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

Been Ninjaing for a long time, we’ve been selling clothing in 2009.

How did you start your brand?

It started as a Ninja Fraternity and we ended up getting into the streetwear scene. Eventually we decided it was time to give Ninjas everywhere some style.

How did you come up with the name Ninja Neishon?

Originally it was called Lumbawear named after the little ‘lumbajaks’ that appear throughout the clothing and on the website. When we were working on the community aspect of it I was like “dam, we’ve got Ninjas all over the place. They could help us promote the clothing. We’d have a Nation of Ninjas. We’d have a Ninja….!” We changed the spelling to ‘Neishon’ because Nation spelled normally seemed too generic and we wanted to confuse people who weren’t in the know.

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

We’re mainly operating out of San Diego and Los Angeles right now. However we have some strong cells in Tokyo that help us a lot. San Diego is definitely a hard place to start a ‘streetwear’ brand because the scene is not nearly as strong as in other parts of the world. However it’s also fun because it makes it more of a challenge and it’s cool to introduce the culture to people who might never have appreciated it before.

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

We used to try and fit in with other brands/stores and whatever. By that I mean we’d think of designs and concepts that places like Karmaloop would purchase. But eventually we went back to our motto ‘Do what you want’ and things started working out a lot better. Now places like Karmaloop (or any other store) isn’t our focus; instead our focus is on just being completely ourselves, whatever that may be.

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

We’ve got literally hundreds of designs ready to be worked on and printed, but it’s just a matter of releasing the right ones at the right time. It starts with picking the top designs, reworking it to fit the color scheme we want, then taking it to the local printers that we work with. Every shirt must meet our quality inspections. Then a Ninja hugs it to give it super powers and it’s ready for shipment.

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

There’s definitely a Japanese flavor in mind whenever we design, but it’s not limited to that. We draw heavily from functionality and design. More specifically we draw inspiration from the bboy, parkour, and martial arts community. You’ll probably see some anime references here and there as well.

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 work with various artists who help bring our designs to life. Mostly they are Ninjas themselves, however we have held design contests in the past. We’re always open to new opportunities so if you have a dope design that you think would fit with our vibe email me: tbass@ninjaneishon.com and we can talk about it.

What were you doing before this?

Dancing at anime conventions for food.

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?

I personally get a lot done in the morning. There’s nothing better than waking up earlier than the world and getting shit done. Coffee makes your mind crazy fast and by 12:00pm I like to be done with anything I have to do. Then it’s just free time for me to bboy, surf or work on new ideas.

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 releasing a new website three weeks from when I’m writing this. It’s going to be a big step for us. The Online Shop will be like nothing out there right now, and our updated blog will feature writers from around the world who are in The Neishon. In addition we’re moving into the ‘cut and sew’ realm and things are getting heavy. You can expect some unique pieces coming from us in the coming months, and it’s only a matter of time before we get our Neishon shops popping up around the world.

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

I’ve got two audio masterpieces on repeat over the past couple of days. One’s a mixtape and one’s a podast.

Mixtape:

Dj Twist One-  HOT breakz

-This mix gets me hyped for practice and cruising around in my car blasting it makes me feel like a badass.

Podcast:

Low End Theory- Episode 10: Dj Nobody and Free The Robots

-I’ve been really into the scene at Low End Theory lately and I definitely recommend downloading their podcasts. It’s FREE playa!

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

Recruit Ninjas.

Any last words or shout outs?

Keep it easy, do what you want, and Join The Neishon. Peace.