Screen Shot: NEWTYPE

What inspired the brand name?

The Universal Century timeline of the Gundam series. There's a theory in this timeline but I'll let everyone look that up and immerse themselves in that UC Gundam history.

At what moment did you realize you wanted to start a brand?

In high school I was enrolled in AP Studio Art. In that class I was able to paint/build Gundam and even design shirts. Soon, I started designing t-shirts for clubs throughout my school. All of that was funded by the clubs and school so it was relatively easy to print my designs via expensive online printing companies. However, in college I realized the difficulties and expenses of printing my own designs through these same companies so I found a group of friends and shared my concepts and ideas. They were all for it and we all invested in everything we needed to start up a small clothing brand (printing press, plastisol inks, silk screens, exposure unit, emulsion, etc.). Things started off really slow and we got busy with school work. A member stopped seeing the potential so he stepped out and never paid his promised investment and the group soon fell apart... A year later, I decided to fool around with the printing press that was collecting dust in my dorm room and things turned out extremely well. Started to sell practice shirts around campus, made a ton of money to re-invest into better threads, and was inspired and motivated to start a brand with my roommate who helped me a ton with the practice shirts and learning how to screen print.

What helps you get over creative blocks?

Vintage anime, documentaries, toys, music, breakdancing. You'll be surprised where creative ideas and concepts can be found.

What is the biggest mistake you have made?

Believing in people who don't believe in you.

What is the biggest success you have had?

The launch of the website really skyrocketed sales and opened my eyes to how much potential the online market has.