Overview: Alter Aspect is a streetwear brand I developed, its inspiration draws from surrealism and optical illusion with the intention to widen the perception of the viewer and encourage alternative ways of thinking.
My Role: Sole creative behind the project
Tools: Illustrator, Premier Pro, Printful, Shopify, Wordpress, Woo Commerce
Style
My aim was to develop a unique style that represents me, incorporates my own fashion sense, while also still being imagery that I as the artist enjoy creating. Naturally the garments I sourced fell into the streetwear category as this is what I wear myself generally. Finding a the right balance in the artwork was much more tricky however, but after much research, experimentation and a little soul searching, I landed on surreal and psychedelic imagery. This was perfect as it was a wide and experimental field of art I enjoyed viewing, creating and wearing, which also carries weight and relevance in the lives of myself and my target audience. From this I developed the monochrome street style imagery seen here, taking influence from many sources that inspired me over the years ranging 90's cartoons to video games and graffiti culture among others. I try to develop, experiment and push these ideas further with each new piece I create, sometimes incorporating new elements such as multi layered outfits, full print sublimation and even AR augmented reality.
Marketing
As I initially had trouble pinning down my niche, I began by promoting and networking locally, relying on my interpersonal skills to build relations and naturally attract the kind of people my brand appeals to. I experimented with various kinds of street level promotion employing a myriad of print design including vinyl, stickers, posters, leaflets, business cards and more, utilising the influence of friends and connections in alternative crowds to grow the brand organically. This helped to create a sturdy foundation for the business through social proof both online and by word of mouth which has resulted in a strong local following of like minded individuals with a real belief in the products.
Website
I started out using print on demand platforms with their own marketplaces such as Tee Public, Red Bubble and Design By Humans but I wanted to create a responsive, professional non-intrusive website which stands on its own rather than along side other artists in a marketplace.
This lead me to the Printful platform which I began using on Shopify as this was the most user friendly and rapid to start ecommerce website builder on the market, however I eventually migrated the site to word press and woo commerce for both a higher degree of site control as well as lower running costs.
Project Tags
Companies
Alter Aspect Apparel
- Fashion and Textiles