Seattle’s making moves in the
Hip Hop world. Deny it all you want, but this city is
creepin’ on a come up.
From independent locals who are staking their claim as
artists with national pull, to producers, like Jake One,
who’s working with the cream of the crop (the good doctor
put him on at Aftermath to work with up and comer Brooklyn).
Seattle is workin’ it.
Now the fashion world is going to bow down if the folks at
the J Saigon Clothing Co. have anything to say about it.
Tucked away on a quiet back road in West Seattle is an
inconspicuous two story house that serves as headquarters
for a new line of urban fashion.
Unlike some cats that whip out a few t-shirts and make like
they’re going to be the next Roc-a-Wear, the crew at J.
Saigon want to take it to the next level.
They’ve started off small with t-shirts, beanies, caps and
jackets, just to get the name out (peep www.jsaigon.com for
what’s available right now) and coming soon to a spot near
you will be a full line of gear targeted at the urban
market.
Jeans, knits, wovens, twills and more are on deck. The team
had an unofficial jump off at Jin tha MC’s Chop Suey show in
January which was well received and has the crew excited
about things to come.
Co-founded by Michael Vo who handles the business side of
things – sales, promotions, etc., and Kell Quach, whose
alter ego and philosophy form the foundation, the company
has been officially in business for about 6 months.
But the idea of Johnni Saigon was born four years in the
form of Quach’s alter ego, the creative, dream chasin’,
livin’ life to the fullest, just don’t give a … type of cat
that represents the attitude that the crew are trying to
bring to the people with their designs and gear.
Rounding out the team are designer Gaura Kish, who has been
doing his design thing for the last 6 or 7 years, consultant
Derrick Ellis and Kell’s little brother Chris Quach, who
handles the chief financial officer duties.
Vo and Quach have some experience with this. They’ve tried a
few times in the past, but this is the first time they’ve
had
the pieces needed to really make it work and to take it to
the next level.
One of the key pieces of this puzzle has been Ellis, a
graduate of the Seattle Art Institute, who, having worked
for both Tommy Bahamas and Mecca, brings valuable big league
experience to the table.
The team is excited about the possibilities for J Saigon
Clothing Co. because they feel like they’re putting the
emphasis where it needs to be - the quality of the product
and a wide range of gear to choose from.
They want to give customers choices from the loud and proud
to the classy and understated, all while maintaining a focus
on the look and the fit offered to the masses at a
reasonable price.
Right now the goal is to get the men’s line out there and
established, but once they’ve done that they feel like the
sky’s the limit and plan on branching out into women’s wear
and a kid’s line.
Gaura sees a women’s line as an untapped market. He says he
sees women buying a lot of men’s wear because there is a
lack of dope urban fashion for the ladies.
They’ve run into obstacles along the way, from problems with
the materials and the screen printing, to quality issues and
last minute rushes to meet deadlines.
They are quick to point out that they’ve worked through them
and are still moving forward towards the eventual goal.
While the name evokes their Vietnamese heritage, the crew
acknowledges their team is made up of folks from a number of
different cultural backgrounds and that, most importantly,
this isn’t an Asian clothing line – it’s an urban clothing
line that happens to have been started by a couple of Asian
guys.
They want to bring their flavor to the mix cause they know
they got something hot to give the people.
One of the most impressive things about this venture is the
passion each member of the team brings to the project; a lot
of dreams never get off the ground because nobody wants to
work at.
The cats at Johnni Saigon all believe and are putting in
work to get it done.
J Saigon Clothing Co.’s official launch will be a fashion
show at Russel Simmons’ Hip Hop Summit Action Network
shindig here in Seattle on June 6th and 7th.
Check www.seaspot.com for more info on that.
If you want to check out the gear, go to
www.jsaigon.com or stop
by the showroom (open Friday, Saturday and Sundays) at 8141
24th Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98106.
Call 206-679-7760 for more information.
They’re also looking for models, so if you think you got
what it takes, holler at ‘em and let ‘em know.
the pieces needed to really make it work and to take it to
the next level.