NEWD Clothing
First off, it stands for Nothing Else Will Do. It is the mastermind of my friend, Patrick. He was typing a paper in College in ’96 or ’97, and typoed this word, NEWD. We looked at it a bit, and Nothing Else Will Do came out. It pretty much stuck. In fact, I started playing with the letters, and sketched out the teardrop logo then. I pretty much sat on it since then waiting for the right time to use it.
Until 2006, I had some friends that were pretty fashionable, and at the time I was pre-selling condos at a project downtown. The developers pretty much required us to be there full time, so I was bored. While I watched my real estate career slip away, I decided to do something to supplement my income. I told a few people my idea, with the name and all, and the loved it. It is catchy, edgy and fun. So, I started printing shirts.
I started with a men’s shirt with the acronym all spelled out, and a women’s tank with “I’m His Mistress” on the front. They both sold pretty quickly, so I had to come up with new designs, and new products. The line currently contains hats, dresses, polos and a bikini. I have a pretty good eye for what will look good, but creating it is a whole other problem. So I started partnering with local artists to come up with the designs. I thought of it as a way to promote them, while promoting myself.
It has turned out to be a good decision because my line is pretty broad since every artist has a different idea about their art. I’ve had designs from Olga Thomas, Johnny Castro, Timster Rockstar, and Steven Wells. I have a great relationship with all of them.
The business has really evolved from when it started. I have always printed on the highest quality blanks, but now I do all the printing In-House. Printing everything myself has really allowed me to tweak my designs and placement without the cost of using an outside source. It also helps keep my overall pricing down, since most shirts have printing in 2-5 locations. I used to pay more for the printing then I did for the shirts. The companies I get the blanks from really have great products; it just took a while to find them. The one thing I hear time after time is “That shirt fits so good” or “It is so comfortable.” Often times my printed shirts are less then my vendors sell their blanks for, so I think it is a great value.
Right now I am gearing up for a couple of events. The first is hosting Bad Boy Records and Atlantic Records. They are looking for models for upcoming videos and print ads for any of the clothing lines under their ownership umbrella. They are also looking at DJ’s. We are still working on the final details, but we are shooting for October 17th. The next event on the horizon is Project in New York. It is a retail buyers event held twice a year in New York, and twice a year in Vegas. I am going to attend the Vegas show in September and participate in the New York show in November. It is a big step for my company, but I am ready to take NEWD to the next level.
Currently, you can find some of the women’s line at MPtwo on Cathedral Square. Most of the line is available at the brand new “Dirty Earth” at 2534 S. KK in Bay View. I am actively searching out stores to carry the line around the Mid-West. I’m also in a store in Chicago, but looking for more exposure. And, of course the entire product line is available online at www.getNEWD.com.
-Rob Kessler
Go get’em Kess!
Start a newd world order!