Avalaan interview
HUCK speaks to Logan and Windy from clothing label Avalaan about art, ethics and the hard slog of owning your own brand.
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HUCK: What’s the story of Avalaan?
Logan: It all started about six years ago when we were doing a season in France. We wanted to do something creative and fun. We were all just chilling in Les Deux Alpes and one of the Danish guys we know just came out with ‘Avalaan.’ We wrote it down and it all just then kinda started happening. The aim was to get art work onto clothing via a community of artists, musicians, skaters, skiers and snowboarders. The aim being that we would just evolve the group of people, help one another grow. We would promote them and they would give us artwork. It’s been a business now for over three years. We started it in France, moved to Brixton for a while - some of the first idea designs were drawn on a pool table – but now we are based in Bristol.
Windy: Weirdly enough actually, we actually met in Val d’Isere. And if you’re an Avalaan, its means you’re from Val d’Isere. We didn’t know that which is fucking bizarre! It was really, really weird. It’s like subculture slang, really colloquial.
"[Our marketing] has all been viral, word of mouth but I think that’s the best kind. It’s true to what we are."
And how difficult has it been?
Logan: We definitely learnt the hard way. We came from no business, no sales and no fashion background at all. It’s been a serious education, trial and error. We made some big fucking mistakes, but I think its part of the brand. We are a young, raw, energetic lifestyle brand and we live it. But I think now we really have our shit together. As a business, that motivation and the brand will keep getting stronger.
How is Avalaan different from all the other brands?
Logan: Look at the product man! Look at what we are about. Basically, we work with a unique bunch of artists with a lot of different styles. We’re young, a lot younger than most other brand owners and that energy comes though. I think most people would have quit though. It’s been hard, I’ve been working in bars, pizza shops and god knows what trying to pay my way. I had a double hernia operation 12 months ago because I was working so hard. We’re from Bristol, and I think Bristol shines through in the products that we’re making. We have a colourful and vibrant fashion line.
It’s such a competitive business, how do you survive?
Logan: We haven’t been able to afford marketing. It’s all been viral, word of mouth but I think that’s the best kind. It’s true to what we are. We’re now getting to the stage where we are gonna start doing some advertising. But it’s all about the guys we work with, getting our artists commissions, get our musicians gigs, or supporting our athletes by taking them on trips.
Who are the artists you are working with?
Logan. We work with loads of different artists; street artists, fine artist, sculptors, people like Sceptic, 45 RPM, Kev Munday, Lulu, Patrick Bremer. We’ve recently launched an online gallery to provide a platform for these artists and make art more accessible to people.
Windy: There’s a lot snobbery, when people say it has to be something, it has to be this or that. But just look at it, does it make you feel good? It’s not necessarily an intellectual thing.
Logan: It doesn’t have to be technical to be appreciated. It’s the aesthetics, man. It can be a simple doodle that might end up on a t-shirt that people really enjoy to look at.
Do you think you’ll ever get rich from this?
Logan: Rich? In what way? I’m rich now because I’m happy!
Will you make lots of money from it?
Windy: I hope so, yeah, but we’re not in it for the money. It’s something we really enjoy doing, I want to push it.
Logan: We want the brand to be successful and with success inevitably the brand will make money. We know its working, we’re making money now and we’re just about to open a shop. It’s not the money that drives us, it’s building a community and making a real statement, something you respect. When you’re travelling the tube in London and some kid is wearing an Avalaan cap, well that’s pretty cool. That’s better than someone giving me £100.
How do you feel about the whole sweatshop issue that surrounds clothing manufacturing?
Logan: I never want to make money off of exploitation, and that’s another thing with the product. We’ve grown up really close with our factories, we’re part of an organization that monitors standards and promotes fair trade, and our factories are a part of that too. So we make sure no one is being exploited, people are being paid a fair wage and working decent hours. And for us that is important, I would never want to make profit off someone else’s misery.
Windy: I think the globalisation concept and huge corporate machine need to be put in place by the little brands, the little retailers, the little companies doing something different, like us!
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Avalaan interview (text) by Ed Andrews is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.Comments (9)
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Great to see your commitment finally paying off.
Laters,
DC
When I saw some dude at the top of the park in Val D'isere wearing a full black Avalaan Ninja suit that matched my jacket I knew I was in with the right crowd...
Doc
Respect to you both and I'll be reppin' Avalaan til i die
double trouble.....im so proud. well done guys.XXx
Hope you're keepin well.
Well down boys... world domination just around the corner