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Rockhart Clothing Interview
Who is Rockhart Clothing?
Andrew of Rockhart Clothing is a longtime fan of Jeff Finley‘s book, Thread’s Not Dead. Recently he reached out to us here at Go Media, and we were so impressed by what he’s doing we decided to feature an interview with him, right here on the GoMediaZine!
Rockhart Clothing’s mission is to create designer apparel for gamers that rocks. Their gear is for real gamers who want to be taken seriously. They’re adding rock and roll style to the video game apparel market, and finally giving adults a way to show off their favorite games. You won’t find any cutesy, cheesy, or lame designs on their site. Only awesome concepts professionally printed on the highest quality garments available. Their motto is, “gamers have grown up and it’s time their clothing did too.”
The Interview
Go Media recently had the opportunity to converse with Andrew about his company and we would like to share it with all of you, our readers.
GoMediaZine:
Who are you and what is Rockhart?
Andrew of Rockhart Clothing:
My name is Andrew, and I’m a graphic designer/illustrator/gamer living in Portland, OR. I’m the one-man show behind Rockhart — a retro video game themed clothing line that is styled after rock n’ roll clothing and culture.
GoMediaZine:
What made you want to start a clothing company?
Andrew of Rockhart Clothing:
It started when a few of my designs were printed on some tee-of-the-day sites like TeeFury. There was just something so awesome about people wearing a graphic you designed. I saw starting a clothing line as not only a creative outlet, but a way to build something from the ground up that was all my own (instead of relying on other sites to sell my shirts for me). I had always wanted to start my own company, and a video game clothing line seemed to be the perfect fit.
GoMediaZine:
In a world where everyone starts a clothing company, how is yours different?
Andrew of Rockhart Clothing:
My mission is to provide designer apparel for gamers that rocks. I think Rockhart stands out from the crowd by the quality of the designs and the materials used to make the shirts. I try to design something that not only looks cool, but really brings up a feeling of nostalgia about a specific game or system. I only print on fashion fit tees (right now I use American Apparel and Next Level) using discharge inks; which is more than I can say for the horde of uninspired parody shirts which mashup pop culture references and print them on cheap tees using heavy plastic inks which are flooding the market in an effort to make a cheap buck.
GoMediaZine:
You said you read Thread’s Not Dead, how did that help or change your plans?
Andrew of Rockhart Clothing:
This book, along with the crowd at Mintees, helped me with choosing a printer, packaging, and setting up the website. I’m positive your guy’s advice and expertise saved me hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in costly mistakes that would have probably killed my brand before it even got started.
GoMediaZine:
Launching a clothing brand is the easy part, how do you plan on growing your brand?
Andrew of Rockhart Clothing:
I want to release new designs more often, as well as non-T-shirt merchandise like custom jackets, art toys, and maybe even home-brew NES carts. But that’s just me thinking long term. I have a sketchbook full of ideas and I can’t wait to turn them into something cool for my customers. I also have something new coming out very soon… So keep your eyes out for that!
GoMediaZine:
What was the hardest or most challenging thing you’ve overcome thus far with your brand?
Andrew of Rockhart Clothing:
Promoting my brand has always been the biggest challenge. I’ve gotten a lot better at it, but you can always be on more blogs, talk to more people, and do more social media to get your brand out there. Speaking of which, you guys should really check out Rockhart’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
GoMediaZine:
What is your favorite part about your brand?
Andrew of Rockhart Clothing:
Well if I really wanted to, I wouldn’t have to do laundry for a year; so, that’s pretty cool… but I’d have to say the best part is the people I’ve met through the brand. Customers, fellow retro gamers, or even competitors. It’s just fun to talk to like-minded people who are as excited about the same things you are!
GoMediaZine:
If there was one thing you wish was answered in Thread’s Not Dead, what is that?
Andrew of Rockhart Clothing:
That’s a tough one. The book was very thorough, but I think some more info on selling at conventions, festivals, and even trade shows would be nice. I did a lot of research before my first convention and I still made a lot of mistakes that I made sure not to repeat the next time.
GoMediaZine:
What kind of advice would you give our readers?
Andrew of Rockhart Clothing:
The more work you put in, the more you get out. No one’s going to go out of their way to promote your stuff except for you. Sales come from hard work and connecting with people who can help your business grow.
