Aug 5, 2013
You ever just make your buddy who's a writer/editor interview because you don't feel like typing? I did just this a few weeks back with CoolGrayAJ who you guys might keep track of if you're into esports team EvilGeniuses.At any rate, it seemed like a good idea to answer questions and give insights about the brand that fans might want and that I probably glaze over to talk about McRibs or a new brand release.So,to the fans old and new that are into the 'DNA' of HH /where we're coming from,check this out and if you think it's a good read, tell someone else..enjoy! -h_h-
Let’s talk about the origins of Hungry Human, and why you decided to start the brand?
I always thought I would do streetwear stuff since the Fubu days. A long time ago, I felt like I hit rock bottom, and at one point, I had a near-death experience. From that point, I had an epiphany, and I thought about the people I interact with in the community. These people are like family to me, and I wanted to have an impact in their lives that they’ll recognize for a long time.
When you realize that nothing is ever guaranteed in life, and that you don’t have a lot of time in this world, you want to get as much of your being into the world as you can. So in thinking about this family, this community, having my own streetwear for them to wear was an ultimate goal of mine, and I wanted to say I was able to do that before I’ve passed on.
I guess I took everything I love about the people in this community, and that inspired me to start it all. I decided to do it because as big an aspiration as starting a clothing brand is -- as with any aspiration -- you ultimately just have to do it.
Streetwear is very erratic in that popular styles often go out of style in a matter of months. How can people see this evolution in the work?
You could definitely tell from my very first shirt back in 2010 -- the Double H. We’ve gone from the Gildan, heavy-plastisol heat transfer Double H shirt to what you’ll see in what I have in stock today.
I’d say the first time I felt like my brand evolved was in the Footsies shirt. I think this was the first time I felt like a design was truly mine, and not something derived from streetwear culture. I just wanted to express myself. Footsies is obviously more based on graphics and illustrations -- which is something I kind of just ran with in later designs, which has really been a hit.
Not to mention, the quality of the prints and the shirts feel more in line with something you’d find in a boutique. If you put the Double H and Footsies side-by-side, you can obviously tell the difference.We stepped our game up and you could see it.
You’ve been very vocal (at least with me) about your inspirations behind your designs. You even write about these inspirations on your blog. How and when do you decide to put these inspirations on a design?
A lot of it has to do with where I am in life. You could sort of decipher where my life has brought me to this day just by looking at the designs. For instance, when I did Self Sponsored, I was going through a struggle with a few things in life, where I felt like people could just relate to it.
Scumbags, Monsters and Funky Dealings were all derived from my own personal dealings with people, and we all go through it. That’s what I feel is most important about the brand -- how it ultimately relates to the end user.
Sometimes people can’t really say something or someone they’re dealing with is fucked up, so I put it on a shirt. In executing it the way I want to, it gives that person a voice they otherwise wouldn’t express. It’s subtle at times, but that’s how I want to express it. Generally, when people pick up a piece, they either get it right away, or understand it over time.
How do you feel you’ve improved over past designs, and is this a sign that they’ll only get better from here?
Absolutely. Over time, I feel the style and technique has become more refined, and instead of creating something for attention, I believe that I’m speaking to the community through discourse.
Honestly, if you look back at the earlier part of last year, you can see the mood and attitude changes within each piece. Now there is a sense a calm and clarity that’s beginning to unveil itself.
It’s kind of like the X-Men movie where Magneto was really just this wild mess character with no self control. He was strong, but you could tell that his emotions ran him and sent him out of control. I felt like that quite often, I was angry and wanting people to notice my work and effort.
I was pursuing the wrong kind of fans and media alike just out of anger and spite. Now that I’ve established peace within and comfort with the fans, I think it will just make everything that much better. Remember that word - “better”.
Self Sponsored is by far my favorite design -- hell, I own every colorway for this design so far. Can you talk more about your thought process behind it?
Ha! That shirt came from not being able to afford a Dollar Menu cheeseburger at McDonald’s! I was just thinking, “Man, somebody’s gotta talk about this everyday struggle.”
When I look at these kids in hotel rooms who travel across the country just to attend tournaments, you really can’t help but respect and acknowledge their hustle. These guys are doing this because they love it, and they want to make a name for themselves, and for the most part, they embody what it means to be Self Sponsored.
What I admire most about these guys is that nothing is guaranteed for them when they go to these tournaments. There are very few people that make a living off this, and these are the people that keep our community alive.
What blows me away is when people outside the community see Self Sponsored, and relate to it. I can’t tell you how many times a day I’ll walk by somewhere and hear something like “Hey, Self Sponsored! I dig that..” or something to that effect, it’s wild. I’m still not used to people liking the stuff sometimes!
Does anything else inspire you to create your designs besides your own personal experiences?
Yes and no. The intent is really where it begins. The first thing I think about is “Who would wear this, and how would they feel when they wear it?” Once I have a good direction on what I want the outcome to be, then I start hammering away. There’s a business adage that goes something like “Make X for stupid people,” and it makes a lot of sense if you want to make a quick buck. That’s not what excites me though. I get excited at the thought of people wanting to talk about why they love a specific design.
Ultimately, I want people to feel loved when they buy and wear the shirts. I don’t want them to be unable to relate to something five-ten years from now. Memes can only go so far, and catch phrases are often forgettable.
You can’t forget love, so that’s what we try to give you -- Love.
As a clothing brand, you probably get a lot of people that suggest things from designs to types of clothing. How does this play a role in your design process?
I definitely listen to the fans, and I take everything into consideration, but with that, I think of my clothes and fans as my own children. Figuratively speaking, as a parent, I wouldn’t want my kids eating junk food all the time, so I have to give them something substantial -- or at least what I perceive to be substantial. To keep them happy though, you have to give them what they want from time to time, which I’ve done.
The one thing fans used to harp on me about was doing something purple -- which is a color I don’t particularly like. They bugged me about it enough to the point where I ultimately just gave in, and gave them the purple Handwritten. Problem was, nobody bought it, which was a little upsetting. Fortunately, I had a lot of fans in Australia that loved the design, so most of these shirts ended up there.
This isn’t to say that I won’t listen to fan suggestions, but what I generally like to do is I sneak these requests into things I want to see it on. The compromise actually works very well, because even after the flop that was the purple Handwritten, purple still ended up on the Monsters shirt, and it was a huge hit. So you take the good with the bad and make it work. It’s like Oakland Chinese food.
Does Hungry Human have a 5-year-plan? Where do you see the brand going?
I think in some way, shape or form, I’ll be around. This is just something I love to do, and have wanted to do for a really long time. Something we’ve been talking about through this conversation is that nothing is ever certain in life, so you just have to do it before you pass on. I guess that’s where I stand with Hungry Human.
I don’t really think about where I’ll be in 5-10 years -- I’m more concerned about the next 5-10 days, and that’s just the truth. Every day is a struggle, but I want to look back and say I did what I wanted to for those days. The brand is about the people, and I consider myself to be a part of that collective.
More than anything, I think about these people. I think about X-Ray who has his own design stuff, and know that he’ll be amazing in the next 5-10 years well after I introduced him to his first Self Sponsored shirt. I think about my buddy Carlo has some weight loss project stuff -- and he’s made great strides with it.
I definitely think of my influence on people, and I think about others before I think of myself. Even you, you’re traveling around writing for all these big names, hustling, networking, putting up with jerkfaces like me. I want to look back at times like this and laugh with all of you.
The hunger, dedication, sacrifice, I want us to laugh till we cry about how we showed them, how we made it work in times where we had nothing but belief and a dream. That’s what keeps me going is getting you guys there.
To bring it all together, what’s the overall statement you want to tie in with Hungry Human?
I would say I’m taking the feelings of what I’ve felt from this community and making it something that the entire world can understand at any cost. This is my heart,mind,portions of body and spirit in a brand.
Everything I have ever had or plan to is what you see, and it’s all for you...it’s about you! So, if I had to condense any further, I would leave it as one word. Hungry Human is “US”. -h_h-
Jul 20, 2013
Getting better at blogging more often...at least from where I was at before.How are you guys? Good I hope!
I stepped out for a while to visit Las Vegas for a few days.There's this super huge fighting game tournament called EVO that I have to hit every year. It started here in Sacramento originally under the name 'Battle of The Bay' or the "B-Series" and it's now grown into the largest fighting game event in the world!
This is the first year that I didn't really enter with the intention to compete.The hand injury has been bugging me and I just haven't been playing like I used to except to maybe help out some of the locals with their game.Despite that, I made it out of pools in Super Street Fighter 4 and lost to a REALLY good Hakan (the oily wrestler guy if you're not familiar), it was good fun.
I actually have to admit I kind of flubbed EVO in the sense that I didn't really have any real place to stay , so I carried around a suitcase full of whatever tees I had and some toiletries just in case I got stranded. I didn't sponsor the event this year, so there really wasn't much on hand to sell as it was all last minute, but a bunch of you guys ran up on me and bought whatever I had in the rollaround anyways, thanks for that!
I also spotted some stickers around Vegas too and I appreciate the fans that put those up too.You guys are awesome.It really made my day.
This EVO was really about just hanging with the fans and having a good time.Most people don't know that this is a one man show, concepts,design,packaging,promo,all that mess...it all comes down to one dude: ME! So, with your guys preorders and what not, I was just a mess until I got there doing work to make sure everything ran smoothly while I was gone.
The fans really went out of their way to say hello and it was nice to hear all of your guys story/put faces to the names I talk to on Twitter/Instagram all the time. And we had some great laughs to go alongside that,which was the highlight of the event for me.
This is the first trip to Vegas I've never had a drink or a buffet, something to call my own and say , "hey, I went to Vegas",it was literally just hanging in the event,saying sup to ya'll,going to sleep,and repeating that until I got home.But, it was probably the best time I've ever had.There wasn't the pressure to perform as a player, no weird people to deal with, just all family and love...the way it should be! So, I want to thank you guys for the great time.
I'll be real and say I've been lagging on the tables,promotions,and sponsorships,etc.Business is important,but you guys are really the focal point of HH and the reason this persists, so it's important to take note and just enjoy the little time we ever have together offline.Thanks for that time and energy,it keeps me going!
Now that I'm back at homebase, it's time to buckle down and kill your guys preorders.Some of our printshops got robbed.So, they all had to be printed ALL OVER AGAIN!!! It's a bummer,but it shouldn't affect much aside from the fact I can now throw in a surprise or two for the people that supported early!
I'm excited for the new stuff and the direction we're heading, this release was more or less just to let the newer fans and sleepers catch up.You guys know I hate restocks, but the thing that never occurred to me is that new fans never had a chance to catch up to all you OG's and get some cool HH gear they might've really wanted.So we took all the fan favorites and added a bit of flavor to them (I did them how I wanted to) and now you guys have your chance to come up on some fresh and new with *dun dun dun*...THE FANNY PACK.Haha,cheesy name I know, but it makes sense right?
Anyways, stuff should start to ship out this upcoming week and you guys should be hype because it's all looking super nice.If you see less tweets and posts right now or in the near future,it's from me folding! I hate it, but I love you guys,so it's about even.
Rant aside, that should be it for now, some pieces will still be available for order and preorder.And a lot of stuff is on it's last legs or getting there, so don't sleep on it *cough Scrub Life* *cough Funky Dealings*....feel free to bug me on the Twitter and Instagram in the meantime and we'll talk soon.Love all of you guys, TRY HARD,NEVER SETTLE,STAY HUNGRY. -h_h-
Jul 7, 2013
Haven't seen Gootecks since we were in SoCal and he had a milkshake from In-N-Out and I didn't...looks like he's been reinventing himself as always and this time he came back as an ill DJ! Check out his set below.
Stay Hungry -h_h-
Jul 7, 2013
One of my best buds and early supporters Red Will has some pretty good downtempo/chill music that I am really digging.Thought you guys might want to check it out next time you're kicking back...it's pretty darn good!Love to know about your guys stuff too,so don't be like Will and make me have to find out on my own.Feel free to share...we support the people that support us here...and besides..the brand is about you!So why not show off a little bit? -h_h
Jun 21, 2013
Dudes it's Friday.First day of Summer! Hope you guys are killing everything you're attempting to take on and more! It's been kind of quiet over here as we're trying to get some releases in line while also maintain some contact with the fans. The Twitter and Instagram (@hungryhuman) are popping, but the fan page definetly needs more love, so there is a solution in line for that.
With the summer heat,and a lot of events coming up sooner than later,I am pushing to get some complimentary gear to your door before things get too hot.So,the people on the mailing list: THANK YOU.As always, that is the best way to jump on an exclusive HH release first as even preorders sell out at times now!
While it's on my mind , I just want to take the time to thank the fans.We don't have a million advertisements or any random co-signs, we just let the gear speak to the people that see it.Those of you that have heard the message and supported the brand are so appreciated.Stuff like this doesn't work without you.
It's been tough getting noticed or even just avoiding the hurdles that go alongside the industries of both apparel and of all things games.And I feel that we are starting to hit our stride.The right people wear the gear and through many a mistake,the wrong people now have been moved into the realm of ,"forget about em and worry about the real fans".Haha,that makes everything so much easier.
Stay tuned over the next few releases and be on the lookout for some familiar friends to return with some POSSIBLEEEEEE (I'm not promising anything) stuff you guys have been bugging me about to surface as well.
You will see a return to what we were originally hoping to accomplish as a brand coupled with some changes that make the fan experience that much better.I want you guys to be a part of the struggle,not just the successes and I'm now willing to share that openly.That's the point right? At least I think so!
Business aside, Street Fighter has been making a return to my life.Even with the bum hand,it is super fun to play.Ryu is back in the circle and he takes up more of the regular character rotation that Rufus! I always have a saying that the better my Ryu is playing, the worse the rest of my life is...Go figure.
At any rate,get on the mailing list, bug me on Twitter/Facebook/Vine/Instagram (all @hungryhuman).And we will talk soon!Thanks to the fans! Love you guys!Stay Hungry! -h_h-
