DESIGNER PROFILE
Hips and Hair: California Lifestyle
Drawing inspiration from contemporary American pop culture while utilizing a hands-on approach to all stages of production, T-shirt line Hips and Hair has garnered an international following since its inception in 2008.
Southern California native Jonathan Bussiere began toying with screen printing T-shirts after hours in the Loyola Marymount printing lab while studying film and television at the university. Upon graduation, he skipped a career in Hollywood to instead launch a T-shirt line with snippy one-liners and original artwork that reflected the Southern California lifestyle.
One of the core principles of Hips and Hair is to only create art and product that the company connects with and believes in, which includes where it is made.
“Everything we do—from our fabric sourcing, cutting/sewing, dyeing, finishing to screen printing—all happens in Los Angeles, and our warehouse and offices are in Orange County [Calif.],” Bussiere said. “Keeping our production local is a definite conscious choice for us.”
“The way we see us standing out from the pack is to have a product that is of quality, with attention being paid to every detail. We feel strongly about keeping our production within the U.S., doing out part to help support the local economy. We try our best to make ethical decisions when it comes to our products, which is a key reason as to why we chose to produce in America,” remarked Bussiere.
Being made in the USA does pose some challenges though, as he pointed out. “It is usually a bit higher of a cost to produce, which can tie up cash flow. On the flip side, many of our accounts, especially stores we sell to in Japan and Europe, love that we are USA made and would probably not buy from us otherwise.”
Currently, Pacific Sunwear, Gypsy Warrior, and Mixology carry Hips and Hair in addition to other retailers around the country and the world. Additionally, the line has its own e-commerce retail set up on its website along with its blog and links to social-media channels.
Pieces wholesale between $15 and $30 and include men’s and women’s T-shirts and tanks, beanies, and screen-printed artwork. For more information, visit www.hipsandhair.com or email info@hipsandhair.com.
