Tankfarm's Parade of Hits
John and Mike Anderson have had no problem capturing the humor and fast times of rock ’n’ roll youth culture with their graphic T-shirts, sold under the Tankfarm Clothing label. The musicians-turned-manufacturers are now making a gamble that European style will be the right ingredient to cut an individual figure in the increasingly crowded streetwear field.
“Every skate company has denim. Every fashion company is offering some kind of tee,” said John, 30, co-founder of the 2-yearold company. “I told myself that we got to create a new product; you have to hit the market with a different angle.”
The rock ’n’ roll savvy of the Andersons’ graphics helped the Cypress, Calif.–based company land space in stores such as Nordstrom and Metropark. They continued to shape an individual identity by crafting a program for cut-and-sew tops for their women’s line in 2004.
When the Andersons decided to go with a more European look paired with Orange County graphics, they gave the job to 33-yearold Italian designer Massimo Geraci, who joined the label as a partner in October.
The European look won’t be completely realized until the company debuts its expanded Fall 2005 collection, in which some pieces, including pants, will be constructed out of Italian fabrics and denim. Geraci also encouraged the Andersons to experiment with argyles, piqueacute;s and thermals in their sheerjersey tops.
While it remains to be seen if consumers embrace Tankfarm’s European style, Tom Goodwin, a manager at the Active Ride boutique in Burbank, Calif., said his customers are attracted to the clothes’ graphics, which range from flowers to humorous looks at punk-rock hair styles. One thing is consistent: There’s always a graphic of a weapon or of farm equipment on each piece of clothing.
The collection caters to men and women ages 18 to 35. Retail price points range from $28 to $32 for tees, from $20 to $30 for hats, and from $110 to $120 for denim. Polo shirts retail for $60.
Labels on records and clothing
The Andersons stumbled into the clothing business. They started out as musicians with their own record label, Tankfarm Records, in 2001. They named the label after a playground where they had ridden their bicycles while growing up in Cypress. The image of a World War II–era tank was the label’s logo.
Tankfarm Records released a CD compilation of Orange County bands in 2003. The Andersons also had their own band, called Nice (pronounced like the French city), which played clubs and opened for 1980s hit maker The Psychedelic Furs when that group rolled through Orange County in 2003.
To capitalize on Tankfarm’s concerts, Mike, who had earned a fine arts degree from California State University, Fullerton, created T-shirts bearing a tank graphic. The brothers soon had a hit on their hands, but it wasn’t what they had intended; they sold 10 T-shirts for every one of their CDs. The feedback from their fans seemed to point in one direction: Start a clothing company.
Success came quickly for Tankfarm Clothing. The company quickly sold the line to Fred Segal in Santa Monica, Calif., and Urban Outfitters and Dungarees in Burbank. By the end of the line’s first year in business, it was in 100 stores. It now is in 300 doors.
Last year, the Andersons met Geraci at the Pool Trade Show in Las Vegas. Geraci had worked as a free-lance designer for several Italian labels, including popular menswear line Mason’s. He was familiar with Orange County because he had moved there in 1996 to take some master’s degree courses in business at the University of California, Irvine.
Geraci said Europe is a perfect place to design fashion but California is the mecca of streetwear. “If artists want to get a good source of inspiration for streetwear, they come to Los Angeles,” he said.
