Damn Good by Dan Interview (Uncut)

This interview is one of the five that I conducted as part of the 3000+ word guide on how to start a clothing brand!

Me: I did a little reading, and you said you started Damn Good Clothing in 2019. Tell me a little bit about what your life was like before you started your brand.

Dan: Yeah, 2019 was the start, but covid ended up shutting us down for a bit. Life before was damn good; I was just a kid in school studying art. I wasn’t very good at anything else. I ended up dropping out my second semester of college after I realized school just was not for me. Once I left, I focused 100% on art & then one day just decided to put some art on clothes to see what that would look like. That’s when I thought maybe people might want to buy this.

Yeah, I kind of hear it. Covid put a lot of businesses on hold, so it’s really impressive you’ve managed to get yours back up and running after quarantine. Dropping out of college is a huge decision. How daunting of a choice was it for you to make? Did you consider any other paths you could’ve taken?

I think it was a pretty huge decision at first & I felt sort of nervous about it, but almost immediately my whole family knew it was the right thing to do. Especially now, I don’t think anyone in the family, including myself, could imagine me anywhere else.

Fair enough. It seems that you made the right call to drop out and do something that you’re truly passionate about. So you’ve dropped out, and now you’re 100% focused on your art. What was the moment that made you decide to start your clothing brand?

I think I just felt like if I'm a dropout, I'm not going to be able to get a real job… I have to do something with art, something I'm truly good at & don’t need to go to school for.

Definitely! Turning your art into a brand is a great way to make it without needing to go to school for it. So how did you come up with the name Damn Good? Was it a difficult choice? Were there any changes or iterations you had to make?

My father is from Turkey & not great with English, so 99% of the time I show him something he thinks is cool, his response is “damn good man” with a heavy Turkish accent 😂😂, so that’s where the name came from. As soon as I thought of it, I knew it was perfect. Just checked that it wasn’t trademarked & then made it official. tattooed it on me & recently trademarked it internationally

Ooh, that’s interesting! My parents are from Africa, so I definitely understand where you’re coming from 😂! I respect the commitment with you getting it tattooed and trademarking the name globally! So you’ve got the name, and you’ve got the vision. How did you begin assembling your team?

It was pretty much just very close friends & family at first. a sort of “built-in team,” as my sister/co-owner says. I think that is what made it so difficult to grow around covid times because only my family knew about us. Now we’re reaching out to all different artists, musicians, skateboarders, etc., trying to spread the word. We have already noticed a huge difference between keeping it just in the family vs. asking for help & support from others.

That’s definitely my number one piece of advice to people just starting out. Don’t have an ego. Be humble. Ask for help. Don’t try to be the coolest brand in the world right away. Just be yourself.

It’s really great how you’ve used the help of your family when starting out your brand. Networking and reaching out to others is also very important, so it’s great to see that you’ve done that! Being humble and being yourself is definitely top-tier advice! People love authenticity, and you clearly embrace your true self within your brand! Aside from COVID, what were some of your brand’s biggest struggles when starting out? How did you and your team overcome these obstacles?

Definitely trying to gain an audience was & still is a struggle. Social media is the best way to grow a brand, so we’ve started to focus on that a lot more than we did last time. Another struggle sometimes is just being original & creating things that other people actually want. I think it’s super important to not overthink your work. not everything is going to be a masterpiece, & when it’s not, you just have to start over. 🤷 So yeah, I would say just like standing out in a world full of creators is very hard.

But when you’re a small brand, especially, networking is the best thing for you.

Most definitely! Gaining an audience can be difficult when starting out, but social media can be a great way for people to discover you. Staying original can also be tricky in the world of brand ownership. Like you said, networking is definitely one of the best things a small brand can do to grow! Practically speaking, when you began creating pieces, how did you find the resources to begin producing & distributing clothes?

Luckily my dad is a graphic designer & makes websites for a living, so he was a massive help with that stuff. A family friend let me use his shop to print everything. I packaged & shipped it all with the family. & now we have a different shop printing for us & our business partner will be doing the shipping & handling

It’s amazing how your team are able to collectively work together to make the brand work so smoothly! Now Damn Good has been around for around 6 years, and it’s definitely had its ups and downs. Some brand owners give up when their brand hits a low point. Were there times when you felt like giving up on Damn Good? If so (or if not), how do you stay motivated to keep going?

Yeah, definitely a wild ride. I almost completely gave up a few years ago. Times were tough, so it really did feel like the end, but for some reason it just never left my mind that this is my future. Something that recently happened that was a huge boost of motivation for us was talking to Ash Brannon. (creator of Surf’s Up), we asked, kind of as a joke, if we could use Chicken Joe in an ad 😂. Didn’t think twice about it until a few days later when he responded. We talked for a little & he ended up letting us use it. Then he wished us well & sent a drawing. & that was just like unbelievable to us because that has been our favorite movie since we were kids.

*Dan sent me the Chicken Joe advert and drawing

Ad & drawing if you’re curious 😂

No way. 😂😂 That’s actually crazy!! That’s so cool & I’m impressed you managed to pull this off!!! Staying committed to your brand can be really challenging, so it’s really impressive that you continue to do so after all these years! Now of course, when there are downs, there are also ups as well. What were some milestones and successes you’ve achieved with Damn Good? Big or small, how did they impact you and your brand?

One of the biggest things for me was trademarking, which was damn good. Something about having it on the official United States government website just feels so good. In the last couple months, finding a new print shop & website to buy blanks from has made a big impact. Though they are small things, checking anything off the list is awesome & makes you feel just a little more confident.

I definitely feel you on that! It’s always the small milestones that people tend to cherish on their journey! Earlier you mentioned how being original and creating pieces that people want can be a challenge for you. The world of streetwear can be competitive at times. How do you differentiate your brand from others in the industry? How do you stay unique?

My uncle Frank told me every time I saw him, “Always be yourself” (super thick Italian accent 😂), & that has stuck with me forever. I don’t try to follow trends. I don’t try to do what the streetwear community considers cool. I make my art based on how I feel, what I want the brand to represent, and what I think looks & feels like myself. And then try not to overthink every design. being myself is unique enough, I think. 😂

Most definitely! I can imagine hearing “always be yourself” in that accent 😂. That’s so true, though; creating based on your own vision of your brand is a great way to stand out in the streetwear scene. Touching on what you said, what does your brand represent? What kind of people does your brand make pieces for?

Damn good represents anyone & everyone that just wants to be themselves. We make clothes based on the streetwear/skater style but turn those styles into something that anyone would feel comfortable wearing. clothes that you don’t have to be a skater to wear but still have the same aesthetic.

That’s really cool! The streetwear & skating scene can be really polarizing sometimes, so it’s great that you create clothes that allow anybody to wear them! With 6 years in the scene, Damn Good has had a long journey to where it’s gotten today. Where do you see Damn Good in the future? What plans do you and your team have for your brand as it grows?

We would love to open up our own shop in our hometown. That is our main goal & probably is a long ways away, so for now we’re just focusing/planning on getting our message across & building a solid foundation for our brand to really grow. We plan on doing big things. Damn good is our life, & we know it has huge potential.

That’s a great goal to have, and I definitely see your brand achieving that and much more in the future. It’s been an honor to interview you and hear the story of your brand. I’m thankful that you’ve given your time to speak to me today! I have one more question for you; you’ve given some great advice and insight all throughout this interview. But if there was one piece of advice you could give to an aspiring brand owner who doesn’t know where to start, what would that be?

Just be yourself. Believe in yourself. Never give up. Find a way. And when you make it to the top, stay yourself. always.

Anytime I’ve felt like giving up or felt unmotivated, I’ve told myself, “Find a way.” That’s the only thing you can do. If you feel stuck, lost, or anything, find a way.

That’s some really good advice, and I’m sure many people would find that very helpful. Thank you so much for your time! It’s been really insightful learning about your journey as a brand owner!

This interview is one of the five that I conducted as part of the 3000+ word guide on how to start a clothing brand! 

I would like to give a huge thanks to Dan for giving me the opportunity to interview him. Please make sure to check out Damn Good & show your support by checking its catalogue!

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