The Clothing: From hobby to business

BUSINESS BITS
Roderick L. Abad

Graffiti was generally equated with vandalism perpetuated by street gangs and political activists who scribbled or painted rude or radical inscriptions, slogans and drawings on walls and other public and private surfaces without permission.

However, political developments in the last few decades worldwide have made graffiti acceptable, considered as street art even, so long as they do not degrade property and structures—remember Western Berliners painting on their side of the Wall in the 1980s before its fall?

Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, have been quick to recognize in graffiti another art form that could be used to generate business gains. The clothing industry in particular has embraced this form of expression, with Tshirts as the natural canvas for their radical, atypical and even extreme messages.

One of the many clothing brands that carry so-called graffiti shirts is THE, sold by The Clothing at Cubao X, an artists’ haven at the Araneta Center in Quezon City. The Clothing was an offshoot of the common hobby of its founders, Jerik Robleza and Dino Sarmiento, of making T-shirts printed with graffiti designs for their own use. Little did they know that such a shared pastime could have viable business potential.

Early on, Robleza and Sarmiento’s friends and family members who saw them donning their own creations commissioned them to make the same kind of T-shirts for them.
The two, with the collaboration of friends Auggie Fontanilla and Mara Reyes, then formalized the business in late 2007.

The unique name they adopted for their business, THE, reflected precisely what they envisioned their shirts to become, “a particular member of its class.” As a part of speech, “the” is a definite article used before a noun, “with a specifying effect.” To start off their venture, the four dipped into their savings and raised P30,000 as seed capital for the business.

With this amount, they were able to produce 25 pieces of graffiti shirts they designed with “punk-rock” style. Without a physical store, they would then sell their products online and by joining trade events. “We would just set up a table and pull up a poster whenever there was an event,” Sarmiento recalls. “And from there, people started to notice our shirts and, eventually, patronized them.”

Although still a newbie in the T-shirt industry with just over two years under its belt, the owners have apparently made a mark in this cutthroat industry where artistry and commitment are key factors.

With “people who love art on shirt” as their target market in mind, they run the business on their own in a “very personalized” way—from conceptualizing to printing and packaging—and in a quick-strike manner, much like graffiti artists who must finish their work on public spaces before the public officer arrives. The owners are dedicated to showcasing local talents in their shirts by collaborating with a lot of Filipino artists—from local graffiti artists to illustrators, disc jockeys and visual artists.

Some of The Clothing’s featured artists are Kid Dragon, Ungga, Boy Agimat, Analog, DJ Eggboy, EPJey, Mara Reyes, Wiji Lacsamana, and Otto Reterdo. What’s more, they continue to patronize local products by sourcing raw materials from suppliers in Malabon and Quezon City. “Giving importance to Filipino artistry is the strong selling point we have,” says Fontanilla. “This sets us apart from our competitors.”

Since the inauguration of The Clothing flagship store at Cubao X in September 2009, T-shirt aficionados have been kind to them. Apart from graffiti shirts, they now offer jeans, hoodies and jackets, as well as denim leggings designed by Reyes. In the future, Robleza says they hope to connect with boutiques or shops abroad, where they could sell their own line of products. “We wish the artists who design for us to become popular around the world as well,” he stresses.