ThinkQuick Clothing – Why Band Members Should Start Clothing Lines – Q&A INTERVIEW

Danny Lavarco, drummer of Ender is also the the owner/founder/artist for ThinkQuick Clothing. He was nice enough to do an interview with us which can be read after the break!

Have you ever heard of the Metalcore band named Ender on Eulogy Recordings? It’s okay if you haven’t, because this interview isn’t about the band. It is actually with the drummer who has started his own clothing line called ThinkQuick Clothing. If you’re in a band and are thinking about starting a clothing line, keep reading for some helpful advice!

Digital Tour Bus: Can you please state you name, company name, and position?
Think Quick Clothing: Hey, my name is Danny Lavarco and I am the owner/founder/artist for ThinkQuick Clothing!

DTB: How did Think Quick Clothing get started?
TQC: I was just messing with some t-shirt templates on Photoshop one day, throwing some inside jokes on the design. I took a screenshot of the shirts and texted them to some of my friends who were in on the jokes and id get replies like “dude where can I get one!” and “that’s awesome!” So from there it just kind of happened!

DTB: Is there any meaning behind your name and designs?
TQC: I didn’t really give the name any thought, I came up with the designs in my head pretty quickly and I was just branding the shirts as “ThinkQuick Clothing” and it kind of just stuck. Some of my designs are inside jokes, and some designs are what I believe in. For instance, I hate auto tune in metal, and I love chipotle.

DTB: Why did you start the clothing line?
TQC: I wanted to do something fun, and something that doesn’t bring drama to the table.  I like shopping for my own clothes from different clothing companies so I was interested in doing my own thing.

DTB: Do you think that being in a band that tours will help you sell your shirts?
TQC: I think it definitely helps. I know a couple of dudes who are in bands that own clothing companies and are doing well because fans of their bands are interested in what the members of the band have going on. It definitely gives the clothing company a push

DTB: Will extra revenue from t-shirt sales help you survive a bit easier on tour?
TQC: Hopefully! I’d like to set up a table at our shows and sell a few shirts; I think it would definitely help me survive a bit more on tour. At the same time I wouldn’t want to take away from merch sales from my band. Either way it works!

DTB: What do you think the difference between a musician starting a clothing line and a regular person starting a clothing line?
TQC: A clothing line launched by a musician has a broader social network from going out there and having to sell his or her own band on the road so they have the people meeting skills. Fans of the musician’s band may have a large amount of fans that follow him or her on twitter/facebook/ect so they get to see the name of the clothing company easier than a “regular” person would. But hey it works either way, look at Jordan and Arkaik Clothing; he wasn’t in a band and launched his company and now Arkaik (in my opinion) is the biggest independent clothing company out there!

DTB: How do you band members feel about you starting a clothing line?
TQC: They are supportive for sure. They get some cool shirts to; appear in my photo shoots, so they don’t complain haha. I’d be supportive as well if they did the same thing.

DTB: Do you have any advice for musicians who want to sell more merchandise for their band or clothing line while on tour?
TQC: Network with people. Try to talk to everyone and introduce yourself. Look like you’re happy with what you’re doing. Make a name for yourself in a positive way. Try to work with a person’s budget, for sure.

DTB: How will you handle shipping out orders while you’re on tour? Will you have someone at home ship out orders or will you find post offices while on tour?
TQC: Yeah I think I will just hit up post offices wherever I am. I Have thought about upgrading my store to a MerchNow store so they’d handle all the orders, but right now I’m doing it myself and I don’t mind that but if it gets to the point where I am on tour a lot and need that help I will go ahead and do so.

DTB: Do you have any final thoughts or comments to add?
TQC: Thank you digital tour bus for this interview! Hope everyone enjoys what I have going on at ThinkQuick Clothing, and hopefully see you on tour soon!