Screen Shot: Mélange Apparel
Website: Melangeapparel.com
City Based: San Diego, CA
Instagram: @Melange.us
What inspired the brand name?
The definition of mélange is a medley or mixture of things that often don’t go together. To us the name means that we have the creative freedom to pursue anything that interests or inspires us at the moment. We hope to pull different things that we think are cool and make something completely new. Also, the brand is a creative outlet for us, and we hope to collaborate with many more up and coming creatives to make it an outlet for them as well.
At what moment did you realize you wanted to start a brand?
We have always been creative people. Personally I have always found myself fooling around with music production, photo editing, etc. so this was just the next thing I got into. I think for us, our brand is a way to channel all of our creative energy into one thing and share that thing with the world.
What helps you get over creative blocks?
I find that not forcing yourself to be creative is the key. Creativity will come to me at random times so I feel I just have to be ready for it. I think that the moment you have to force yourself to do something that you love you will start to hate it and it won’t come as naturally anymore.
What is the biggest mistake you have made?
The biggest mistake we’ve made was releasing our first drop too early. We weren’t completely ready in terms of ideas being fully developed, having the right manufacturer, etc. Everything during that time felt rushed and it didn’t turn out 100% how we wanted it to.
What is the biggest success you have had?
I think the biggest success we’ve had so far is being able to build up a decent following. This has allowed us to reach out to other brands and we’re expecting some pretty sick collabs in the future.
A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION PEOPLE MAY FIND WEIRD?
One of the shirts I designed I got the inspiration from a Seinfeld shirt I saw on depop.
Favorite color to use?
Not really sure. I find myself always trying out light pink before anything else but I don’t normally stick with it.
ARE THERE ANY RETAIL SHOPS YOU WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU BRAND IN?
Nothing comes to mind at the moment. I still don’t think the identity of our brand has completely formed, so until then I don’t know what stores would vibe with us yet.
ANOTHER BRAND THAT INSPIRES YOU AND WHY?
My biggest inspiration is Chinatown market. Not necessarily because of their design but because of how they do things. For us, mélange is a way to express ourselves but also is something that we love doing. The dudes at chinatown are always having fun with it and I think that has inspired us to want to do it also.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AND THE BRAND IN 1 YEAR AND 5 YEARS?
I think in a year I see our brand working with many different creatives. We want to use our platform to help push local artists and other creatives while also making something memorable in the process. In five years I hope that we have built the brand enough to expand over other forms of media. We want to have a bigger youtube presence, we want to host live streams, live DJ sets, we want a warehouse, etc.
IN 5 WORDS OR LESS DESCRIBE YOUR BRAND?
A collection of cool shit.