In our newest feature, we spotlight up and coming brands who share their story as well as their experience in the industry, influences, future plans, obstacles and much more. Our first brand included in our Next Up series is TLR&Co. For those who didn’t have the chance to catch them at their Agenda Long Beach showing, they are making progress since being started in 2010. We catch up with Cristian of TLR&Co to learn a bit more about the brand and see what they have been up to as of late. Read more after the jump.

Name: TLR&Co.
Year Started: 2010
Hometown: Santa Barbara, CA
Major Successes: Early jump into some of the best Streetwear shops in CA. Tradeshow Debut at Primer/Agenda Long Beach 2012
Favorite Item From Brand: Bootleg Logo Tee.

SS: How did the start of the brand come about?

Cristian: About 5 years ago my brother Ruben and I were working on designing a brand from the ground up. We had no money, no shops, no experience. All we really had was a couple of dope designs and a drive to push the fuck out of whatever we were doing at the time. We had a great foundation as far as designs went and we also had a deep appreciation for streetwear and its sub/niche cultures. We already knew what to do with the aesthetic of the brand and where we wanted to go with it. We sourced around and found shops, trade shows, clothing lines, artists and events and learned and watched and just soaked everything in. We did extensive homework locally and beyond trying to find the right way to make our move. Then we did. We approached everybody differently. We would do graphic design for some people, videos for others and just bullshitted with people like we do everyday. Real life shit. They became our friends and extensive family. To be quite honest with you though, mom and pop shops like Tradition really started the brand. They gave us a chance when we were still testing things. We felt that they believed in us. Like we could make it happen. After that, we got some great feed back and we knew were on to something. Support your local mom and pop shops.

SS: What are your influences?

Cristian: Real life shit. People. Conversation. Art. Real ass Hip-Hop. Music. Humor. Everyday weird shit.

SS: Where would you like to be a year from now?

Cristian: Couldn’t tell you. The Agenda Trade Show wasn’t even in our goals this year. We thought a few years from now we would approach them and get some info on how to get in. I don’t know, I guess I’ll say something just to answer the question. We want to be in your local streetwear shop.

SS: What sets you apart from other brands?

Cristian: Our personalities. If you meet us, we’ll treat you like everybody else we know. We’ll clown around and talk shit like we do with all our friends. Truthfully, we go to a lot of shops and events and meet a lot of people in the industry. Sometimes you run into cats that are so far up their own ass you can smell the bullshit coming out of their mouths. People like that make me laugh. You aint shit. You bleed just like me. People forget that. Seriously though, our designs and our brand are dope in their own right, but this industry is all about relationships. Its up to you to build them. We believe in the “You win, we win” theory. We want our shops/our friends to succeed. We’re all in it together.

SS: What obstacles have you come across as you try to break into the industry?

Cristian: Everybody has been really dope. We haven’t really had too many obstacles as far as getting into the scene or where we think we should be. People have been really receptive to our brand. Some people might think our Lacoste Parody Logo might be corny or whatever, but then they here the story behind it and they immediately have an understanding or respect for the design. Our biggest obstacles all have to do with production and probably starting off with no money to back us up. Its really hard to have people believing in you when you cant produce as much as THEY want. We produce in small numbers. We don’t sit on a bunch shit wondering why nothing has sold. Keeps people wanting it at some level. You just have to play it right. You only get one chance to prove what you got. I hope we did that.

SS: Best piece of advice received?

Cristian: Don’t fuck up.

SS: What is something you could’ve done differently?

Cristian: Nothing really. If we made any mistakes, we learned from them. Maybe having our online shop launched earlier in the brands beginning phase would have helped. People bugged me over that. I would tell them what mom and pop shop to spend their money at constantly. In my opinion, buying online is cool, but going to your favorite streetwear shop is better. You get to interact with people who live their life through the brands they carry. Funny ass people out there.

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