabra:
So out of the two of you guys, what are your roles in the company?
Steven:
We try to split up the roles and do a little bit of everything. From business, marketing to design and production, we try to do it all.
Ian:
If we had to split it into roles, I’d say Steven handles more of the design (clothing and website) and I take care of the Business and Marketing.
Calvinabra:
How many people are currently on staff?
Ian:
About 8 of us right now, with 2 interns.
Calvinabra:
How often can we expect to see new items dropping from you guys?
Ian:
For the time being, we’re just promoting the brand, the name, and the meaning behind it.
Steven:
We look to drop a few more prelim collections about every month and a half or so building up to our first official collection drop which is due sometime this year.
Steven:
We wont spoil it and say when, just check back with us on the site often!
Calvinabra:
What’s your inspiration for the designs that you guys come up with?
Steven:
Life. Creative ideas, and designs are sparked for us everyday through just daily routines. For example, I could see something on the way to the store that could spark a brilliant idea and design. It’s all just going through the motion of what we do that brings inspiration to the designs and because they come through OUR daily routines, we express our lifestyle/culture/etc.
Ian:
Our inspiration for the designs are based off the things we think of, the things we like, and what we think looks good. If you like our view of things, then cop a shirt, if not then thats cool too. Everyone is different.
Calvinabra:
So who are some of your favorite clothing lines out there, and why?
Steven:
I like Stussy and Diamond. They keep it simple, and original but so clean. I also try to keep up with brands likeBloodbath, The Hundreds. Oh yeah I love the stuff FatLace puts out, their design is sick.
Ian:
I really like diamond supply co. They keep things simple.
Calvinabra:
What’s the bigger picture for Dime a Dozen Clothing, where do you guys see yourself in the next three years?
Ian:
I also hope to broaden our fan base nationally. That would be a great accomplishment in 3 years.
Steven:
3 years, I hope to expand in general. More retailers, collections, and hopefully fans everywhere. We’re just taking it day by day right now.
Calvinabra:
What other products can we expect to see from you guys in the future?
Steven:
Right now, were just taking it step by step. You can expect to see the usual, tee’s, sweaters, beanies, hats etc.
Ian:
Yeah, we’ll leave the jean and shoe game to the big dogs… for now haha.
Calvinabra:
I definitely appreciate the time and like I said earlier, I wish you guys the best of luck with your venture.
