Do you support indie brands?

[rasclaaat]

For about a decade I've worked for indie clothing/retail companies and I try to show love to as many other indie companies as possible. Recently there are lot of corporate-backed stores and brands brands jumping on the "streetwear" bandwagon, acting like they were started out of a garage or a basement and that shit annoys me no end - especially when I know they were sellin UFO and waving glowsticks just four years ago when they thought that was the trend to profit off of. I'm just interested to ask tho, do you, the hypebeast consumer, attach any type of value to indie brands and the products they work hard to put out? I ask this because as this market grows we're going to see more and more corporate attempts to replicate what brands like The Hundreds or 10Deep have achieved, same with retailers too...

PS by "indie" I mean: financial gain was not the primary/sole motivation for getting into this, that you have no corporate backers and you got in the game for the love of it, not because it was a trend.

And as an interesting follow-up what do heads think of brands like LRG that started out indie, then accepted corporate backing and blew up and watered down??

The brands that get mentioned here on HB range from what i think of as indie: rockers nyc, 100s, etc right thru to corporate giants like new era and north face and Uniqlo and i'm just wondering if anyone besides myself gives a shit about this sort of stuff

[steppingrazor]

as a retailer, seeing corporate stores picking up these lines cuz they are hot annoys me to no end.

[c.lopez]

i think it is fine for an indie brand to go mainstream so long as they recognize this and attribute themselves as a mainstream corporation and dont try to front. everyone has to eat and as companies expand and more poeple know about them they will,, i feel,, inevitably become bigger and enter the mainstream.

first it was lrg.. now it is ten deep.. soon it will be another brand.. but w.e,, there are always more and more indie brands popping up.. and it is those names which intrigue me cuz i enjoy throwing on a teee and some denim and being asked where i bought the stuff everywhere i go,, and telling the ppl not to even bother cuz its sold out..,

[Sweet-Revenge]

I love Indie brands, mainly cuz their stuff is reasonably priced and you're less likely to see it on alot of ppl..

Later http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/images/smilies/headbang2.gif

[Marco Enrique]

I personally like indie brands because I feel like there is more creativity going on with the styles..I also think that..no, matter of fact I know that any time you put something up for sale, it's commercial.I mean it's cool to do it for the love I think most indie brands are in it for just that, and I think that's the reason behind the more creative and innovative styles we see...A lot of giant corporate companies, go more mainstream and watered down with what's considered "safe" to keep that cash flowing.

That being said Method Man told yall Cash Rules Everything Around Me and at the end of the day that's what it's really gona be about.You're obviously not gona keep something alive with out the cash...

I think it's a good thing when you do see a company that can maintain a balance though and still keep it fresh and innovative..I'm not mad at LRG at all because to me they're still doin' their thing - in fact I think them getting the money has allowed them to do greater styles in my opinion.They have their main stuff which I'm sure is in every mall but they still got a lot of tight pieces -

I'd compare it to Nike even..who's gona hate on the fact that a corporate behemoth like them does what they do - look how many designers freak different styles of the Dunks, the Court and Air Forces, etc...

Some of these small companies it's cool if they can stay small and limited like that, especially if they wana do that but somehow they have to structure it so they can get their money even if it's just enough to go from season to season..that would be a true hobby brand for the owners, like real love of just puttin their shit out..

that's not to say that someone who's more on the money tip will put out a product that's less fly somehow, or bangwagon or any other negative.. I think that most companies wouldn't mind a wider audience, and more sales.. it's the fact that they are small in the firstplace that doesn't allow them to compete until...more money.

[entangledvyne]

indie designers are good cuz they are always stepping their game up that much more.. i mean if ecko came out with a shit line kids would buy it because of the name. But if a new indie designer comes out with something that isnt the hottest thing out there, they are left in the dust with no buyers and negative profits. soon to be completely out of the game. So yah i support indie brands, cuz they are always keeping the game fresh.

[IHaveAPosse]

i love indie brands but the fact is you cant hype a culture as being independent and creative when that very culture would be nothing without nike

also if this shit was all about creativity then 10deep would just give their shit away, C.R.E.A.M.

[rasclaaat]

^^ well no one said you can't make money and be indie at the same time. obviously we're not expecting anyone to give clothing away, let's be serious here. Even indie businesses have to make money to move forward. If anything indie businesses are held back by their lack of funds to invest in all the projects they dream up.

Also, while I do think that heads into this game are usually also into sneakers...i disagree that we owe anything to Nike...Nike haven't done anything for me...and I fail to see how they encouraged us to start our own t-shirt brands, or anything else for that matter.