Interview with Neth of Bush and Leavenworth

How long have you been doing what you’re doing?
We’ve had the idea of starting a fashion company for years. In 2008, we began the process of starting the business. We launched our first collection in January 2010.

How did you start your brand?
We (Neth and Guilherme) were roommates in college and lived at the intersection of Bush and Leavenworth in San Francisco. Although we were pursuing careers in animation, we would often talk about different avenues for sharing our art with the world. After working in animation for several years, it just seemed natural for us to pursue another creative outlet.

How did you come up with the name Bush and Leavenworth?
The time we spent in our apartment at Bush and Leavenworth was full of self-growth, learning, friendship and great memories.  In addition, our designs are inspired by the thriving urban culture of San Francisco. We thought it was a fitting name for many reasons.

What qualities set you apart from other T-Shirt making companies?
Art has been a part of our lives since we were little kids. Now, as professional animators, we are in an artistic environment every single day. Fashion is quite different than animation and film, but it is still driven by an innate desire to express and share one’s artistic vision with the world. Animation is incredibly detailed work – even tedious at time. This has helped us in our fashion design, because we spend a lot of time iterating and improving the product. Just like we do in our day jobs, we’re constantly asking ourselves and each other, “How can we make this better?” We’re always focused on improvement – it’s just part of the animator’s mindset. As a result, a ton of thought and detail goes into every Bush and Leavenworth piece.

What is your process for creating a new T-Shirt, do you screen print yourselves?

The designs have to come to us organically. We’re always sketching, drawing and looking to surroundings for inspiration. When we find a design that might work, we talk about it with each other and develop multiple iterations in order to find the right one.

What inspiration/influences do you draw from when creating new designs?
We look to film, entertainment, other artists and the Bay Area as inspiration.

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?
We haven’t featured any other artists yet, but we have plans in the works for our future collections. Many of our friends are artists as well, so we’re surrounded by a lot of talented people.

Five songs you can’t stop listening to right now?
Not songs, but artists – Lydia, Temper Trap, Explosions in the Sky, Nujabes, Dallas Green.