We are privileged to be featured in Wordplay Magazine issue four. Alreis first made a debut in the magazine on issue three, where we showcased our fresh clothing rocked by Perth’s band The Stoops and b-boy crew Zou Rock crew.
In this interview co-founder Edit will talk about the history of Alreis and the direction we’re going towards.
Remember to grab a copy of the magazine. http://www.facebook.com/wordplaymagazine
Wordplay Interview on Alreis by Jasmine Amis.
Wordplay: Why did you get started?
Edit: At first the idea occured to me when I was printing a lot of shirts for my b-boy crew Zou Rock. I was designing our crew’s shirts at the time, and the process of designing and printing our own logo was something I found very exciting. I enjoyed the whole process and so I decided to start up our own clothing line. Shaz and I share similar drive towards success, and we both love fashion; hence it was only fitting to become partners.
W: Why did you spell “Alreis” like that?
E: When we wanted to come up with a name of our clothing line, one phrase sticks out “All Race.” I’m a strong believer of there’s only one race in this world, and that’s the human race. So “all race” is the term to address everyone and to remind everyone that we’re all from the same race. Later we changed the spelling into “Alreis” as the spelling has a more abstract meaning to it. Only a handful of people know the story behind the name.
W: Why is Alreis about?
E: Our company focuses on quality apparel with unique designs for people of all different sub-cultures. We try to bring everyone together into a big happy family. If you are wearing an Alreis tee, we’ll treat you like a family.
W: How did you get started?
E: we started by buying a boxful of plain tees, then we would print 4-5 different designs. One of the designs stood out better than the rest, and it was my first design of the face with glasses and a hat with Alreis written on it. The face was an icon to our company, just like the Trefoil on Adidas. The face was a tribute to the b-boys, hip hop and also the sneakerheads. Who could forget the iconic character of Mars Blackmon who appeared in the 80s early 90s for Michael Jordan’s Air Jordan campaign. So it was a homage to the street culture. The face then became so popular and we made him our official logo.
W: Any creative differences between you and Shaz?
E: Yes, and it is a good thing! Our creative differences allow our company to be so versatile. We try to cater for everyone, so it is crucial to be critical of our own designs. Often if we cannot agree on something, we’d have to compromise or flip a coin!
