Feeling blue because you need a new wardrobe but can't spend your savings on something trendy and flashy that will go out of style as quickly as 'MAGIC: The Gathering'? Well, look no further… Jason Bergmann, co-founder of ANZA Clothing, has answers for you – oh yeah, they make killer tees too.
What is the inspiration for ANZA's t-shirt line?
The classics, but with a modern twist – think 'Down and Out in Beverly Hills', Chanel No. 5, Old Spice, etc. It could be described as streetwear or lifestyle, even though I hate the term lifestyle.
Are you planning on expanding the collection? Any other future plans you can tell us about?
In the future, we are planning on expanding into other categories such as fleece and bottoms but we are starting off with tees, which makes it easier to get placement. We plan on doing some really fun events to get people excited about the brand – that’s about all I can tell you, though, because I don’t want to ruin any surprises.
Everyone seems to think that they can just launch a t-shirt line these days, but ANZA did really well at the tradeshows - what contributed to your success?
Because we have longstanding relationships with textile/production companies and key retailers, we’ve been able to make our pieces for a competitive cost and our retail prices reflect that. We’ve trademarked a cool braided detailing on the shoulder seams of some of our tees, which was a huge hit at the recent tradeshows.
You said that you have longstanding relationships with production companies - where were you before this?
I worked with Ambiguous clothing since its launch. Since then I’ve worked on a couple of my own side projects, one being a design and production company called GroupHomme. We have a pop-up shop venue for rent in a rad part of Los Feliz and constantly have fresh, new guys' brands there - pretty soon we’ll be carrying ANZA.
Who are your partners?
Sam is our head designer and Greg works on the business side of things - we’re all involved in every aspect of the company though.
These guys will make a splash in the LA fashion scene soon and you will want to be the first to get in on it so stay tuned for more from ANZA Clothing.
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