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Interview with Viper Black Clothing: Jedrek Speer and Russell Vare

Viper Black strives to care for the earth and its community without sacrificing fun and style.  Inspired by a series of found sketchbooks and incorporating elements of graffiti, modern design and the environment, Viper Black features stylish apparel made from the finest 100% certified organic cotton and low-impact dyes.  Revitalizing traditional clothing and maturing them into playful works of wearable art, Viper Black is committed to authenticity and sustainability, always keeping the conscious consumer in mind.

Peep my interview with Jedrek Speer and Russell Vare of Viper Black after the jump and get schooled on design with integrity.  *chomp chomp*

Please tell us a little about yourselves and your work.
Jedrek: My name is Jedrek Speer, I’m 31, I live in Silver Lake (Los Angeles) California and I’m married.  Honestly, I don’t know where to begin when asked to describe my work. Most of the time I call what I do “work”, but one could just as easily call it “fun”. Being creative is fun, sometimes I forget but I can get present to the idea with a quick look over my computer. I paint, I draw, I sketch, and I write. I had a pretty prolific street art campaign for a few years, but I have new priorities and spending time in jail is not one of them.

I am a Senior Graphic Designer for Monarchy Collection, a denim brand here in LA. I have quite a bit of creative freedom there and it feels good to pay the bills by drawing with my headphones on all day. In 2007, my cousin Russell and I started Viper Black, yet another platform for creativity, and something to really be proud of.

I have an addiction to collecting motorcycles.

Russell: My name is Russell Vare, I’m 31, and I was born of immigrant parents (kind of – Canada and England). Cailfornia raised, mainly Hollywood. My background is a little different from Jedrek’s. I studied economics and received my Masters in Political Economics from UCLA. My recent work has been in renewable energy and alternative fuels. This led me into learning about other aspects of sustainable living.

You collaborated together on your first t-shirt line 12 years ago, what inspired you to come out with a collection a decade afterwards?
Jedrek: Well, personally I wanted my own line from about age 8. My dad pretty much refused to buy me name brand t-shirts and encouraged me to make my own. At the time I thought his recommendation was ridiculous, but over time, I realized that he was not the only one telling me I should do my own thing.

Russell was the first to really step up and back the idea. Instead of saying “hey you should do your own thing”, he asked me how much 25 shirts would cost, and then he sent me a check. It probably took me a year to actually get the shirts printed and send him one, but it was that simple request that lit a fire under me. Honestly, Viper Black started a lot like our first t-shirts — Russell and I having a conversation, realizing that we had similar ideas, similar goals, and both wanted something we could call our own.

Russell: I think it was less inspiration and more motivation. I’ve made a lot of t-shirts over the years (some with Jedrek, some without). I’ve learned that a good idea or cool design is a dime-a-dozen, but being able to execute takes something more. We now have more experience, more skills and a better understanding of what it takes to turn an idea into a product.

How did you come up with the name Viper Black?
Jedrek:  A really good friend of mine that I went to high school with has “Viper Black” tattooed on the inside of his bicep. He has Coxcomb Red tattooed on the other bicep, equally a really cool name for a clothing line. The tattoos were inspired by a lyric from the song Coxcomb Red by Jason Molina of Songs Ohia. At first, I just thought it was just a really cool name for a brand, but after taking a listen to the song and the album, the cool name for a brand transformed into something really special. After the first or second listen to the song, I began to sob. I can’t really define why, I just did, and I still do when I hear it. I now have a much deeper appreciation and understanding of why he was compelled to get it tattooed on him.

Russell:  What he said.

What is most challenging about your work now?
Jedrek:  This answer could be the length of the entire interview, but I will do my best to spare you. Part of the intention of starting our own brand was to facilitate enough money for both of us to quit our day jobs. For one, it would just be awesome to be supported by our love and passion, but we are now realizing that it’s almost impossible to make those kind of numbers without dedicating all of your time to it. We are at a point when some big decisions need to be made, and with this economy, me watching my boss run around with his head cut off trying to make numbers, I’m not so sure how big I want it to be right now.

Another constant challenge is the compromise. We set out to start a brand routed in authentic art and sustainability. When you see that you can spend half the price if you don’t use certified organic cotton, it makes you wonder. Maybe we should just blow it out like everyone else and turn a blind eye to where the garments are coming from and how they are made in order to cut costs. As enticing as it is at times, it’s just not Viper Black.

Russell:  I do the less exciting work. My current challenges are inventory management, book keeping, foreign export regulations, bill collection and raising capital.

What is your definition of creativity?
Jedrek:  Creativity to me is free expression. It is focus and it is letting inspiration take over. Music to me is a huge inspiration, at work it’s like coffee, I can’t do anything creative without music. Viper Black is interesting because there is such an open platform, we can really do whatever we want. For our first season, we did just that. I shared a series of sketchbooks with Russell, my wife, and a few other friends and everyone just loved them. They drawings are what I think is truly “authentic” art, and they scream it. They are raw, some even adolescent, but after a longer look they tell stories of living a life of creativity and exploration. The second season, I got wrapped up in what was selling, and I got fixed on trying to make bigger numbers leaving out the most important part, inspiration. For this third season, we are taking it back to the basics, back to the raw inspiration, and I am really excited about it.

Russell: Anything someone does purely for enjoyment – free from any fear of what others will think about it. Could be drawing, painting, cooking, dancing, writing, inventing, whatever. Although I guess that’s not a perfect definition, because then sleeping could be considered creative.

In your eyes, what makes a good collection?
Jedrek:  I think the previous answer tapped into this one. What makes a good collection is authentic inspiration. After working in the fashion industry for nearly five years, I’ve seen designers with that kind of raw inspiration, and then I’ve seen the ones that just try to imitate it. I think it’s important to know what your inspiration is at the beginning of each season, and not just what you think will sell. I like to make vision boards, tear things out of magazines, go to the library, and do research. Even if you come up with something totally random, that’s what makes a good collection.

Russell:  The same thing that makes good art. It’s in the eye of the beholder.

Who are your favorite designers?
Jedrek:  Ironically I’ve never really paid a lot of attention to designers. I really liked Morphine Generation when it first came out. My friend Nick has a line called NSF. His stuff is so awesome, super minimal, functional, and it makes you look good. I love it. I like all the boutique designers that you’ll find at Maxfields. Libertine as always been a huge inspiration, I love the idea of recycled garments with simple graphics. Most of my favorite designers are my friends, UNIF clothing and Whitehorse Couture.  I find myself wearing their stuff more often than my own sometimes.

Russell: From the production perspective, I respect American Apparel’s vertical integration.

What is your favorite place in Los Angeles?
Jedrek: I have a new favorite place in Los Angeles. Saturday morning I got up around 6:30am and rode my motorcycle up the Angelest Crest Highway. I just kept going until the road was closed up around 6,500 feet. That’s my favorite place in LA because it’s the furthest thing from it! The air is crisp, the smell of the vanilla pines, and views for miles.

Russell: My favorite thing about LA is the cultural diversity.  My favorite places in LA are the neighborhoods for every country in the world: Korea Town, Thai Town, Little Tokyo, Little Ethopia, and on and on.

What are your plans for the future?
Jedrek:  Keep Viper Black alive, keep creativity alive, and take more motorcycle rides.

Russell:  Additional sustainable fabrics.  We’ve been researching bamboo, soy, and fibers from recycled plastic bottles.

Any closing thoughts?
Jedrek:  Nope, that pretty much says it all.

Russell: Our goal is to make clothes that merge fashion and sustainability.  Before Viper Black I could find one or the other, but not both.

Links
Viper Black Clothing
Viper Black Clothing at Revolve
Monarchy Collection