Published: Monday - March 26, 2007
Words by Jay Casteel
Brand New Customs (Photo: Brand New Customs)
After leaving his hometown of Sacramento for Los Angeles to live with his girlfriend, artist Ricky Nguyen turned a hobby that used to get him into trouble into a profitable company. His clothing line, Brand New Customs, allows him to live a quite comfortable life.
Before launching the company though, the 25-year-old Vietnamese CEO started as a kid in the streets of Sacramento, vandalizing walls and surfaces throughout the city, the same way he designs his custom t-shirts, hoodies or any piece of clothing you put in front of him. It wasn't ambition that lit a fire under his ass, but a combination of a string of dead end jobs and a stint behind bars that made him realize he needed to do something quick.
"I spent some time in jail," Nguyen said. "I actually picked up my some of my style from there. Like how prison tattoos are Latino style, my line is the same way -- a lot of drips and old school looking."
Developing his art style in turn resulted in Nguyen putting his energy into his craft, and when his girlfriend decided to move to L.A. to begin her own fashion career, he felt, it could be the beginning of his aspirations in the biz as well.
"When my girl, who does her thing in fashion already, said she was moving to L.A., I figured 'why not'," he explains. “It's the city of dreams, so that was really the beginning for me."
Starting with a 40% coupon for craft store Michaels, Nguyen picked up his first set of paints and brushes, and began creating hand-painted tees. Since he was already selling clothing on Ebay, he decided to put the few he began up to see if they would sell, which they did. Seeing a possible way to earn extra money, the artist took pictures of his work, created a MySpace page and began to promote his clothes online. A large clientele quickly began to surface. More specifically, a Bay Area rapper by the name of Sky Balla was one of the first to inquire about his services.
"One day, Sky Balla from the Bay Area hit me up, saying 'Man, I like your stuff, I need some stuff done,'" Nguyen recalls.
Interestingly enough, he didn't have a name for his company. As he worked on Sky Balla's requested shirts, the idea popped in his head. "I didn't have a name yet. Basically, I was just juiced about Sky Balla hitting me up for some stuff, so while I was driving, I was telling myself, 'I need something brand new, something fresh and that's where it came about."
Brand New Customs today competes among a number of artists and companies who provide custom painted clothing and although some actually cater to the consumer's needs, Nguyen creates each of his pieces tailor-fitted to each of his customers, until they are completely satisfied.
Creating everything from grungy styled versions of a company's logo to a quote chosen by your everyday person, Nguyen's detail and time put into his work is undeniable in each garment. In fact, it's something he takes pride in. "I put my whole soul into each piece and take a lot of time to make each customer happy," he said. "I like simple concepts and take art back to how it used to be, instead of all this rainbowy stuff. But at the end of the day, it's each customer's imagination I have to work with. I add my own spin to everything, but I start with a person's idea."
The idea is only the beginning process of the creation of his pieces though. He still needs to add his own touch his garments to make them stand apart from the rest.
"Always expect something fresh, something brand new... I don't wanna do anything that people have done before. It's a crazy industry, so you're creativity has to stand out," Nguyen continued.
Ranging from $40-$60 for tees and $65-$100 for hoodies and sweaters, Brand New Customs is priced fair considering the time put into each garment made, and will not change no matter how big his line gets, according to the artist.
With a growing clientele boasting the likes of Black Wall Street's Nu Jersey Devil, Lil Jon and Sky Balla, among others, Nguyen is already thinking about growth. His plans for the immediate future is to add to his custom design services with the creation of a full-blown line complete with screen printed tees and other clothing accessories.
But no matter what, he says his custom painted tees will be available to the masses. So, before he blows, fashion fiends better get one done now.
To get a Brand New Custom, visit MySpace.com/BrandNewCustoms or BrandNewCustoms.com
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