Style 43

UnderTheHat clothing is the so-called “Deformed child” of Southampton transplant Kev Munday. The Under The Hat Visual Tourettes nights have been helping out the scene in the South for a while now, so Style thought it was about time people learnt more about it.

If you think that UnderTheHat is just another T-shirt company, you’d be wrong. With a range of solid, eye-catching designs and the dedication to make things happen, expect them to go places. From features in Ride magazine to Attila having their first showing of Hit The Switch at a Visual Tourettes night, they’ve got the connections too. To find out what goes on behind the scenes, we hit up Kev with some questions.

…so what is UnderTheHat anyway?
UnderTheHat is a small independent clothing line producing a range of men’s and women’s t-shirts and accessories. It’s all ran by myself out of a few boxes in the corner of my room. Check it out at www.underthehatclothing.co.uk

What made you make the step from just doing graphic design/artwork to putting it on clothing and starting up your own clothing brand?
It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do for as long as I can remember. I had a bit of spare cash at the time and felt my stuff was unique enough to compete with everything else out there so decided to go for it. The first run (20 tees) sold out almost as soon as I got it so I put the money back in and made more. It’s kept going like that for over 3 years now!

How hard was it setting up your own brand? Was it easier or harder than you’d expected it to be?
It’s been completely different to how I expected it to be, there are a lot of things to take into consideration that I wouldn’t ever have though of. Designing the stuff has been the easiest part but then there’s so much more to it! It’s been a benefit doing it by myself in that it gives me a real kick seeing someone wearing something that I’ve designed, had produced, kept stocked, predicted would sell, got in the shops, had in the right place at the right time etc etc.

Got any tips for anyone thinking of doing it themselves?
Be prepared to have to invest some money into it. Get on the Internet but get off it too. Make sure your designs are unique. Not many people want to wear a logo of a brand they don’t know, give people an incentive to rock it. To start off your mates are your best customers. Don’t cut costs on quality. Talk to everyone who strikes a conversation. Copyright everything! Flow some stuff to landmark people in your scene. You can never have enough stickers. ‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results’ (NO MORE BLEEDING HEARTS AND KNUCKLE DUSTERS)!!

How do you see yourself developing the range?
I want UnderTheHat to be a brand that people know and talk about with a genuine passion. In the future there’s going to be a lot of new garments coming out including windbreaker jackets, wallets and hats.

What’s your take on the way some clothing companies stick with just putting a name on their shirts? I’m guessing you put quite a lot of time and effort into all the designs on your’s?
It’s just a fad; the whole of myspace seems to have produced a line of tees with a different word scrawled on the front. With UnderTheHat I try to keep things a bit different, the emphasis is on the garments themselves, not the name. Hopefully people will look at the stuff for what it is rather than as a lifestyle image.

What’s your favourite design that you’ve done so far?
Either the ‘Our Place’ tee, the ‘Be Counted’ design, or any one of the ones saved on my computer ready to drop in a few months.

Who influences your work?
Skate culture, street art, comic books, punk/DIY graphics, and getting out there. I look up to people such as the 123Klan, Jon Burgerman, D-Face and Vinnie Ray, and companies such as Dephect, THTC and Yes No Maybe.

Who initially got you interested in graphic design/art?
I’ve always been into art since scribbling in the margins of textbooks at school. I first properly got into graphic design through my college teacher Matt Lyon. He opened my eyes to digital design, taught me to use the computer and darkroom and has just been a real inspiration in general, plus his work is nuts! Check him out at www.myspace.com/tekc

Aside from the UnderTheHat clothing range, you run the Visual Tourettes nights in Southampton. Want to explain what they are?
The idea behind Visual Tourettes is to give everyone who is interested a platform to get themselves out there into the public. The walls of the venue are open to anyone who wants to exhibit and sell work, with a 0% commission. We have a big screen TV which is open to independent skate/BMX companies and filmers who want to show their stuff to an audience, and some of the south’s top hip hop acts play sets through the night.

I’ve heard you’re improving the Visual Tourettes experience - what’ve you got up your sleeve?
You’ve heard correctly! A bigger and better venue, more regularly (once a month) and a lot more freedom for all involved. The plan soon is to take this idea all over the country, getting to as many people as possible.

So apart from those two things, what else goes on in the life of Kev Munday?
I’ve just finished for the year at uni (graphic design at the Solent), so I’m off until October. At the moment I’m trying to clear my overdraft by selling canvases on Ebay to people who can’t spell graffiti, it’s going pretty successfully! Riding my BMX, creating something new everyday, seeing my girlfriend, drinking a few too many and trying to tour the country scribbling on walls at various events.

Any last words/shout-outs/thanks?
A big thanks to you for the interview, a big shout out to everyone I’ve met through Visual Tourettes, an ‘I owe you a drink’ to mark @ 4130, a ‘you owe me a drink’ to the PCE crew and a big pat on the back to everyone who’s got this ball rolling.

UnderTheHat

Online Shop

UnderTheHat on Myspace

Product photos by Kev Munday@UnderTheHat | Riding photo by Mark Westlake