ARKA
Interview with Shant, one of the three masterminds behind ARKA clothing.
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How long have you been doing what you’re doing?
We’ve been in business since last year. It was actually our one year mark on July 27.
How did you start your brand?
We always had a huge interest in fashion. After graduating college, the three of us had jobs that weren’t personally satisfying. Once we realized that we had a lot of good ideas, we started off by going to trade shows in order to learn more about our industry. Also, we were archiving many designs that we narrowed down to our first 12 designs.
How did you come up with the name Arka?
We wanted a name that would brand us as a company that makes quality products. ARKA means ‘to be the king of all kings’. With a name like that, we pretty much set the bar high for ourselves.
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What qualities set you apart from other T-Shirt making companies?
What sets us apart is that we don’t design for a specific person or genre. We try to appeal to everyone from the college kid, to the hip-hop heads, to 40 year old dads. If you look at our line, you will see that no two shirts are alike and that the concepts are very random. Our intention is to have a versatile line that has shirts you can wear during the day and also at night to go out.
What sets us apart is that we don’t design for a specific person or genre. We try to appeal to everyone from the college kid, to the hip-hop heads, to 40 year old dads. If you look at our line, you will see that no two shirts are alike and that the concepts are very random. Our intention is to have a versatile line that has shirts you can wear during the day and also at night to go out.
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What is your process for creating a new T-Shirt, do you screen print yourselves? Etc.
We do not personally print the shirts. We are responsible for the designs. We searched far and wide for the perfect tee. We wanted the right dimensions with a super-soft cotton feel. Once we found a company to manufacture the perfect fit we wanted next was to choose the best material. We chose a cotton that was pre-shrunk and heavily dyed so that it would last for a long time. Guys like to wear the same shirt many times and our goal was to make a shirt that can handle the daily grind.
We do not personally print the shirts. We are responsible for the designs. We searched far and wide for the perfect tee. We wanted the right dimensions with a super-soft cotton feel. Once we found a company to manufacture the perfect fit we wanted next was to choose the best material. We chose a cotton that was pre-shrunk and heavily dyed so that it would last for a long time. Guys like to wear the same shirt many times and our goal was to make a shirt that can handle the daily grind.
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What inspiration/influences do you draw from when creating new designs?
We draw our inspirations from everything we see around us. We realize that t-shirts are like comedians. If the theme of the subject doesn’t have a current appeal, it wont have a strong impact on its audience. We try to have thought provoking concepts that appeal to current times and concepts. We really want the viewer to not only like the design but also understand its message.
We draw our inspirations from everything we see around us. We realize that t-shirts are like comedians. If the theme of the subject doesn’t have a current appeal, it wont have a strong impact on its audience. We try to have thought provoking concepts that appeal to current times and concepts. We really want the viewer to not only like the design but also understand its message.
Do you bring artists/designers in to collaborate on T-shirts? If so, how do you go about finding them and deciding to include them in your line?
Currently we haven’t had a collaboration yet, but we are open to this in the future.
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Five songs you can’t stop listening to right now?
The Black Keys “I got mine”, Franz Ferdinand “Ulyses”, Buckethead “Coma”, System of a Down “Mr. Jack”, Lupe Fiasco “Go-go gadget flow
The Black Keys “I got mine”, Franz Ferdinand “Ulyses”, Buckethead “Coma”, System of a Down “Mr. Jack”, Lupe Fiasco “Go-go gadget flow
What were you doing before this?
Two of us were real estate agents and the other was a lab technician for gasoline.
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Where are you living right now/What do you like about living there?
All three of us live in Los Angeles. The beaches are great this time of year, even though we’re more into the urban scene. Each area is so different that you can see such a wide spectrum of people. It’s hard not to be inspired by everything you see around you. We are lucky to be exposed to so many different types of people, music and art.
All three of us live in Los Angeles. The beaches are great this time of year, even though we’re more into the urban scene. Each area is so different that you can see such a wide spectrum of people. It’s hard not to be inspired by everything you see around you. We are lucky to be exposed to so many different types of people, music and art.
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Hamburgers or Veggie Burgers?
Definitely hamburgers. Got to have my juicy meat.
Definitely hamburgers. Got to have my juicy meat.
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When are you most productive? Do you come up with your best ideas while your just hanging out or in a full-fledged business brainstorm session?
Our best ideas come when we are just hanging out as a group, one of us will just think of something, someone else will add to it. Then we all start to write notes in our phones so that we don’t forget what we just thought of.
Our best ideas come when we are just hanging out as a group, one of us will just think of something, someone else will add to it. Then we all start to write notes in our phones so that we don’t forget what we just thought of.
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Is there any direction you hope to take your line in in the next year or so? Are you planning on doing anything differently?
We want to start making cut and sew products such as jackets and hoodies. We constantly want to evolve as a company and keep making designs that are bold and push the envelope.
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