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Back to the Lab

Blending fashion, politics and Ice Cube iconography, SAME preps for a Fall takeover.

by B.D. | 2005.09.19

We were definitely intrigued by the hot pink guns plastered on a black shirt. And between the twin revolvers was the popular (yet moronic) phrase "Guns don't kill people". Had the NRA covertly slithered its way into scenester fashion using methods the "Republican" Vice publisher has long boasted of originating? Would Bushwick soon be teeming with AR-15-toting youngsters with Professor Murder in the iPod and a vigilante attitude on the streets? We were consternated. Seething with Brady Bill frustration, we seized the offending garment, if only to tear it into shoe-shining shreds. As we reared up mightily, intent on sending the soft material and sturdy stitching to the great laundry bin in the sky, we noticed the back of the shirt was emblazoned with the following: "Yes they do". we collapsed, flacid with relief. Since the shirt was ill, we decided to find out more about SAME clothing. The interview with Wilson was def and it went this way:

You're based in Davidson, North Carolina. Why?

This is where I grew up and NYC rent wasn't cutting it. Now I have a backyard, a real dog, and a honest-to-goodness studio. And moms can be in my grill 24-7.

Does being centered in a smaller city make pushing the SAME brand more difficult?

This is really just a little town, and yeah, it does, which is why we've got some changes coming up. We're breaking for Spring 2006 to come hard for Fall. Get ready for more over-the-top (so high you can't get over it), up-in-your-brain-graphics, with a tight cut and sew collection to back it up. I'll be spending a lot more time in New York and Cali to push the line.

Tar Heels or Blue Devils?

Heeeeeeeeeels. Fuck Duke. Sorry, Dad.

Your "Guns Don't Kill People" shirt gets a mixed reaction in the hood. But some gentleman in line for the 24-hour revolving bodega window across from the Red Hook Houses said he liked it tremendously. What reaction where you looking for?

Come on, man, our gut reactions are the most important and lasting. If I unpack this shirt for you, it might ruin it. Anyway, "liked it tremendously" is a great reaction. You know that "Guns Don't Kill People/People With Moustaches Kill People" tee? I have nothing against the wide-market non sequitur, but it made me think: guns don't kill people? Oh, yes they do, and all the time. It's like saying, "Cholera Doesn't Kill People," or "Cars Don't Kill People." It's just a lie.

Was the "Fuckin' Texas" shirt intended as a political statement?

No.

Do you find something innately odd about merging progressive politics with fairly expensive clothing?

No, I don't. Shall I push progressive politics on Wal-Mart, whose new marketing directive is to have all tees retailing under $4 by 2010? Maybe they'll like, "HEALTHCARE IS FOR RICH ASSHOLES," or something like that. You'll say the customer who can drop $40 on a tee already holds the views on the tee -- a preaching-to-the-choir scenario. Well, I've found if you preach to the choir, at least they sing louder.

What's the inspiration for the Historical Figures designs? Will those continue?

Our heroes are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. With the media cyclone exposing all the faults of the super-famous for our pleasure, it's easy to forget the lives led by the celebrities of the past. They’re often more scintillating than mere million-dollar peccadilloes and plastic surgery and yes, they'll continue.

SAME has an Ice Cube-inspired shirt that reads "I Was Dope" in a nod to his tale about the project dating scene. Why is every t-shirt with a Cube reference always fantastic?

Ice Cube and Dr. Dre are the only original NWA members who never fell off. Eazy's dead as hell, Ren's like 50 and still dropping duds, and Yella just disappeared. Maybe a "Where's Yella?" tee would be funny. Don't steal any of my ideas. But Cube -- at 19 he and D.O.C. were writing virtually all the lyrics for the whole posse, and then it took him ten more years to finally fall off. Even "Lethal Injection" is listenable. Cube is just the first and still the dopest intelligent gangsta rapper; he yelled every lyric and still sounded good. Sorry, Schooly D fans, but everything Cube spat from 1988-1998 was gold. You could make a fortune mining his lyrics. Yo Dre, stick to producin'.

Your Fall collection features clothing emblazoned with the names of days of the week. What gives?

Minutes and seconds are just that, but these larger units of time that mark our lives have distinct names; in many cases the meanings of these names have remained constant for thousands of years. I also like the idea of a collection that moves through the week as we do. Have you seen the Wednesday design? It sucks, because Wednesday sucks.

Are we supposed to correspond our shirts with the proper days of the week? Or is there something funky-fresh-in-the-flesh about rocking a Friday jammy on Monday?

Yeah, yeah; I wear Saturday every day.

Where can New York motherfuckers get their stinking paws on your Fall stuff?

Um. Probus, Odin, Bloomingdale's (both of 'em), some other stores. Go in the stores you always go in and be like, "Where the fuck is SAME?"

Besides clothing, what sort of side hustles are SAME involved in?

I have a fair amount of private-label contracts, clients of all shapes and sizes. I did a group of designs for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and in the same month hooked up my local coffee spot. We do art and creative direction, illustration, book design... more than I can really handle.

Okay, what about this: the shirt has anatomically-correct renderings of ribs drawn on its sides and says "FOR HER PLEASURE" in the middle of the chestpiece?

I like anatomically correct renderings, that's for sure. For her pleasure -- hold on; are you suggesting sex sells?

What's your favorite kind of malt liquor?

C45, bitch. You wanna see a drunken man, bring me some.

For more on SAME clothing, hit them on the web at http://samelab.com

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