STAT QUO
J.U.S.T.I.C.E LEAGUE
LIZA IRIZARRY
ASHLEY
E.5 CHARLIE
E.5 CHARLIE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
CHAMP MAGAZINE
The Boy Hollywood
CHAMP: I definitely want to start off by getting into the name and the origin of where that came from when you first started up?
e.5 Charlie: e.5.charlie comes from a military, radio call sign I had when I was in the Marine Corps. If somebody is trying to get you on the radio and they don’t know your actual call sign, they go by your rank (enlisted-5 is sergeant) and the first letter of your last name; in the phonetic alphabet, it becomes echo-5-charlie. We shortened it to e.5.charlie.
CHAMP: What was the vision you guys had when you started up in terms of the type of clothes you wanted to bring out?
e.5 Charlie: We sort of came into this by accident, so we didn’t really have a defined concept when we first started doing this. We were doing printing for other people, and one day, for fun, we printed up a couple of shirts for ourselves, and people were really into it, so we made a few more. We really had no idea it was going to turn into a full time job. Initially, we were just trying to figure out what we could do with a Fine Arts Degree and a total desire to stay out of a cubicle, but still make rent and beer money.
CHAMP: Where are you guys based out of?
e.5 Charlie: We’re based out of Boston, Massachusetts.
CHAMP: In terms of designs and artistic direction for clothing, who comes up with the ideas?
e.5 Charlie: We all collaborate on ideas. Somebody sees or reads about something, or it just jumps into their grape, and then we play with it for a while. Most of the time, it doesn’t work, but if we like where it’s going, we keep messing with it until we get somewhere that we really think is looking good, and then send it to press. Some of it works, and obviously, some of it doesn’t. We try to play with a lot of what’s going on in pop culture, the media, and politics, and I think that can be problematic, since those things differ region by region and market by market.
CHAMP: How many pieces do you guys produce a year?
e.5 Charlie: We probably drop about 15-20 pieces per season, but it’s not really set in stone. We’re also really bad at getting all of our stuff done at once, so the stuff tends to drop a few pieces at a time. We really need to get our act together in regards to that. It would probably help if we didn’t all drink so much…
CHAMP: Who are come celebs you guys caught wearing your stuff or that you guys endorse?
e.5 Charlie: Sam Rockwell loves our white, Tricky Dicky tee. And, we sent a grip of gear to Paul Wall after he checked us out at MAGIC last year.
CHAMP: Of course fashion plays a big part in hip hop. What are your thoughts and views on the tight and more fitted look these days oppose to the baggy days?
e.5 Charlie: You have to rock your clothes in a way that makes you happy, but any extreme doesn’t always look good. Too tight, and you look like you need bigger clothes; too baggy, and you just look sloppy. You have to find a happy medium that works for you, but also looks good.
CHAMP: Who do you think in the game really has his swag/fashion sense up right now?
e.5 Charlie: Amber Rose has got some pretty hot shit going on. Plus, we love her haircut.
CHAMP: Who are some clothing lines on the come up that you feel that we should look out for?
e.5 Charlie: Dirty Fortune has been putting out some pretty hot stuff. We also love the gear our boys over at Creepstreet drop season after season.
CHAMP: What projects are you guys currently working on?
e.5 Charlie: We’ve got some hats and some skate decks dropping in the near future. We’re especially excited about the decks; they’re really funny, and really, really good.
CHAMP: Are there any exclusive E.5 Charlie spots in Canada?
e.5 Charlie: unfortunately, not yet. So, if anybody wants to be the first….
CHAMP: What else can we expect from e.5 in 09?
e.5 Charlie: Well, we’re expecting a lot of hangovers, but everybody else should stand by for some hot designs (hopefully…). We’re also trying to work some cut and sew and possibly some denim for the winter, but we may hold back on that until next year.
CHAMP MAGAZINE IS A CANADIAN HIP HOP PUBLICATION FOCUSING ON URBAN CULTURE, HIP HOP,ARTS, MUSIC, AND PRODUCTION
