We had the good fortune of connecting with Luca and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Luca, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Like all the good things, it started with a dream. Being that my wife and I met at a previous job, we’ve known from the beginning 2 things: 1. We worked very well together 2. We didn’t want to work in an office anymore, at least not for someone else. But what were we passionate about? Mixing our love for music, tattoos, and fashion all in one place, we began forming that dream into a reality.

Our goal was to be able to do something that was real and truly meaningful to us. We wanted to create a brand that’s clothing speaks volumes through the art itself. Too often we see brands put their designs to the wayside and instead, focus on portraying their name/logo. This was going to be the opposite of us, we decided that very early on. We prioritize the art, the rest is secondary.

The most important factor to us is that our clothing helps our customers to make a statement, whatever that may be for them, and help people express themselves without words. I mean, isn’t it the best feeling when you put on a piece of clothing that makes you feel like an absolute badass?

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
One thing I think is very different and cool about our brand is that we wear all the hats on the job. We design and print the tees in-house, handle the majority of the product photography, social media management, customer service, the list goes on and on. Although it can be a lot of work for just 2 people, we’ve been able to build a brand that some companies need a full team to achieve. Most of our customers have no clue we are just a husband and wife and that is something I think we are both very proud of! Eventually, we’d love to keep expanding and adding to the team of course, but it’s very humbling to see how far we’ve come with just the 2 of us.

I think what has allowed us to create the brand in the way we have, is due to both of our professional backgrounds.

Having over 10 years of experience as an art director and graphic/web designer, these roles have helped me gain the skill and knowledge I have now to cultivate the visual aspects of our brand. Having previously owned a Web & Graphic Design Studio, I am no stranger to the commitment and dedication it takes to start something from scratch and be self-reliant. Through my experience, I am able to take on any design assets we need and that has helped us so much along the way! But don’t get me wrong, I am more than a designer – as I said, we wear many hats. I print and sew, and whatever else is needed of me, I’m all in!

As for Nixie, she has worked as a writer for years and has a bit more of a managerial background than I do, which has helped us so much because we balance each other out. I handle the art and she handles the business side – it works really well for us! She has experience in many different industries and because of that, she knows a lot about project management, customer service, and social media as a whole. And if she doesn’t know something, she’s the first person to do the research and learn how!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is a tough question for us because Los Angeles has so many awesome places and hidden gems to visit. But if a friend was only in town for a week, we’d make it a rad one for sure!

We’d most likely start with a day in Venice, they have so many interesting street artists and shops along the boardwalk, the famous skate park, and awesome food options. Ending the evening at an old-school bar, there are a few to choose from in the area.
Next, we’d definitely need to hit the Art District in Downtown to grab a beer or two at one of the breweries and then head to a few art galleries that feature amazing local independent artists.
There is also this restaurant called Clifton’s Republic that is great for a night out. It’s got a few different themed bars all in one building so it’s really got something for everyone!
But, you really haven’t done LA right until you’ve gone to some of our favorite bars! Sassafras, Harvard and Stone, No Vacancy, Good Times at Davey Waynes, and The Den, just to name a few! Each of them offering their own unique LA experience.
As most of our friends are very into music and art, like us, we’d have to take them to the massive Guitar Center on Hollywood Blvd, some of the old record stores around, swing by Rock n Roll Sushi for a bite to eat, and then head to the Troubadour to grab a drink and see some bands play.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Urbamerican is a Tattoo Apparel brand that was built from the ground up entirely by my wife, Nixie, and me. Sometimes I think about it and I really don’t know how we did it! When we started, we didn’t know a thing about the business side of the clothing industry, i.e – the materials, suppliers, product photography, and everything else it takes not only to own a brand but also to print all of our t-shirts in-house without outsourcing. Because of that, it took months of research before getting started and lots of trial and error when it came to t-shirt printing.

During that time, we watched hundreds of Youtube videos related to the field, did research through online forums, and contacted anyone with some expertise that we thought could give us some guidance. We did absolutely everything that we could to learn how to provide our customers with the best quality products for the best price.

Creating this brand was a lot of hard work and we couldn’t have done it without the major support system of our friends and family. Even to this day, they are always so excited to see what new things we’re working on and eager to share our brand with anyone they meet. In addition, we’ve met some really talented artists that we’ve had the pleasure of working with who have helped us greatly along the way. One of these people is Gabriel Disante. He is an amazing photographer from Toronto Canada that we’ve had the opportunity of working with for a couple of years now and definitely want to give him credit where it’s due. His work is edgy and captivating and we’re very thankful for the work he has done for us!

Website: https://www.urbamerican.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbamerican/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/urbamerican/

Image Credits
Gabriel Disante – Toronto Canada based Photographer

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