gl 5 16 08
5/14/08
3:37 PM
Page 17
Business
PROFILES Squidfire: Unique Wearable Art an Alternative to Conventional Clothing The brainchild of Jean-Baptist Regnard and Kevin Sherry, Squidfire, was born in the summer of 2004. A locally LGBT-owned and operated tshirt business, Squidfire offers the public alternatives to shopping malls and corporate clothing chains while providing comfort and originality. With all images designed and printed by hand, Squidfire clothing functions dually as wearable art. A resounding success, Squidfire designs are carried by stores internationally and gaining attention among networks and celebrities. Gay Life spoke with co-founder Jean-Baptist Regnard about Squidfire’s unique concept, successful growth and what’s in store for the future. What inspired you to venture into creating wearable art? I honestly had no luck shopping at conventional malls and chain stores. I essentially regretted having to wear extremely plain clothing as I refused to buy t-shirts with logos or words emblazoned on them. SquidFire is much more than a clothing line though. Beyond providing original design, what is the primary purpose of the company? We just want everyone to recognize that we're only trying to show the art we create on clothing. I do not consider ourselves to be in the fashion world. We don't have gimmicks. Se just simply take art and put it on t-shirts, which are like blank canvasses. We travel all over the country attending art festivals and we really appreciate when people from 5 to 85-years-old appreciate our work. The Spring Art Mart in Mount Vernon that took place last weekend has been a resounding success the past two years. Did you have any other event highlights this year? It was pretty amazing that we got to rent the Lyric Opera House for our holiday show. We wanted to take advantage of such a beautiful space and really put our own signature on the event, so we had a professional hula hoop troupe, a drag queen hostess who gave out candy canes to the shoppers and a live band. It’s also a great feel-
ing knowing that artists from as far as Chicago and Manhattan trust us enough to venture down to Baltimore to vend at our events. Squidfire has rapidly expanded in the national and international market. Do you have any advice for young entrepreneurs looking to launch a successful business venture? Squidfire is successful and that's because you really have to make great sacrifices both socially and financially. There’s no way we got into 90 stores internationally by accident. You really have to give 110% if you want to be successful. There are tons of options out there for people wanting to buy t-shirts, so we never stop creating. What have been your biggest accomplishments to date? Being recognized by Disney that shot a film in town last summer called Step Up 2…. I have no
www.baltimoregaylife.com • G A Y L I F E •
idea how they found us, but we're heavily featured in that movie. We also were worn by a contestant on Top Chef a few weeks ago. The national craft store chain, Michaels, commissioned Squidfire to create some iron-on patches for them. Maybe the biggest accomplishment Squidfire has had is celebrating our 3-year anniversary last November and the fact that my business partner and best friend, Kevin Sherry, and I are still are friends. What's coming up this year for Squidfire? We're about to launch our new designs any day now. We have about 25 new designs. Nothing is set in stone, but we constantly daydream about opening a store…but we'll wait for the perfect opportunity. To find out more about Squidfire and to view clothing designs, visit www.squidfire.com.
May 16 - May 29, 2008
• PA G E 1 7