Interview with Nick from Twelve Bar!!!

Twelve Bar has been much in the news over the past months. This fresh new label straight out of London started off at the Glade and is now carried at the finest retailers around the planet, including Union and Colette. If you think that you have seen it all, than you are wrong. Twelve Bar is only at the very beginning with full collections coming soon.
HighSnobiety talked to Nick, one of the founders of Twelve Bar to find out how everything went until now, what it means to start a clothing line and what we can expect from Twelve Bar in the near future.



HS: Hi guys, how is it going these days? I hear you are very busy?

The last couple of months have been mad busy and we have a million and one things going on at the moment most importantly finishing our new line and working on a full collection for early next year.

HS: Just quickly, for the people who are not aware yet. Who is behind Twelve Bar and what is the history of the company?

The two main people behind Twelve Bar are myself, Nick Jackson, and Damien Webster and we have two people in London, one person in New York and one person in Tokyo working with us. The brand was officially set up towards the end of 2004 but it was a long time coming and something that Damien and I had been planning for ages.

HS: What is the brand Twelve Bar about? What image do you want your consumers to have of your brand?

The name Twelve Bar is a reference to the rhythm pattern black music comes from. This is something that we are hugely influenced by but the brand goes beyond this and is really about everything that we love and are inspired by. As far as the image we want consumers to have of our brand, we just want people who are into what we are doing to be able to buy our products and enjoy them!



HS: You are already present in some of the hottest retail spaces. Colette and Union, just to name some of them. How did that come about?

All the retailers that have supported Twelve Bar we approached directly and actually went to see in person. We have been very fortunate that Colette and Union New York and everyone who stocks Twelve Bar likes what we are doing and we are really grateful to them for helping us get going.

HS: I always find it very fascinating when people start off new and do what they love. What tips or advice can you give people that want to start their own clothing line? What were your main difficulties?

We have only been in this game for just over a year so I’m not sure we are in any position to be giving advice but the one thing I will say is that anyone wanting to start their own clothing line should stick to what they want to do and not let anyone convince them otherwise. As for our main difficulties, a new one tends to appear everyday(!) so it’s hard to single one particular thing out.



HS: What are the future plans of Twelve Bar? What can we expect to see soon?

We have another line of tees and sweats dropping very soon and early next year you’ll be seeing our first full collection. We have someone working with us who not only has experience in streetwear but most recently has worked for the British high fashion designer Hussein Chalayan. She has amazing skills so expect something totally fresh!

HS: Twelve Bar seems to be a brand which has a lot of inspirations. Could you tell us something about that?

Twelve Bar is inspired by everything we love which is why our logo is our take on a heart. Both myself and Damien have been lucky to have traveled a lot especially in the States and Asia and this is why our influences are so varied and cover everything from basketball to skateboarding to Japanese cinema. Ultimately though, the way we were introduced to the majority of these was through a love of hip hop and all the genres of music that hip hop evolved from and it is black music that ties everything together for us. The funny thing is that when I talk to people about all this so many of them agree with me it’s ridiculous!



HS: What makes Twelve Bar different from all the other clothing labels?

What makes Twelve Bar different is that it is a brand which represents what we are all about. When you meet us and hang out with us you’ll quickly realize that if Twelve Bar was any different to what you see, it wouldn’t be right and this is very important to us. We aren’t doing something which will change whenever a new trend comes along. Twelve Bar is what we do and who we are and this is why it has so much soul and substance.


HS: How are the roles divided at Twelve Bar? Do you guys do everything together, or is there a clear division of tasks?

We pretty much do everything together and are both involved in all areas of the business but are obviously careful not to unnecessarily complicate things. Damien is responsible for the creative execution of all the ideas and I do more of the marketing and sales which is why I am doing this interview!

HS: Now some more info on you guys. What is your background? What have you done before Twelve Bar?

Damien has over 10 years experience in the new media industry and before setting up Twelve Bar was responsible for the creative direction of Nike’s European digital projects including Battle Grounds, The Art Of Speed and Bowerman. Believe it or not I am a lawyer and used to work at Maharishi on the Business Affairs side of things.



(Just in case you did not know, the words in the heart in the tee below are the clues of the Hip Hop Crossword puzzle tee above)



HS: What are your 5 favorite clothing brands (aside from Twelve Bar!!!)?

Stussy
Ralph Lauren.
Supreme.
Junya Watanabe.
The North Face.

HS: Which websites (aside from HighSnobiety!!!), do you read on a regular basis?

CliqueNMove, LaMjc, The Hundreds, Hypebeast, Slam Hype, Okayplayer, Being Hunted, Evil Monito, Freshness Mag and Splay.



HS: That’s it already. It has been great talking to you. I have followed Twelve Bar, as of the first tee that dropped and I cannot wait to see how the brand flourishes in the future. Keep the HighSnobiety readers posted on new things happening.

Thanks so much David for your support for Twelve Bar – It is hugely appreciated. Shouts go out to the Twelve Bar London family, our extended family around the world and all the retailers who have supported us – you know who you are. A special shout goes out to Dame Ca$h and Jules who have helped me hold it down like 4 Hero over the last fortnight!!!


Thanks again and we cannot wait to see the full collection soon. Click on one of the images above in order to see the full range of Twelve Bar designs.


Enjoy,

David