By Roger Tino Morales in Chicago/Vivelo Hoy
The Art of Capturing the Daily Routine in a Product
CHICAGO - The simple, the interesting, the funny, the popular around the world, is what we try to capture in each product launched on the market Ricardo "Mouse" Rivera and Tim Nicholson, co-owners of 'Cool Socks Bruh' .
Both established the company in January last year and say business is booming because their customers identify with their pieces, which simply reflect the natural, normal culture in which they are immersed.
From socks to mugs or candles the image of either a rapper, or late singer Selena Quintanilla or the Chicago Bulls, they all give life to 'Cool Socks Bruh'.
Tim Nicholson and Ricardo "Mouse" Rivera, co-owners of 'Cool Socks Bruh'. ROGER MORALES / TODAY
In each product, Rivera and Nicholson trying to capture not only the inspiration of his own, but that of those around them. Childhood experiences when playing Nintendo; adolescence when one tried smoking, and even dreams of having a Rolex.
Rivera and Nicholson say that creativity has been part of their lives for so long.
Rivera has worked for years in the boutique Saint Alfreds in Wicker Park, and Nicholson has years dedicated to graphics for video games; But not everything comes from there, much of his inspiration he says he gets from his friends, the sensitivity surrounding painters, musicians, fashion designers, and it reflect on his label, and the designs of their products.
A candle designed by 'Cool Socks Bruh' with the image of a rapper named Cam'ron. ROGER MORALES / TODAY
How did the idea to establish the business come about?
Ricardo J. Rivera: It was an idea that Tim and I started. It all started when I took a pair of socks with the image of the rapper Camron. Not made with the idea of selling them, I made them for me, I showed them to my friends and it all started when I put them on the internet.
Where does the passion come from?
Rivera: I am creative, it's cultural, it comes from inside. (It's about) what one sees every day, the music plays, television shows you see, to be on the internet all day. I want everything you do in your daily routine to be integrated into our creation.
Tim Nicholson: The passion and inspiration comes from many sides, of different things. The people are what really inspires me (because) everybody does something creative, music, photography or painting. All that inspires me and helps me create.
A most famous pair of socks designed by 'Cool Socks Bruh' was the replica of a bag of Hot Cheetos. ROGER TINO MORALES | TODAY
And when how do you handle when times get tough?
TN: Things are not easy, but we are fighting to establish a brand and starting from scratch. What you invest is what you get back
RR: When the going gets tough usually what I try to do is stay positive as I can. That comes from my mom and dad who were immigrants when they came here, they had nothing. Now when I do business, patience keeps me serene.
Socks designed by 'Cool Socks Bruh'. Tino Roger Morales | Today
What distinguishes your brand?
TN: Fun. Life is short and we must make it pleasant, we want to create and inspire people because we were also inspired.
RR: Our creations make different homes shine. (Consumers)acquire items with which they identify with.
A cup of coffee with a designed created by 'Cool Socks Bruh' which was inspired by Nintendo video game Street Fighter. ROGER TINO MORALES | TODAY
What have you learned from your business?
TN: That any thought you have, you can make it happen when you put your energy into it.
RR: I learned to be more serious, to be patient, to be a little more cautious, answer timely and to be punctual.
How does it feel to receive orders from all over the world?
TN: We think of the borders and lines that separate countries; and that people like the same things as us; indeed the first store that sold our products were in Japan!
RR: Seeing that our brand is consumed by the (Japanese) culture teaches us that we also have followers there. We're just trying to get ahead. Art is universal and what we bring is better.
A lighter with the logo of 'Cool Socks Bruh'. Tino Roger Morales | Today
How do you take advantage of social networks?
TN: They play a huge role, that is how we have expanded. One reason why many people knew of us was because our friends Curt and Josh (Flosstradamus), were posted us in their social networks. Then other friends shared photos of our products on Tumblr and Instagram and we got exposure among his followers.
RR:The internet was a crucial way to promote the company. You don't necessarily have to go to CoolSocksBruh.com you can go to Instigram, Facebook, or Tumblr or any of these networks (and that were you'll find us). It is a way to grow.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
TN: People use social networks for fame, but fame will not pay your bills. You must find a balance, know how and when to use them.
RR: Give attention to the people who have turned their attention to you. Take care of the people who have been interested in your product; it will help you before you get lost in the world of social networks, which is actually very small.
Copropoteriors of 'Cool Socks Bruh' Ricardo "Mouse" Rivera and Tim Nicholson. ROGER TINO MORALES | TODAY
by Mike Pearl/Vice
Indiegogo plays second fiddle to Kickstarter in the crowdfunding world, and it compensates by being willing to fund what Kickstarter won't, including porn, energy drinks, and charity drives. Now, seemingly out of the goodness of its heart, Indiegogo has launched something called Indiegogo Life, a standalone site that will help people raise money for personal causes.
Does a four-year-old need reconstructive surgery after being attacked by a dog? Do Ferguson protesters need legal fees? Indiegogo Life is there to help! But some petitioners on the site are looking to fund what might be called luxuries—a wedding ceremony, say, or a "guitar for my birthday!" By opening a panhandling platform with no pretense of "funding" anything other than a person's needs or wants, did Indiegogo essentially build an entire site just for the potato salad Kickstarter guy?
According to press materials, Indiegogo Life, which launched on Monday, "does not charge a platform fee, enabling fundraisers to keep more of the money they raise" (a third party does charge a 3 percent transaction fee). It's clearly a move meant to raise Indiegogo's profile rather than a bid for short-term profits.
But just a couple days after its launch, the site seems like a messy free-for-all of charity cases, some of which seem suspect. There are no big nonprofits on Indiegogo Life—a company spokesperson said that those organizations would need to use the original Indiegogo platform, where some donations are tax deductible—just a lot of individuals asking for a lot of different things. Take this one, for example:
Raising money for Gaza sounds really important, but how are you supposed to help out Gaza's "homeless & poorly people" when you set your funding goal at a measly $6,000? Donors would probably be better off sending their money to Save the Children's Gaza Children in Crisis Fund than handing it over to this mysterious account.
Indiegogo representatives assured me that the company "has a stringent verification procedure that includes a dedicated team of experts, automated algorithms, and other procedures." But even if these campaigns aren't scams, some of them don't exactly describe dire situations that require the kindness of strangers to remedy.
Here's a guy who wants a better computer so he can make art:
It's clear that these platforms have enormous potential for allowing people to request money in emergencies, though they also allow people to treat the internet like an ATM. At the moment, the signal-to-noise ratio on Indiegogo Life is terrible, though that may change in the coming weeks or months. Hopefully, the site will demonstrate the internet's generosity, rather than its gullibility.
American Apparel founder Dov Charney was ousted Wednesday by the company in the wake of allegations of misconduct against him.
In a statement on its website, the board said that it notified Charney of its intent to terminate his employment as president and CEO. He is expected to be fired following a 30-day period, the statement added.
John Luttrell, the company's executive vice president and chief financial officer, will step in as interim CEO. The board named Allan Mayer and David Danziger as co-chairmen to replace Charney as chairman of the board.
According to the statement, the "decision to replace Mr. Charney grew out of an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct." "We take no joy in this, but the Board felt it was the right thing to do," said Allan Mayer,"Dov Charney created American Apparel, but the Company has grown much larger than any one individual and we are confident that its greatest days are still ahead."
Charney's tenure at American Apparel has been less than drama-free: In addition to various allegations of misconduct, AA's former CEO has faced a sex-slave lawsuit, undergone an immigration investigation, been threatened with bankruptcy, and has been long criticized for running the company's notoriously "racy" ads.
When asked in an interview with CNBC back in 2012 about the many lawsuits against him alleging inappropriate behavior, Charney said it was all par for the course: "That's also a testimony to my success, though, the fact that I'm a target for baseless lawsuits ... All the lawsuits that have been levied against me are baseless ... I'm not going to sit here and go through thousands of pages or something, but the allegations that I acted improperly at any time are completely a fiction."
According to the Los Angeles Times, a source familiar with the matter says, “[Charney]’s going to fight like hell to get this company back, but he won’t succeed."
By Rosa Prince/The Telegraph
Youngsters can pawn their valuable trainers to raise cash – if they pass smell test
A New York teenager has created the world’s first "sneaker pawnshop" where streetwise youngsters can hock their valuable trainers to raise cash.
Specialising in high-end designer models and “dead stock,” limited edition trainers no longer being made which can sell for many thousands of dollars, the store is the brainchild of Chase Reed, a 16-year-old from Harlem.
All shoes brought into Sneaker Pawn must pass a smell test before their owners receive a lump sum in cash.
They can redeem them later or allow them to be sold. Owners have first refusal on any sale and receive 80 per cent of any profit.
Customers usually borrow around $100 (£60) per pair of lightly-worn trainers although one was lent thousands of dollars after bringing in a pair of Nike LeBron Crown Jewels and two pairs of Nike Air Jordans. They must repay the loan at a rate of 20 per cent.
Chase came up with the idea for Sneaker Pawn after asking his father, Troy, if he could borrow $50 (£29) only days after being bought a pair of expensive trainers.
Mr Reed told the New York Post: “I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ I’m holding these sneakers until I get my $50 back.”
Chase raised the seed money to open Sneaker Pawn by selling off his own 200-strong collection of trainers.
A 10th grader at the Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem, he works in the shop after school and at weekends while his father mans the tills during school hours.
As well as passing the sniff test, Chase and his colleagues check that trainers brought in to be pawned have retained their colour and do not have excessive wear on the soles.
Mr Reed said: “Young kids don’t have jewellery. They don’t have cars. But what they do have is the thousands of dollars worth of sneakers in their house.
“After we evaluate it, we’ll give the kid, say, $100 for the sneakers. If he wants them back, he’ll pay the $100, plus $20 for storing the sneakers.”
Chase said: “It’s an idea that’s right in front of your face. It’s just about bringing the idea to life.
“I don’t look at it like a business. It’s what I do. It’s what I breathe.”
Among the shop’s customers have been a youngster who pawned his valuable trainers to pay for his brother’s funeral and two teenage girls who wanted cash to buy prom dresses.
The owner of the LeBron Crown Jewels used the cash to move to The Bronx from Brooklyn.
Sneakers have become big business in recent years, with youngsters frequently queuing all night outside shops such as Nike and Reebok to buy the latest releases, and swapping shoes at huge trainer conventions.
There is a lively trade on auction sites such as eBay, where limited-edition trainers can rise in value far above their original retail price, particularly if they have a celebrity endorsement.
Originally bought for $270 (£159), LeBron Crown Jewels, named after basketball star LeBron James of the Miami Heat, are now worth around $1,400 (£825).
Nike Air Yeezys, designed in collaboration with the singer Kanye West, cost $263 (£194) when they were released, and are currently on sale on eBay for between $1,700 (£1,256) and $15,000 (£8,841).
Earlier this year, Jonathan Rodriguez, an 18-year-old from Deer Park, New York, turned down an offer of $98,000 (£57,760) in cash for his Nike Air Yeezy 2 “Red October” sneakers, which had been signed by West onstage during a concert.
One of Sneaker Pawn’s employees, Rahsaan “Uncle Bless” Capers has been offered $17,000 (£12,560) for the three pairs of Yeezys he owns, but says he is not ready to sell.
HOW A PHOTOGRAPHER AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER FOUND SUCCESS WHEN THE RULES OF HIS INDUSTRY CHANGED.
About a decade ago, if you walked into the San Francisco home of Deborah and David Van Dommelen, there was a good chance you’d find some of the Bay Area's most popular rappers crammed into their son’s bedroom. No, he hadn’t constructed a makeshift studio. Twentysomething Ian Van Dommelen was creating images that gave his hometown's music scene a distinctive, sometimes gritty and often tongue-in-cheek humorous visual identity.
The CD art and merchandising images he made had the composition and attention to detail that would typically come from a creative director in the corner office of a record label, but the UC Santa Cruz photography graduate brought something else: an understanding and connection to the music itself. "These artists tell universal stories, like happiness, sadness, partying, poverty--but there's a lot of unique, street culture to this area. My job is to take these stories and relay them in a visual sense," he says. Van Dommelen's reputation spread as his name and face became more entrenched in the Bay Area hip hop scene. "Back then, people could sell 20,000 copies of a CD, so there was money in it," he remembers. "And when I started making some of the money I thought, wow…let's do it." So his company Photo Doctor was born.
What has changed since then? In a word, everything. Not surprisingly, Van Dommelen has moved out of his parent's house and is now a married father of two. But he is still doing what he loves, the A to Z of designing a visual identity for musicians. "I do the photography, design, and art direction," says Van Dommelen, who creates album artwork, websites, logos, and ad campaigns. He has worked with Bay Area artists that the world knows, like Too Short, E-40, and Kreayshawn, as well as ones who haven't yet transcended the local music scene. For Van Dommelen, who considers himself an artist first and a businessman second, this is the payoff. "I'm motivated by other artists. All the visuals I create spiral off of the music."
Yet as any artist-turned-entrepreneur will admit, creative inspiration does not always pay the bills. And paying the bills has gotten harder now that the entire music industry has changed how it operates. When Photo Doctor opened, artists went into the studio and made music that was sold on actual CDs or records, items that you could hold in your hand and look at the artwork. Now, with the dependence on downloads, images, and liner notes are no longer as in-demand. "A couple of years ago, I would've sworn I wouldn't still be doing this because the industry was going south so fast," he admits, adding that while he continues to get hired for CD cover packages, it has slowed down, meaning more of his output consists of merchandising items, like T-shirt images.
For Van Dommelen, this seismic shift in the music industry has meant a major readjustment to how he runs his company. Though he has just completed album art for platinum-selling rapper Sage the Gemini, Photo Doctor is broadening its purview to include online banners, website design, and Instagram ads. "You still have to have some sort of image to sell your music. Kanye did that blank cover [for 2013's Yeezus], but even that was an image," he says. "Trying to make that one still moment intriguing remains the most powerful advertising." Van Dommelen also wants to branch into video games and other avenues that use motion. In addition, his client base has moved beyond the Bay Area, including former Roc-a-Fella rapper and Philadelphian Freeway. Like the musical genre that inspires most of his work, Van Dommelen's success relies on his ability to innovate and fearlessly break new ground--a talent he has proven he has in droves.
For maverick entrepreneur Ian Cox, Africa is the last frontier of free enterprise. The former small-time hustler has been busting his ass on the continent for years, selling and moving merchandise. In 2012 he nabbed a lucrative United Nations contract to transport equipment from South Africa to South Sudan, a country on many countries' embargo list. The other problem: the journey north entails passing through countless checkpoints and dealing with bribe-happy officials and their nonsensical paperwork and regulations.
Photographer and filmmaker Tim Freccia followed around Ian and the guys he hired for this job. "Cowboy Capitalists" documents their attempts to navigate the continent's dangerous roads and bureaucratic chaos.
Tim Nicholson and Ricardo "Mouse" Rivera, co-owners of 'Cool Socks Bruh'. ROGER MORALES / TODAY
In each product, Rivera and Nicholson trying to capture not only the inspiration of his own, but that of those around them. Childhood experiences when playing Nintendo; adolescence when one tried smoking, and even dreams of having a Rolex.
Rivera and Nicholson say that creativity has been part of their lives for so long.
Rivera has worked for years in the boutique Saint Alfreds in Wicker Park, and Nicholson has years dedicated to graphics for video games; But not everything comes from there, much of his inspiration he says he gets from his friends, the sensitivity surrounding painters, musicians, fashion designers, and it reflect on his label, and the designs of their products.
A candle designed by 'Cool Socks Bruh' with the image of a rapper named Cam'ron. ROGER MORALES / TODAY
How did the idea to establish the business come about?
Ricardo J. Rivera: It was an idea that Tim and I started. It all started when I took a pair of socks with the image of the rapper Camron. Not made with the idea of selling them, I made them for me, I showed them to my friends and it all started when I put them on the internet.
Where does the passion come from?
Rivera: I am creative, it's cultural, it comes from inside. (It's about) what one sees every day, the music plays, television shows you see, to be on the internet all day. I want everything you do in your daily routine to be integrated into our creation.
Tim Nicholson: The passion and inspiration comes from many sides, of different things. The people are what really inspires me (because) everybody does something creative, music, photography or painting. All that inspires me and helps me create.
A most famous pair of socks designed by 'Cool Socks Bruh' was the replica of a bag of Hot Cheetos. ROGER TINO MORALES | TODAY
And when how do you handle when times get tough?
TN: Things are not easy, but we are fighting to establish a brand and starting from scratch. What you invest is what you get back
RR: When the going gets tough usually what I try to do is stay positive as I can. That comes from my mom and dad who were immigrants when they came here, they had nothing. Now when I do business, patience keeps me serene.
Socks designed by 'Cool Socks Bruh'. Tino Roger Morales | Today
What distinguishes your brand?
TN: Fun. Life is short and we must make it pleasant, we want to create and inspire people because we were also inspired.
RR: Our creations make different homes shine. (Consumers)acquire items with which they identify with.
A cup of coffee with a designed created by 'Cool Socks Bruh' which was inspired by Nintendo video game Street Fighter. ROGER TINO MORALES | TODAY
What have you learned from your business?
TN: That any thought you have, you can make it happen when you put your energy into it.
RR: I learned to be more serious, to be patient, to be a little more cautious, answer timely and to be punctual.
How does it feel to receive orders from all over the world?
TN: We think of the borders and lines that separate countries; and that people like the same things as us; indeed the first store that sold our products were in Japan!
RR: Seeing that our brand is consumed by the (Japanese) culture teaches us that we also have followers there. We're just trying to get ahead. Art is universal and what we bring is better.
A lighter with the logo of 'Cool Socks Bruh'. Tino Roger Morales | Today
How do you take advantage of social networks?
TN: They play a huge role, that is how we have expanded. One reason why many people knew of us was because our friends Curt and Josh (Flosstradamus), were posted us in their social networks. Then other friends shared photos of our products on Tumblr and Instagram and we got exposure among his followers.
Copropoteriors of 'Cool Socks Bruh' Ricardo "Mouse" Rivera and Tim Nicholson. ROGER TINO MORALES | TODAY
