Revival Ink

Meet Tara Smith of Revival Ink, our featured designer for October What kind of products do you create and where can people find them? I screen print my own artwork on tees, hoodies, dresses, hats, messenger bags, & scarves. You can find my items at the Fremont Market every Sunday, Bouncing Wall in Queen Anne, Atlas clothing on Broadway, Frock Shop in Greenwood, and a few other Seattle stores.  What inspired you to start designing? I have a BFA in graphic design from Cornish College of the Arts. I used to be a graphic designer for a big corporation, but I recently quit to do Revival Ink apparel full time.

What's your background and have you always been creative? Are there other artistic endeavors you're involved in? Well, I guess I’ve always been creative. I used to make jewelry years ago, to pass the time in the call center I worked in. I also draw, obsessively organize, and collect samples of my favorite packages. I guess that’s normal for a designer…

Where do you get your ideas for your designs? They usually come to me at night when I’m trying to sleep. I have sticky notes on my night stand. I also read and blog a lot, I get inspired by the strangest things.  

Do you do the screen printing for your tees yourself? If so, how did you get into that? Yes, I do it myself. I was part of an after school screen printing club at my college, but I only got to print 1 shirt. I could never make it to the meetings because I had 2 jobs, so I decided to get my own set-up. Now I can do it in my slippers at 2am in my basement when I need to. I started with an instructional DVD, and made a lot of messes.

How you see expanding your line in the near future? Kids clothing!! I just printed my first onesies, and now I carry youth sizes, and larger sizes up to 2XL. I am working on doing more baby stuff soon. I would also like to get someone to help with the printing, know anyone?
 
Whose work do you admire? I am enchanted by Salvador Dali’s work because every time you look at the same painting you find something new. I also like the Russian constructivist El Lizzitsky because he created fascinating works of social commentary using only black, white, and red shapes.

What advice would you offer new designers entering the market? Forget everything they told you in design school about the “real world.” It’s not as horrible and shrewd as they make it out to be. Be nice to everyone, and you will be pleasantly rewarded. Also, don’t expect to be successful without a lot of sleepless nights. You have to earn it.
 
What is your vision for your business and where would you like to be in five years? I plan to increase the amount of stores I’m in, and do more wholesale. Since I just quit my day job, lots of very exciting changes are happening, and I’m always looking for new ways to grow. It’s hard to say where I’ll be in 5 years, but I still see everything being produced in my basement. I want to stay a small, independent business with no more than a few employees.
 
Any other area of fashion you'd like to delve into? I’m pretty happy where I’m at for now, but I would like to partner up with someone who sews clothing, so I could get more custom apparel to print on.

What current trend would you like to see go away? Low rise jeans and Ugg boots.

If you could have one item, new or vintage, what would it be? An old Victorian style chaise lounge, with a carved wood frame and a black cushion.

What clothing item did you wear to shreds growing up? I had a hoodie that looked like Punky Brewster’s, I think my mom eventually had to hide it from me.

Archive of Past Featured Designers:
Miyuki Ott - August 2007
Seed Clothing - September 2007
Moxie & Oliver - October 2007
MishMash - November 2007
Tarah Prater Designs - December 2007
Effie's Heart - January 2008
Organik - February 2008
Red Delicious - March 2008
Marlo M Jewelry - April 2008
Ugly Baby - May 2008
Like a Rock Star - June 2008
Da-a tis - July 2008
Birna Jewelry - August 2008
Lucia Apparel - September 2008