For the Interview

Hello All,
Thank you for checking out the SQUAD CLOTH blog post this week!

The Ohio area codes shirt is now finished thankfully!  I was really pleased with how the these shirts came out because they could be the best shirts I have made yet from a screen printing and quality stand point.  Response to these shirts has been great so I am excited to see how well they sell overall. I am planning on putting them up on the SQUAD CLOTH website before the end of the month if everything goes as planned.

Also, I will be adding the tie dye dipped button downs that I have been waiting to take pictures of to the website.  Whatever results from this little venture of mine is irrelevant because this is a great learning experience for me and I am enjoying myself as I play with the possibilities.

Have you ever wondered what you should wear to an interview?  While women might struggle more with this question because of the acceptance of dresses in the workplace, men can have a difficult time in certain settings as well.  Simply put, the golden rule for any gender going into basically any job is that you should wear a jacket.  It is important to portrait to possible employers positive traits that you have and a jacket allows you to do just that.  Jackets portrait a sense of power, responsibility, and experience which are excellent qualities in the work place.  Men, even if you aren't wearing a suit to the interview because it would not be acceptable to dress in that nature, you should still wear some type of jacket.

 Women, the same applies for you, but if you are wearing a suit try to not to pair it with a pants suit and opt for a skirt instead because men generally view you as an overly aggressive or unkind with the addition of pants to the jacket.  While generally that description doesn't apply to a woman who wears a pants suit, it is better to play it safe than sorry when going through the interview process.

Like I said, any type of interview you should wear a jacket from trash collector to creative director a jacket brings the best out of the wearer in the eyes of an employer.

Thank you for reading and check back in next week for the latest from SQUAD CLOTH.  HOME OF THE FULLGROWN.

F*CK A HATER

Hello All,
Thank you for checking out the latest blog post from SQUAD CLOTH!

This week I received the shirts for the area codes design and I will be printing them on Wednesday or Thursday.  That will give me two designs to take photos of and release for the fans to buy before I head back to sunny San Diego.  Yesterday I finished my first garment that I made from scratch, which was a long sleeve camo u-neck tunic.  I cut out the fabric to the dimensions of the pattern and sewed everything together.

My next move hopefully will be to make my own patterns and just start playing with the possibilities of my designs, in order to really challenge myself.  Lastly, I just want to thank everyone who has supported SQUAD the past 6 months because I wouldn't continue to make things without the great feedback from all of you.  I really don't have a clue how to create a brand yet, so I am making it up as I go, appreciative of all the patience and support.

My tip for this week is to stop caring what people think and take style risks!  I cannot tell you how many times I have been made fun for the strange things I like to wear that are too forward thinking for people with no knowledge of style.  Just because you don't want to wear the standard jock or frat apparel does not mean you are gay or unstylish, but rather you are more willing to risk being noticeably different from the crowd based off of first impressions.  Having friends who cannot dress and that have made fun of me consistently for the way I dress is something I almost enjoy because it allows me to know that the look I am trying construct is working.  The lesson I am trying to instill here is that you should not allow people to determine the way you want to dress because the way you dress is the first thing that people see when they meet you.  Don't blend into the pack,  just dare to be different.  Sure I have been made fun of for a lot of the things that I have worn, but many of those things end up being popular I just happen to be ahead of the trend.  Lastly, try to avoid taking people's comments about your outfit too personal because who gives a shit what other people think anyways.  Haters are lame as shit so fuck them and do what you feel comfortable challenging yourself with.

Thanks for listening to my little style rant this week
and check back next week for the latest from SQUAD CLOTH.  HOME OF THE FULLGROWN.

QUALITY QUALITY QUALITY

Hello All,
Thank you for checking out the SQUAD CLOTH blog post this week!

This week has been another slow week, but I did find a model for some shirts so I can take photos soon for the R.I.P. tie dye button downs.  I have sketched a good amount this week and I am planning to take a fashion sketching class this upcoming Spring semester, so I can make the next step in design.

Also I am hoping to learn how to make patterns for sewing so that I can start making some of my own designs.  

As a young adult I understand the desire to have a lot of different clothes so that you always have something fresh to wear, but the reality is no one my age has the money or closet space to purchase an extensive amount of clothing.  That is why my style tip for this week is more of a buying tip if anything.  QUALITY QUALITY QUALITY is what clothing is all about.  It is much more logical to buy less clothing with better quality because if you examine the cost per wear (cost of garment / # of wears = cost per wear) of each garment you will get much more life out of a piece and save money in the long run.  While your cost per outfit (cost of each garment in an outfit added together) will be more expensive initially, you will eventually see the benefits of purchasing less for more.  Yes you will have less clothes, but the clothes that you do have will fit you better and look nicer for longer.  For example, say you are in the market for a new jacket and you would like it to be a bomber jacket.  If you would decide to take the cheaper route you could buy the Navy Mirco Twill Producer Suit from www.express.com for about $350.  This will be a good looking suit for a cheap price, allowing you possibly purchase another suit for the same price.

Cost per wear for 50 wears would be $7 dollars for this Express suit.  Now, if you take the road less traveled and buy a better quality suit for a higher price you should get more wears out of the garment.  Let's say you purchase the Duckie Brown Gentleman Suit for $695 retail (currently 33% off for $465.65) at http://shop.nordstrom.com.

Cost per wear for the retail price of $695 over the duration of 150 wears (we can assume that the high quality suit will last longer, which is the reason for the extra 100 wears) is $4.6 dollars.  Nordstrom's will also offer free tailoring for your suit, which is a service that Express will not offer.  The importance of tailoring is that your suit will fit you better, which will make you look better than a suit that is "close enough" to your body's dimensions.  I would recommend you do the math on all clothing purchases you make by asking "Will it make more sense to buy a less quality garments or buy more quantity garments?".  Lastly, do your homework and find out what good quality is before you shop, just because something is expensive does not necessarily make it any high quality.

Thank you for reading and check back in next week for the latest SQUAD CLOTH blog post.  HOME OF THE FULLGROWN.

OVERSIZED

Hello All,
Thanks for checking out SQUAD CLOTH'S blog post this week!

SQUAD has been set back this week unfortunately because the Ohio area codes shirt has been delayed until after the holidays.  Printer progress has slowed and the shirts I ordered for the design have not come in yet, which is the main reason for the date being pushed back.  So, next month I will be making the area codes shirt as well as the original fullgrown shirt in black instead of the previous white colorway.  I am considering making the fullgrown shirt a pre-order only so I am not stuck with a lot of stock to sell.

A trend that has been popular this year is wearing oversized tops with skinny or slim fitted bottoms.  Personally this is one of my favorite trends because I have always loved wearing baggy t-shirts since that is how skateboarders tend to wear their shirts.  Also, wearing longer shirts covers up any underwear that might be showing from slouched pants, which is the true reason I am in love with this trend.  I always have my underwear showing so wearing baggy oversized clothing on top helps me out a lot.  This style can be worn by both men and women to look very stylish.  For men I would recommend an oversized sports jersey, baggy vintage sweater, or the new long and drapey (street wear goth style) shirt from stores like pac sun and urban outfitters for fairly cheap prices.

Women should wear a simple knit sweater and pair that with some yoga pants (for the basic bitches) or jeans.  Simply add a pair of flats, or heels and a clutch to match for an outfit that will show that you can put subtle outfits together that make a fashion statement.

These are just suggestions, but the great thing about this trend is that you can really play around with it by just trying on baggy tops and seeing if they provide you with the look you are trying to achieve.

I appreciate everyone who check out the blog post this week and check back next week for more from SQUAD CLOTH.  HOME OF THE FULLGROWN.

Destroyed Denim

Hello All,
Thanks for checking out this week's blog post from SQUAD CLOTH!

SQUAD has been a little stagnant because I have been busy with finals and my printer has been swamped with work.  So, I am going to hopefully get another printer to quickly produce the Ohio area codes shirt.  When I get back to Ohio from San Diego I will be putting the tags in the tie dye dipped button downs and putting them on the website for purchase.  Over my winter break I am also planning to do an update to the website and take a lot more photos of all the gear.  I have sketched a lot this week though and while my work still needs improvement, my progression is very visible compared to day one.

I wanted to talk about something that I have been doing for about a year now that is really beginning to gain popularity once again.  Extremely destroyed and distressed denim is back once again, which is awesome because I love this style.  The nice thing about extremely destroyed jeans is that you do not have to pair them with other intricate or complex pieces because the jeans can be the center piece of the outfit.  While you can wear shirts with prints and other things of that nature, I feel that a minimalistic approach to your outfit is the best way to go in this case.  I would go with a light washed pair of destroyed jeans with a neutral colored basic shirt and shoes, allowing the holes in the jeans to really attract the eye.  Having all the holes in the winter can be chilly for you legs, but thats what spandex leggings or long johns are for and they will look great if you can match them with you top.  If you have any gold jewelry it will really pop with this simple outfit.  This look is also very inexpensive to achieve because you can destroy the pants your self quite easily with a pair of scissors and sand paper.  Just look on youtube for step by step instructions on how to destroy are pair of pants.

Thank you for checking out the SQUAD CLOTH blog this week and check back in for the latest from the brand.  SQUAD CLOTH.  HOME OF THE FULLGROWN.

LADDDIEESSSSS

Hello All,
Thanks for checking out this weeks latest SQUAD CLOTH blog post.

This week SQUAD finished two new shirts, the East Knox basketball shirt and the tie dye dipped button-down.

I plan to do photo shoots for both shirts when I am in Ohio again and hopefully I can find new girls willing to model for SQUAD.  Within the next two weeks I am also preparing for the Ohio area codes t-shirt, which will be made before Christmas hopefully.

Lastly, I am hoping to make one more shirt for the Winter, but I just haven't decided what I should make because I have so many different designs that I could produce.  This week has not been a productive one for designs though because of the ever looming threat of finals this upcoming week.

Now this week I wanted to switch it up and give some tips for the ladies we all love so much.  In case you were unaware, everyone has different body types depending on the width of their hips, waist, and bust.  An hourglass figure (body type X) is the ideal figure for women, but realistically not everyone can achieve this actual body type.  Fortunately, there are ways with clothing to create illusions that will distract the eye to help you achieve this curvy figure.  For example, let's say you are body type A (narrow shoulders in comparison to the hips) and you want to bring attention to your upper body to help create the hourglass look.  Essentially you need to show off your arms and shoulders while at the same time reducing the appearance of your hips.  In order to do this, I would recommend that you wear dark and dull colors on your lower half, while wearing bright and vibrant colors on your upper half.  This alone won't get the job done though, so you should wear clothing that shows off your shoulders like a boat neckline dress or peasant blouse.

Pretty Lady Peasant Blouse from Auguste Frank
$105 @ http://shopplanetblue.com

Boat Neckline Lace Dress from
http://www.chicnova.com for
$28

 You could also make your arms appear wider instead of just your shoulders by wearing a kimono or a blouse with puff sleeves, in order to draw the eyes outwards naturally from the center of your upper body.

Oversize Kimono from http://us.asos.com for $66.33

This can be done for any body type and for men as well, you just have to look online for your specific proportions.  I learned this majority of this material in my fashion selection classes.

Thank you for reading and check back next week for the latest blog post.  SQUAD CLOTH.  HOME OF THE FULLGROWN.

Shoe Adjustment

Hello All,

Thank you for checking out SQUAD CLOTH’S blog post this week!

This past weekend Squad had a black friday sale that did decent, which was great for the first sale we have ever had.  I also talked to our printer, the tie dye dipped button downs and the East Knox Basketball shirt will both be printed this week.  Following those releases, I intend to start production of the Ohio area codes shirt just in time for Christmas.  This will most likely be the largest release for us so I am excited to see how it sells based off of the exceptional responses I have received from the initial design.  On a separate note, a student from East Knox contacted me earlier today expressing his respect for what I am trying to create.  He also stated that it was inspiring to see someone who graduated from his high school trying to build something all their own.  While money and notoriety are great it is not why I am trying to create a clothing brand.  I want to create something for people like myself who have ambition and dare to dream bigger than what our social circles allow us to.  Most importantly I want to create something that people think is cool and meaningful to them.  It is only a dream until it becomes reality, but you have to be willing to sacrifice what others won't in order for it to happen.  In time Squad will be the reality I have only dreamed about.

For the style tip this week I wanted to talk about footwear since my interest for fashion is heavily rooted in sneakers.  I feel like Jordan’s are are classic silhouette that cannot go out of style, but all of the retros as of late are really starting to kill the cool vibe about the jumpman.  I have seen too many kids in high school wearing J’s or other basketball shoes and that is pretty much their outfit besides some elite socks.  Instead of spending all of this money on the basketball shoes and having no money leftover to really cultivate an outfit, I have an alternative.  WEAR RUNNERS!  Running shoes are a cheap and cool alternative to the basketball shoe, which will allow you to create a more complete outfit or just have more shoes in general.  Newer designs like the roshe run, flyknits, and inneva woven from Nike tend to thinner which is great for jogger pants, but can be problematic unless you are very good at cuffing normal pants.  

For this problem I would suggest buying an older running shoe from the 90’s for example, because they generally have a wider, more padded tongue, which is great for placing the cuff of the jeans behind.  Shoes like the Nike Air Max 90,95, and 1 are always being made in new color ways and have thick tongues.  Asics Gel Lyte 5, New Balance M530, and Adidas ZX Runners are all good options with a thicker tongue as well.

Thanks for reading and check in next week for the latest blog post.  SQUAD CLOTH.  HOME OF THE FULLGROWN.