Interview with DURKL
Established in Washington, D.C. in the year 2047, DURKL is stylish, detailed, and progressive, celebrating the individuality, diversity, and creativity that set us all apart.
Gabe: So first, what are your names and who are you guys?
I’m Will and I do the creative stuff for DURKL. My name’s Cole and I handle the business end of things.
Gabe: How did you come up with the name DURKL?
Will: It was actually the first word I said as a kid, not mom, not dad, DURKL.
Gabe: Haha, that’s a pretty cool way to name your brand. So, on your site it says established in 2047? What’s the meaning behind that? Are you guys basically saying your style is the future?
Will: DURKL is futuristic, we push the boundaries, but it’s more of a subtle play on words. In the end it doesn’t matter when you were established! Everyone uses that as some sort of a credibility thing but I don’t see any credibility in being an old company. On the other side of the coin, 2047 literally means TWENTY-FOUR-SEVEN.
Gabe: Oh ok, yea I have always wondered why the 2047. Who does the photography on the blog?
Will: The blog stuff basically represents our companies eyesight…our lifestyle. Kind of describing us and what we do day to day. So for the pictures it’s just me pointing and shooting, but everything else is done by our friend Dakota Fine…he actually just got a studio space below ours. He just shot the Spring 09 Lookbook with this band Late of the Pier, which is am awesome new British band.
Gabe: I was actually going to ask who the models were on the site, like if you knew them but I’m looking at one of them now lol.
Will: Yea we kinda did that purposely, it’s designed by us, modeled by us, and everything-ed by us. It just makes more sense doing it all ourselves.
Gabe: What about the other people?
Will: They are all friends or interns or just part of the crew… well I’m not going to say crew but I just did. But, you know people around town that we know.
Cole: For example one of the guys is actually in my band.
Gabe: Nice, I’ll make sure to listen to that on the way back. Any plans for a retail store?
Will: Umm the answer would be “maybe”. But to be honest “no” because it’s not really in the grand plans, we aren’t opposed to it, though. There are a lot of up and coming areas in DC and retail makes sense, but finding a big retail space that doubles as a design studio is actually hard to find. We have found a couple of places that make sense, but it’s just not really in the plans. Also now isn’t really the time to be investing in the store with the economy the way it is. So once again it’s not really in our vision but not out of the cards.
Gabe: Yea, definitely a lot safer to keep the shop online with this economy. What is the event Shorts that you guys always hold? Is that like the garment or video shorts?
Will: It’s shorts as in the garment. The party just kind of goes along with the DURKL brand mentality. I feel like everyday people know less and less how to have a good time. They don’t really see the amazigness (if that’s even a word) of life. So we decided to throw a party and call it something that means nothing. You have to wear a pair of shorts. That doesn’t mean cool shorts or expensive shorts, just a pair of shorts for no real reason.
Cole: it’s also a reaction to every other club in DC where you have to wear slacks and a dress shirt to even get in. If you show up in shorts they are just going to throw you out and not even think twice about it.
Will: So just wear shorts because it’s completely casual and it just really brings everyone together somehow. The party last night was actually the best one to date. But in the end it just brings everyone together…people really have a great time. And the funniest part is that you can’t get in if you are not wearing shorts. We play Spin Doctors at midnight every party also…
Cole: We actually have a pair of scissors at the door to cut people slacks or jeans to shorts.
Gabe: Yea that’s a very cool party idea, have you ever actually cut a pair of jeans or slacks of a person?
Will: Yea, all the time because people just want to get in. And actually we do something for some of the events. Like two parties ago we baked a 4ft by 4ft cake shaped like a pair of shorts.
Gabe: Oh so this isn’t the first time you throw the party?
Will: No we actually did this for 6 months last year and then we decided to go out on top and just end it.
Cole: or it was also getting too cold for shorts.
Gabe: Haha yea shorts in the cold aren’t good. So do you guys have any collaborations with anyone or are you just focusing on you guys.
Will: I’m actually wearing one on my head right now. We are doing a pair of shades with Sabre Vision. (http://www.sabre.fm/) Sabre is a brand started by a couple of Australians that brought Australian street culture to LA and started this sunglasses line which is a surfer/skater style. The DURKL x Sabre pair I’m wearing are actually coming out in the summer.
Gabe: I’m not really a shades guy just can’t find the right pair to fit my head
Cole: I just lose all of mine haha
Gabe: Any other collabs?
Will: Yea I mean for collabs basically just the shades with Sabre which is going to segway us into the beginning of our accessory line which will come out probably next spring. So we got the shades coming out for that. It’s a long way off but this is kind of the jumping point into that. We are also doing some tee’s with other brands that I can’t talk about yet because I don’t know when they are going to come out. But as far as future collabs we want to do them with the lesser known brands and not the American top staple brands that everyone wears. More like brands in Europe, Australia and other countries.
Gabe: What about the themes for your brand? Do you guys have any themes for your lines?
Will: Well we don’t really do themed theme lines. It basically centers around a subtle yet detailed style.
Cole: It’s just a cohesive look. Everything is just supposed to fit together. I don’t think you really need a theme. But in general for an overall theme we just try to have our clothing themed around a more happy go lucky fan base. We like an open minded customer so that’s kind of incorporated into our designs.
Will: Yea a lot of people do that because what it does is it makes encapsulating a season really easy because you are focusing on one aspect. I mean we kind of do it a little, but we do it in a more subtle way. Like for the fall season we are doing a lot more classic cut, durable American looking work-wear. But it’s not super duper work wear It’s more of like an undercurrent going through it. So yes and no.
Gabe: What do you guys do for fun outside of work? Do you guys do any sports?
Will: Well just umm go to Dave and Busters and run through all the arcades games and win babes stuffed animals.
Cole: Will and I were actually wrestlers our whole lives, so…
Will: We kick people’s asses all the time.
Gabe: That was in high school?
Cole: Yea and Will was actually the city champion so he has more to show for it then I do.
Will: But to actually answer that question, what do we do out of work? I don’t think we really have any spcific hobbies like people who love biking or skateboarding of white water rafting. It doesn’t take much for me to have fun. You can take me to CVS and I’ll have a good time.
Gabe: Run up and down the aisle lolol
Will: Yea man just have fun. DC is like a playground and you can have fun anywhere. Denny’s is tight too.
Gabe: So many of us have those late nights working, where do you head to for food?
Will: 7-11 is really the only late night place around the office…well CVS too. Gotta get creative.
Gabe: Yea that’s one thing we also do here. Where do you guys see yourselves in 5-10 years?
Cole: Country side in Italy
Will: DC, maybe a store front, bigger offices, just growth. I mean, we aren’t going to change anything about the company or style or anything like that. Stay the same course we are on, but just add growth.
Cole: It’s just cool for us to have sneakerMANIAC here just because you’re local. DC for a long time has been sort of culturally weak, and a lot of what we do here in DC, our hometown, is centered around making DC a cool place full of culture, art, music, and clothing. I mean there have been flashings of it but for the most part I feel like DC has sort of a bum rap. So hopefully in 10 years we can contribute to making DC what it is and showing that to people.
Gabe: Yea a lot of people hear DC and the think oh crime, violence and drugs but they fail to see the real culture, art and style DC has to offer.
Will” Yea, I mean DC has it all, but few actually see that side of this town. All the pieces are here they just need to be plugged in together…it’s just all kind of fragmented and I think now, more than ever is really this city’s time to shine.
Gabe: So is there anything you want to inform our readers about, a shout out?
Will: Well our spring line just came out, so check that out and keep up with DC. I think a lot more stuff is going to come out of DC and this is the beginning of this towns rise; don’t forget to be yourself. Don’t be afraid, don’t be shy, be alive!
Cole: Come out to Shorts, it’s every second Thursday at Asylum DC and that will give you an idea of what we do. Also, make fun.
Text: Gabrial Harding
Official Site: http://www.durkl.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/durkl
Below is a set of products that we at sneakerMANIAC picked as our favorite products from DURKL.
