How long have you been doing what you’re doing?

We’ve been talking about making shirts since 1999, maybe earlier. We started printing our own stuff in 2005 but didn’t start Charlie Noble until 2009.

How did you start your brand?

Jimmy and I have been friends for years, so it was only a matter of time before I asked to start printing his designs.

How did you come up with the name Charlie Noble?

We both have a background of working at sea and felt that the brand should have a nautical feel to it.  Charlie Noble is named after a ship captain from the 19th century who made his crew shine the galley smokestack on the ship because it was made out of copper.  The crew nicknamed the smokestack a “Charlie Noble” as its still referred to, normally a sign of pride for the ship since its usually kept shiny. We take the same kind of pride in what we produce, which doesn’t always necessarily have to be nautical.

Where are you based and what do you like (or dislike) about living and working there?

We’re headquartered in Alameda.  San Francisco is probably the dopest city on earth but you can’t beat the cozy feel of Alameda. Seriously though, it’s come up a lot in the last several years, there are decent bars there now and plenty of parking.

What qualities set you apart from other T-Shirt making companies?

There’s a lot of rad stuff out there right now and nautically inspired designs are really nothing new. Years ago we did “street” stuff but eventually decided just to stick to what we know, so that’s what you’ll get from Charlie Noble. Most of what we put out reflects in part on some sort of experience either of us had at sea.  Other designs illustrate the stories and experiences of other sailors, both positive and negative. Also, we try to keep a more simplified, classic look.

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

It’s collaborative, we’ll bounce ideas off of each other for a design.  All the art is hand drawn to every detail, sometimes Jimmy will draw it several times to get it right. It’s laborious but the work pays off. It’s worth mentioning that he uses many the same tools used to plot on nautical charts, old habits I guess. I usually have to convert them to a digital file myself for printing because Jimmy’s a decent ship-driver but he’s useless with a computer. We used to print our own shirts, but due to time and labor constraints, we outsource to a local Bay Area company whom we think does an awesome job with our stuff.

What inspiration/influences do you draw from when creating new designs?

The high seas, maritime history and tradition, cartoons, and Americana are where we draw most of our inspiration from. Jimmy and I are also both inspired somewhat by skateboarding and surfing, so that has been influential in some of our designs.

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?

So far we’ve only brought in one other artist to work on designs for us and he has a slightly different style, but it’s a nice compliment to the in-house art.  We’re pretty picky that the look and feel of our designs stay on track with ours but would definitely be down to mix things up in a collaborative shirt sometime.

What were you doing before this?

Jimmy and I were working together out at sea.  Jimmy is still out there working, no shit over the last 9 years he’s been rolling out there somewhere between SF and Alaska.

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?

It varies.  I’d say the best ideas materialize when we’re either working on something else together or drinking, but we normally won’t ever just sit and think of shit.

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’re planning on expanding the brand to include cut-n-sew garments inspired from common military and maritime workwear, maybe fuse that with streetwear somehow.  Classic styles will always be around but we don’t want to close the door on anything.  If we have something we feel like making and think that it will fit the brand, we’ll probably try it out.

Five songs you can’t stop listening to right now?

Does sports talk radio count? Anything by Rick Ross, that dude is bad.

What do you like to do when you’re not developing and distributing awesome T-Shirts?

Awesome? I’m flattered really, we’ve spent so much time with this lately there hasn’t been much else but drinking and riding bicycles I guess. Jimmy hangs out with his pug a lot.

Any last words or shout outs?

Thanks to D-Structure and our customers for all the support, we really appreciate it.