Sam Trout
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Meet Sam Trout,
our featured designer for November
What kind of products do you create and w hat inspired you to start designing? I design t-shirts that have a fancy and casual appeal to them. I always grew up thinking, “Wouldn’t it be cool to get paid to draw?” As I moved through high school I can remember thinking I wanted to go into advertising because it seemed like a viable way for me to have a creative career. When I moved to Seattle I didn’t have any experience in the advertising business but I knew a lot about advertising and marketing so I set out to advertise my own work and continued creating. As I gained exposure and my work kept selling I needed to figure out a way to create enough work to satisfy my audience. I needed to move into designing work that could be reproduced easily. I had always had an interest in fashion and it seemed the logical direction to go for my interests and abilities.
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What's your background and have you always been creative? Are there other artistic endeavors you're involved in? I’ve been a creative person all my life and I’m always fascinated by all the different ways to be creative. Growing up I delved into all of the avenues that I found interesting such as: acting, movie making, radio DJ-ing, dancing, playing in a band, skateboarding, snowboarding and many forms of hands-on fine art.
Where do you get your ideas for your designs? Once I get going and really delve into designing I find myself on a track and as I move along that track, I pick up more ideas. Sometimes a new idea comes from the evolution of an old idea. Sometimes I see a color combination or a style that I’d like to incorporate somehow into my work. It may be in a magazine, or a store, or on someone’s body or I may think of something that I haven’t seen before and go in that direction.
Do you do the screen printing for your tees yourself? If so, how did you get into that? I don’t usually do the screen printing myself. I do have the knowledge to do it but not the time, equipment and space for it. It makes a lot more sense for me to have someone else do the printing while I work on the next thing that needs to happen, be that designing the next shirt, working on an email newsletter, talking to store owners or whatever.
How you see expanding your line in the near future? This year is going to be an important year for my line. I’m going to be focusing on growth of distribution and continual development of the line. I’d like to incorporate more organic cottons into my line when they’re available. I’m also working on making my line of shirts be my sole income.
Whose work do you admire? I find a lot of peoples work admirable. Some of my favorites are: Gentle Fawn, Tord Boontje, Ryan McGuiness, Tara McPhereson, Viktor & Rolf, Eryon Franklyn, Flatchestedmama. I guess the list could go on and on.
What advice would you offer new designers entering the market? Decide on an aesthetic and really work to develop it. Follow your vision and don’t let it be clouded by the fact that you aren’t doing what someone else is doing. Learn as much as you can from the people you admire, find a community that suits you best and learn from them, collaborate with them and always remember to be patient. All this work takes a lot of time. Visualize and organize your goals, and as soon as you do that they will soon become reality. It’s always easier to work for someone else but if you have a vision, keep it alive and strive for it.
What is your vision for your business and where would you like to be in five years? I’d love to be self-sufficient and employing a few people, that would rock.
Any other area of fashion you'd like to delve into? I’d love to have a cut-and-sew line where I develop my own silhouettes for clothing but I’m definitely not at that level yet. Or quite possibly work with someone who can develop the silhouettes while I develop the graphics and prints.
What current trend would you like to see go away? War and negative energy.
If you could have one item, new or vintage, what would it be? A studio that I never have to pay rent on.
What clothing item did you wear to shreds growing up? My Robb Roskopp III t-shirt. He was a skateboarder that skated for Santa Cruz in the late eighties and early nineties.
Which designers have really inspired you? Ryan McGuiness and Alphonse Mucha
Also: Sam recently partnered with Designyourwall.com to provide some high quality SAM TROUT WALLPAPER!
FUN
FACTS:
What's your favorite color? Depends on the season.
If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money? I would buy a home, pay off the rest of my new car payments, go on some great vacations and probably delve into a fine-art career. And continue to live my life as care free as I always have.
Cats or dogs? Both.
What's your favorite season? Summer
What you embarrassed to admit you can't live without? Money
If you could only bring three CDs on a deserted island, what would they be?
Low: The Great Destroyer
John Vanderslice: Time Travel is Lonely
Talib Kweli: Reflection Eternal
But I’d probably burn three CD’s of MP3s so I could bring a lot more or bring my ipod. But how would I recharge it or get new batteries for the CD player? Oh the dilemma of asking such a question.
Paper or plastic? Plastic, so I can pick up dog poop.
What's your favorite movie of all time? Schitzopolis
Who/what are you currently obsessed with? My beautiful girlfriend Kellie
Eat in or take out? Eat in if I’m in the mood to cook a really good meal or eat out if I can afford something really delicious that I can’t make at home. I don’t eat out just for the convenience of it, I feel it has to be something worth spending my money on.
What was your favorite band growing up? Metallica
If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would it be? My beautiful girlfriend Kellie, she’s so much fun to talk to.
What's your favorite guilty pleasure? Urban Outfitters |
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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
Revival Ink - October 2008
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