Screen Shot: Six Shot
Website: Six-shot.com
City Based: New York City, NY
Instagram: @Sixshot
What inspired the brand name?
To be honest, it was tough. I actually have a couple names trademarked right now that I wound up not using. The vision of Six Shot was to encapsulate both American "outlaw" and "blue collar" imagery/nostalgia into our pieces, while paying homage to New York City, where I grew up. I wanted to name to merge biker culture, trucker culture, the wild west, and the grittiness of New York, which is how I came up with Six Shot. What better way to merge these themes than a play off of a Six Shot Revolver?
At what moment did you realize you wanted to start a brand?
As someone born and raised in New York City, I've always been exposed to fashion and have enjoyed experimenting with my style. Growing up, I used to thrift a lot and then I'd modify/tailor the thrifted pieces with this $30 sewing machine my Mom had. So, I was always into the creation aspect of fashion. With respect to starting a brand, there was no "light bulb" moment, but it was something I think I always wanted to do. Six Shot started as a creative side project where I could make clothes that I wanted to wear and all my friends could rock. My graphics started catching some eyes and the brand has grown from there.
What helps you get over creative blocks?
Watching western movies, listening to old country/southern rock songs, and looking at old photos. It's crazy how much inspiration I get from a certain time period in history. A ton of the phrases from my tees come from old country songs.
What is the biggest mistake you have made?
Trying to grow too quickly and not sticking to our "bread and butter" of graphic heavy tees and hoodies. As we grow, we'll be offering more cut and sew pieces, but there's been times I went full cut and sew in lieu of the graphic tees and hoodies that we built our brand off of. We've since pivoted back the other way, but you'll see a better mix of the two in the future.
What is the biggest success you have had?
We've had a handful of drops that have sold out in seconds, which is cool experience. It's awesome when people you don't know personally mess with the stuff you're putting out. Building this community has been our biggest success so far and I look forward for it to continue to grow.
A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION PEOPLE MAY FIND WEIRD?
My stepdad used to ride Harleys back in the day and rock all the crazy old school Harley tees (the same ones that are being sold for 200 dollars a piece in vintage shops now). I always thought the imagery and juxtaposition of bikers, wild animals and Native Americans was super dope. They all kind of lived an outlaw type of life and the shirts used to feature that juxtaposition in a way that made them all relate to each other in some creative way. I pull a lot of my inspo from vintage culture, but still always try to both modernize my designs and tie Brooklyn into my graphics.
Favorite color to use?
Black and /or Cream. I like neutrals because they go with a clean classic Yankee Hat to create the “New York Uniform”
ARE THERE ANY RETAIL SHOPS YOU WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU BRAND IN?
I grew up hanging out in SoHo and shopping down there, so I'd love to create better relationships with the Buyers in some of those retail stores. Patron of the New is probably my favorite at the moment (which is technically not in SoHo, but close enough), so I would love to get Six Shot in there. There are some great retail shops in Brooklyn as well that you may be seeing Six Shot in soon.
ANOTHER BRAND THAT INSPIRES YOU AND WHY?
I like Aime Leon Dore a lot. Teddy Santis has found a way to create a heritage brand (e.g., Ralph Lauren or LL Bean), but put a gritty NY spin on it. The level he's executed at and the way that brand has grown has been remarkable. Shout out to Queens.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AND THE BRAND IN 1 YEAR AND 5 YEARS?
In the next year, I'm hoping to continue to grow our community and discover new ways to engage with our customers. That means collabs, pop ups, maybe a YouTube channel and more frequent drops. Two to five years down the line, I'm looking to grow our wholesale business and create more relationships so Six Shot can find its way into retail brick and mortars around the country.
IN 5 WORDS OR LESS DESCRIBE YOUR BRAND?
Red Dead Redemption Meets Pop Smoke (that's six, sorry)