Victor Lau is a talented designer who has merged his interest in design and t-shirt to launch a thriving t-shirt line called Kapo Clothing. He is a true go-getter and is very dedicated to seeing his vision through. He shares with us his journey and some invaluable tips and advice that may prove to be helpful to anyone who wish to follow a similar path.
Make sure to read all the way through the interview to get Victor's great tips and find out how you can help him launch his spring 2012 line.
P+S: Tell me a little bit about yourself and Kapo
Clothing.
VL: My name is Victor Lau,
originally from Peru, but a proud New Yorker for the last 18 years. I’m a
director/motion graphics freelance designer here in New York. I direct music
videos, commercials, and on-air design for different TV
networks freelancing under my production
company called Kapo Entertainment.
Kapo Clothing, the sister
company of Kapo Entertainment, was launched in the summer of 2011. It’s a small
t-shirt line that I started as another outlet for creativity. As a freelance
designer who gets paid to create COMMERCIAL work for other companies there was
just a need to produce something more personal and meaningful for the world.
The word Kapo, is a hispanic/latino slang, which means master of your craft.
It's a word that it’s in the collective consciousness of latinos. For example,
one might say that Michael Jordan is the KAPO of basketball etc.
P+S: When did your interest for design and t-shirts
start?
VL: I believe that I was born with the itch.
Growing up I was always involved with art in some way or another. In school and
at home I was always drawing and painting. I can recall when I was about 6-7
years old I grabbed a rock from the street and carved number 1’s on the hood,
the roof, and the doors of my dad’s silver Toyota. I guess I wanted to
transform his car into a racing car. Fair to say my father was not pleased but
in retrospect I feel like it was probably my very first canvas. Then in High
School, I designed my graduating class of 99’ senior t-shirt that should have
been a sign of what was to come. But it wasn’t until I got to the School at the
School of Visual Arts that I took some silkscreen classes that really made it
possible for me to materialize some of my ideas. Maybe that is where my
interest for t-shirts started.
P+S: What motivated you to merge your love for the two to
launch this line?
VL: When I started buying and
collecting t-shirts it’s when I started to pay more attention to the details of
the t-shirts that I definitely loved and the details that I would definitely
improve on if I had my own line. I guess you could say that my t-shirt
collection was my field research into the different brands, cuts, and designs out
there. After I had collected enough t-shirts from independent companies and big
brands I had a good idea of what the market had to offer me. Then, I decided
that I needed to make my own since there were a couple of ideas I had not seen
yet and a lot of the t-shirts I had purchased were lacking a real sense of
quality when it came to materials used, bothersome tags, or real rough
silkscreen prints. I took all of these details into account when making the
Kapo t-shirts and as a result our t-shirts are made with fitted fine Peruvian
cotton 40/1, have silkscreened tags, go through a dye emulsification print
process, and are prewashed for no shrinking.
P+S: How did it all start and how has it developed since the
launch?
VL: I had been talking about having my own t-shirt line for
years but the reason why it took me so long to get it started was that I had
trouble finding the right manufacturer. I didn’t want to use American apparel
like many other independent companies did. I wanted an original cut and wanted
the control of using our very own materials. Luckily, in 2010 I found a great
company that I work with from Peru. The quality of the t-shirts are amazing,
the t-shirts feel good on you, and that really sets the brand apart from the
majority of the t-shirt lines out there. I’ve had to learn a whole lot very
quickly and roll with the reality of what sells and where it sells. In a way I
have been living the “how to make it in America” scenarios in order to get the
brand out there. Kapo has only had 1 run of 6
t-shirt designs so far but since our launch I believe that we have honed in our
key demographic and who our key customers really are.
P+S: How would you describe the style of the Kapo
Clothing t-shirts? Who is your target market?
VL: I would say Kapo has a unique hand drawn/renegade style that
addresses unique subject matter that is both relevant and historic. The
concepts of the first 6 designs that we launched this summer have a more ethnic
feel. That's partly because I was born in Peru but grew up in New York and I
wanted that duality to reflect on the concepts and artwork of the line. Kapo
tackles certain racial issues with wit (sudaka t-shirt), pays tribute to certain war
heroes (bolognesi, tupac), and brings a little quirky humor to people live's
(pisco, llama love, this is love).
I would say people ages 25-34 are our main buyers and
followed closely by people ages 18-24. I believe that our buyers are
independent thinkers that are a little bit tired of the big brands, overpriced
clothes, and are looking for designs that are original and well made.
**P+S note: Read about some background information on the design concepts behind these 3 Kapo Clothing t-shirts at the end of the interview**
**P+S note: Read about some background information on the design concepts behind these 3 Kapo Clothing t-shirts at the end of the interview**
P+S: What inspires your work?
VL: Anything and everything: culture, music, history, travel, movies, love and current events.
P+S: Did you find that learning all the nuts and bolts of putting together a t-shirt line difficult?
If so how did you get over the hurdles?
VL: I am a designer so for me particularly making the artwork of the line and choosing the cut of the t-shirts and materials wasn’t the difficult part. I feel that the biggest hurdle is actually selling and marketing your self. There is a lot of competition out there and you have to make a lot of calls, have active social networks, send out many samples, and knock a lot of doors to get your foot in the door. But you have to push through. You can’t give up the first time you get turned down by a store. It is also really important knowing what part of the city has the biggest market of buyers for you. As much as you’d think that having your t-shirts in as many stores as possible might be good for you. Finding the right places to position your t-shirts is even more important (talking strictly about the independent lines).
P+S: What gave you the strength to keep going when faced with challenges?
VL: I have an innate drive in me. I put 100% of myself into everything I do and just the thought that you can’t fail if you never give up.
P+S: Do you work with a team or is Kapo Clothing a one-man show?
VL: Right now Kapo Clothing is just me handling the design and finances but have a lot of support from my girlfriend Bella and Luis Alberto Zarate, my partner in Peru.
P+S: How do you balance running a business with the other work that you do as a freelance designer?
VL: It is not easy but since my work requires me to be behind a computer all day. I am able to stay on top of all the communications necessary to run the business. Also my free time I have devoted to going to festivals, calling stores, sending out samples, promoting the line, and making new designs. Getting the different stores to carry your line it’s really a full time job. I visited all the small stores/boutiques in New York that carried independent designers this summer and that was very time consuming ordeal.
P+S: How has the response been so far?
VL: Response has been great considering the fact that this was our first run and that we are a new brand. We have sold half our inventory and we’ve also had some achievements. In 2011 Kapo t-shirts were worn by the following artists: Enanitos Verdes, Charlie Parra, Salim Vera (libido & royalvalet), Pepe Alva, and rapper Mr. Naughty Pants.
We have been featured and reviewed on many blogs as well which are listed on our website- http://www.kapoclothing.com/
We were featured on Peruvian television when Charlie Parra wore our “sudaka” t-shirt. Time 2:10
Our “llama love” t-shirt was featured on “La Ruta” music video by Royalvalet as well.
P+S: What do you think has been most instrumental to your success?
VL: Doing what you love. You’ve got to believe it yourself before anyone else can actually believe in you and/or your project.
P+S: What’s the best part about launching this line?
VL: I love seeing people wearing something I’ve made. It is the same feeling as when I see music videos or commercials on TV that I have directed. It is that sense of fulfillment that translates into happiness.
P+S: What is the most important lesson going through this journey has taught you?
VL: It has taught me how to be more organized and efficient with my time. It has also taught me that you get back as much as you put into it.
P+S: What future plans do you have for Kapo Clothing?
VL: I'm currently working on new designs that are NEW YORK themed. Plans are to print new designs for the spring 2012. I just launched a KICKSTARTER page this week to help gather funds to print our new tshirts.
The people that donate to our KICKSTARTER page will get free t-shirts in return for their PLEDGE and the ones that make big donations will get to choose which designs get printed.
Additionally, I would also like to get into bigger chain stores and more boutique stores in New York and other states.
P+S: Do you have any tips, advice or word of encouragement you can give the P+S readers who are also looking to start a venture like yours?
VL: Register and incorporate your company. Make sure you copyright the designs you print. Additionally, I would recommend printing more designs and less quantity. Make limited edition runs. Be a shameless self-promoter and send your samples to the right people. Use the social networks to your advantage. Buy from independent companies and big brands. Compare and contrast design and quality. Be optimistic.
P+S: Where can we find Kapo Clothing?
VL: On our online store:
We also have a list of stores on our website that you can visit in New York to purchase our t-shirts.
P+S: How can people connect with you online?
VL: We have very active facebook and twitter accounts.
We also post pictures that customers send us wearing our Kapo t-shirts. The picture album is called “Kapo Clothing in the World”. It's a fun way to keep in touch with our customers and see who is wearing our brand.
Thanks Victor for sharing your journey with us and congratulations on launching the line. I'm looking forward to seeing Kapo Clothing in many stores in the future. I'm rooting for you!
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TUPAC AMARU II
Did you know that Tupac Shakur, the rapper, was named after Tupac Amaru II? The famous rapper was named after this Peruvian martyr who was quartered in a main plaza by Spaniards for trying to free his people from Spanish rule. Shakur's mother heard the story when she was a black panther and named her son after him.
PISCO
Pisco is a distilled brandy from Peru that it's being compared to the Peruvian hairless dog in our t-shirt. The reason being that there are similar stories happening with both Pisco and the hairless dog. Nobody wanted Pisco until it started making millions in sales for Chile when they started exporting their own copy of our Pisco. Currently, the long forgotten hairless dog is regaining popularity because of their high demand in Europe. And in our illustration "Pisco" – the hairless dog is marking his territory.
THIS IS LOVE
A humorous poke at what love can mean to certain people. The praying mantis is known to bite of the head of their male counter part as they begin mating to increase the production of sperm.
Thanks Victor for sharing your journey with us and congratulations on launching the line. I'm looking forward to seeing Kapo Clothing in many stores in the future. I'm rooting for you!
----
Some background information on the design concepts behind 3 Kapo Clothing T-Shirts:
TUPAC AMARU II
Did you know that Tupac Shakur, the rapper, was named after Tupac Amaru II? The famous rapper was named after this Peruvian martyr who was quartered in a main plaza by Spaniards for trying to free his people from Spanish rule. Shakur's mother heard the story when she was a black panther and named her son after him.
PISCO
Pisco is a distilled brandy from Peru that it's being compared to the Peruvian hairless dog in our t-shirt. The reason being that there are similar stories happening with both Pisco and the hairless dog. Nobody wanted Pisco until it started making millions in sales for Chile when they started exporting their own copy of our Pisco. Currently, the long forgotten hairless dog is regaining popularity because of their high demand in Europe. And in our illustration "Pisco" – the hairless dog is marking his territory.
THIS IS LOVE
A humorous poke at what love can mean to certain people. The praying mantis is known to bite of the head of their male counter part as they begin mating to increase the production of sperm.
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