The ORGANIC COME UP of EVGD!
WORDS BY: Jordan Baylor
Photography Courtesy of GRVTY
We caught up with the knee-deep in shipping orders for street-wear brand EVERYTHING GXXD or (EVGD), creator Marshall Tan, who talked about being a young entrepreneur coming out of the DC/Maryland area.
We talked life in Maryland (where Marshall is currently a student at U of Maryland majoring in psychology), what it takes to maintain and grow a brand without whoring it out, and where the brand will be 5 years from now.
Let’s just say Faux Society can’t wait to see the organic come-up of Marshall Tan & EVGD!
FS: How did you get your start?
MT: When I was in high school, I gravitated towards hip hop music. With hip-hop comes an emphasis on style, fashion (sneakers) being on forums (Hypebeast, Niketalk) that kind of thing. When I got to college, I linked up with this creative collective, and we felt like the Maryland gear was kinda wack so we started printing our own stuff, which kinda took off. From there I met up with people that printed, from there I branched out on my own and created a brand that was more in my line of thinking. The name ‘everything GXXD’ (pronounced “Everything Good”) came about because, for people who know me they know I’m really sarcastic & kind of cynical, and the name, in a sense, is supposed to be ironic, parodying a lot of f**ked up stuff that happens in the world. The basic idea of everything GXXD came from just seeing how some crazy religious groups come up, and how radicalists manipulate religion for power, and the general fear-mongering seen in politics, and the media. I just felt like it’d be a funny to make something off that, mock that lifestyle in some ways.
FS: The brand balances on a tight-rope between blasphemy and tasteful humor, how do you balance the line?
MT: We definitely push that line, at the end of the day that’s where a little punk influence comes in. We’re not trying to piss people off but we kind of are. At least trying to upset the overall establishment. If I can walk into a Whole Foods with a shirt on, and soccer moms get mad about it or says something in someway, I’m not mad at that, it’s a bold statement. Not to say, the brand is just a middle finger though, cuz it’s deeper than that, but I didn’t want it to be another ‘middle of the road‘ or ‘oh it’s cool it’s kinda like so-and-so’ nah. The slogans and phrases might be inflammatory, but there’s more to it then just trying to see what we can get away with.
FS: A very specific type of person is demographic for your clothing line, who is that kid?
MT: Someone who gets my vision, or at least shares my sense of humor. I fuck with weird shit and EVGD will start going in more of that direction soon too…
EVGD is for people who aren’t offended easily, or just don’t care (laughs). I’m not trying to directly insult someone’s faith or beliefs, I have no problem with people who believe in any kind of ideology, it’s nothing about that, the designs are all just jokes to me.
Sometimes people take it the wrong way, but at the end of the day, if people get offended by art, it doesn’t mean the artist stops painting. They may even start painting more…
FS: How much time and effort goes into a collection?
MT: Basically we’re not even a year old now, we launched in July of 2012. This first year has been a learning process, certain mistaking being made, and learning from them. Having to find my own printer, or finding materials for certain caps. This whole year has been a huge learning process, not to say that the rest won’t be. We’re just laying down the foundation. In the future I plan to put out more than just 4 collections a year .
Designing is like any creative process, you can’t force it, so there’s no real timetable on how long some collections or shirts take. Sometimes nothing will hit me for days, and sometimes, the best ideas come when I’m in the shower…or taking a shit.
FS: How do you stay true to the vision of the brand, and not venture off and duplicate the new ‘it’ thing at the moment?
MT: Being a fan of street culture, and keeping my ear to the ground, you do watch and see what other brands do. But it’s just the kind of person I am, and because I care so much about the brand, and because it’s what I dedicate my identity to, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I spent this much time, and created this brand from nothing to hear ‘Oh that looks like SUPREME S/S ’12 right there!’ I couldn’t allow myself to sell my product to believers and fans knowing I just jocked some other dudes shit.
It’s more of an integrity thing.
FS: Let’s switch gears here, as a young entrepreneur, how do you grow your brand organically without it feeling forced?
MT: Social media, like the internet has obviously created an entire lane with entrepreneurs everywhere. The internet has created something that wasn’t possible for everyone, where it is now possible which is access to everything.
Friends spread the word, but direct access to your target market and people who really understand your brand, for me, has really come from social media like Twitter & Instagram and forums online. I connect with different people I would never be able to meet, who feel like my brand represents them, and we just connect, and that’s where the slow growth comes in.
I could be that dude out there giving my shit to every person that comes around and trying to grab fame like ‘oh wear my stuff to this video!’ I don’t want that.
FS: So you don’t wanna be the next FUBU, huh?
MT: (*Laughs) Nah, definitely not man… but FUBU might come back!
FS: So your brand did a cross collab tee (*viewed above) with artist Matt McGhee for his AWARD album, how did that come about?
MT: Matt McGhee and the whole Grammy Family collective are some of the few artists in the area that I personally, like, really fuck with. They’ve got a good movement, with rMell’s ‘NEOGEO’ album, really getting me hip. They’re level-headed and determined, they know what they’re doing as well, and have great attention to detail for their product. So, Matt reached out to me about the shirt and I was like ‘let’s do it.’
FS: What do day-to-day operations consist of?
MT: I basically run the whole thing out of my apartment, it’s like the headquarters right now (referred to as The Compound). I basically do everything at this point, I have friends who help me out with certain small things like ‘What do you think of this design?’ I’ll ask certain people.
My friend GRVTY really helps out with the video & photography aspect of it cuz he’s a pro. From day-to-day I design, and I have a certain timeline when I try to have things out by, and I just work on it. Some days I don’t do SH*T, because if ideas aren’t coming to me I’m not going to force it. Also, I try to stay connected update Twitter & Instagram, because most of the fan-base is outside of the Maryland area actually.
FS: The whole thing with clothing people just wanna have some stuff to say ‘Oh you ain’t up on this!’ The mentality of fans, they won’t spread, word of mouth out of fear of a clothing line becoming too mainstream.
MT: People use brands, as well as like music knowledge, to show their individuality. Like, they gotta be the coolest, knowing certain clothing brands, it’s your sign of individuality.
It’s kind of like why you see kids be like ‘Oh, I liked them before they were cool.’ When you find yourself thinking you’re hipper than everyone else you find yourself saying shit like that. I don’t want my brand to be something people toss aside once their friends know about it, ya know? The brand has to connect.
FS: Where do you see the brand five years down the line?
MT: Five years down the line, I feel like we’ll be a much bigger operation, maybe a storefront, or at least be stocked at a bunch of shops I really respect. At the end of the day though, it doesn’t really matter to me what we’re doing or where we’re at, as long as the brand stayed true to my vision from day one.
Reach out to Marshall Tan and the EVGD brand via links below, also swing by their ONLINE SHOP and scoop up a tee or two and support.
