MMA Payout had the opportunity to speak with the owners of clothing brand VXRSI. Dano Dejos (Founder and Creative Director) and Karlo Reyes (CEO and Partner) discuss the VXRSI brand and its vision.
MP: When was VXRSI founded? How did you come up with the name? Any concern that potential customers will not be able to remember the name?
Dano: We’ve (Dan/Karlo) been working within either streetwear or apparel & action sports over the last ten or so years, as far design and marketing, although the foundation for Vxrsi was laid down far earlier. I (Dan) initially began conceptualizing and developing the foundation for Vxrsi in 2006, not too long after graduating from the Art Institute of Seattle in 2005, but I was born into martial arts and grew up following MMA since I was a youth and started training formal MMA training in 2001. I was a natural designer and artist from the beginning and martial arts was pretty much my action sport, like skateboarding, BMX, or snowboarding was for others, so I wanted to bridge the two paths into one and Vxrsi was the outlet.
Karlo: For the name, originally we wanted to have something similar to Versus but with a twist to it. We came to a conclusion with VXRSI, pronounced (Ver-sai) which is the latin plural for Versus. We actually like the fact that the name gets people talking and wondering how to actually pronounce it. It sparks conversation and curiosity, which is always good.
MP: Where are your offices? How many employees?
Karlo: Our office and distribution center is Seattle but we have distributors internationally and team members nationally. Currently, there are about 8 core team members.
MP: What are some of the challenges of starting an MMA clothing company?
Dano: We know that Vxrsi has a place in sports apparel as a whole, as MMA definitely now has a place in the sports paradigm and is now beginning to enjoy a particular level of acceptance among the other more established sports. As apparel goes, we think people will respond to the fact that we offer an original and innovative take on combat sports/action sports inspired apparel, infusing art/creative/lifestyle elements into our design and fabrications, attention to quality and detail, as well as celebrating and staying true to the culture and sporting aspects of mma.
Karlo: Since both Dan and I come from the apparel industry but are also involved in the mma and bjj community, the MMA clothing company actually came pretty naturally and was embraced by mma fans and stores quickly. The main challenge I would say is convincing mainstream stores that our “look” which is unconventional (much closer to an action sports or lifestyle brand) compared to the other mma lines, actually has a customer base. We will be showing at MAGIC, the largest apparel tradeshow in the US in August, next to brands like Stussy, O’Neil, Polo, Puma as well as mma brands like Tapout and Jaco, so hopefully we can convince stores like Active Ride Shop, Pacsun and Nordstroms that there is a lane for us.
MP: What is your vision for the brand? Describe the style?
Dano: Vxrsi was more of a natural inception over a reactionary one, regarding the state of MMA/fightwear I suppose. I wanted to build the brand focusing on a creative and artistic approach while still conscious of the sporting/athletic aesthetics of MMA and martial sports. I felt that there was a void within the MMA apparel marketplace, in which only a segment of MMA culture was being represented, wherein rockstar lifestyle and tattoo art has been reigning champ.
While we have nothing against that side of the sport and respect that angle as well, we think the sport and culture’s roots go much deeper and farther than it’s current station, with a rich history/tradition and a wealth of themes to draw off that are relevant to combat culture/sports and the influential cultures that really inspire sports and therefore us. We’re also very inspired by the modern artistic perception of sports and athletics, the intertwining of sports and culture, as well as it’s constantly evolving state. We feel that we have a particular responsibility to grow and evolve and diversify along with the sport and its audience, and continually develop the brand with new and innovative approaches.
Karlo: The vision for VXRSI is to establish ourselves as a bridge (brand) for the mainstream audience and hardcore MMA audience with intelligent and artistic design, marketing and branding strategies. We want to cater to a customer that appreciates the clean sport design aesthetics similar to that of a Nike or an Adidas but is also interested in lifestyle aspects like art and music. We believe our customers aren’t so one-dimensional: They may enjoy mma but they also appreciate culture and the arts.
MP: How have you publicized the brand?
Karlo: We have a very grass roots and DIY approach to marketing. This is from our streetwear background – learning that you can do more with less sometimes. We work with the blogs like Middle Easy, Fighter x Fashion and Lowkick – just to name a few. Also, we believe in creating a strong fan base first before putting any money into a big name or a big event. If not, you may get that initial curiosity but without the proper support base or “buzz” – that curiosity can easily fade…so we have booths at a lot of BJJ and MMA events. We love to see our customers face to face and its pretty cool seeing your brand on the people that are not only fans of the sport but participate in it.
MP: Do you sponsor any fighters? If so, what kind of sponsorship is it?
Karlo: We do but its mostly fighters that are up and coming (Aj Matthews, Jason High, etc) though we also get a lot of support from fighters that have been in the sport like Maurice Smith and Ivan Salaverry. We want to grow with the fighters and have an established relationship first before we do any sponsorship. We also sponsor and support many youth programs and younger bjj athletes.
Dano: We want to encompass and represent the sport as a whole. Fighters/competitors, fans, casual practitioners, and anyone who just enjoys and loves sports, martial/fight culture, and art. MMA and its culture are more about inclusion over exclusion, innovation and creativity. Martial arts and sports have spanned the world, and it’s constantly growing and changing, so we embrace that philosophy.
MP: Describe VXRSI’s decision to partner with Middle Easy for t-shirts helping Japan? What has been the response by customers?
Karlo: We’ve worked on a collaboration t-shirt with Middle Easy before so the partnership came naturally. We both wanted to do something to help the Japan relief efforts so we discussed ways to involve the fans and creating a t-shirt where 100% of the profits would be the best bet. It was also way to raise awareness for Save The Children Foundation.
MP: What is your best-selling t-shirt?
Dano: The Unite Tee or the Rio Tee
MP: Describe how you come up with concepts for t-shirts?
Dano: We draw from a variety of different sources that are relevant to the fight sports and the influential cultures that really inspire sports and therefore us. There’s thousands of years of art and philosophies throughout history to draw from like classical Greek sculptures, Japanese paintings and motifs, to modern art and contemporary design. We’re also heavily inspired by the modern artistic perception of sports and athletics, the intertwining of the culture associated with sports, as well as it’s constantly evolving state. To us, that’s a huge well to pull from as combat sports continue to grow, thrive, and change.
MP: Do you do any market research regarding what people like in a t-shirt/style?
Karlo: Honestly, our market research is having an open discussion with our customers, facebook fans and being at events and chatting with the practitioners and customers there. That’s the best type of market research anyone can have. Dano can probably explain more on his process for designing:
Dano: We’ve always been into fashion and sports apparel. It’s kind of hard to not be into those things if you subscribe to some level of pop culture, whether its sports, entertainment, art, or music, it just seems like a completely natural way to express yourself and represent what you’re into through a t-shirt. I’ve probably designed a thousand or so tee shirts and apparel pieces for action sports, music, street brands, and etc, so finally being able to do with MMA/sports/art in mind is so fulfilling because those are my passions and help define myself pretty much down to the core.
MP: Where are the bulk of your sales coming from? Direct online or Third party websites like MMA Warehouse?
Karlo: Its pretty mixed. Wholesale stores and sites like MMA Warehouse and Karmaloop have been great partners in expanding the brand but events like Grapplers Quest, UFC Expo and local tournaments have brought in great sales as well.
MP: What is the future of your clothing design? Where do you see it going?
Dano: Like the athletes and artists that inspire us, we’re looking to grow and constantly up our game. New, innovative approaches to what we do and continually build with new, interesting product and consistent involvement within the sport, along with maintaining a level of integrity and sense of diligence to the culture are something we are very keen on, so expect some big things from us on the horizon.
The company web site is www.vxrsi.com.
Great work Jason! Very nice interview.