We were lucky to catch up with Ernest Ramirez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ernest, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I started drawing at an early age. I can still remember sitting with my dad on the front porch learning how to see and draw all of the details of the tree in the front yard. He then showed me how to draw figures using comics. My maternal grandfather was a commercial artist, and we have a few talented people in the family that have his artistic ability. So for me, being a comic book kid and growing up with art as a form of expression is something very dear to me. When I decided to start the clothing line, it was really about putting my art out there with a positive message that honored my culture and family.

Muertos Clothing Co. started as Muertos Design in 2015 as a vessel for me to put my art out there on t-shirts. I knew there was a need for culturally themed clothing that represented my family and friends. From there, it extended to caps, hoodies, beanies and other accessories for men, women and children. It has evolved into a streetwear brand with English and Spanish themes or expressions that honor La Cultura that I grew up with. Streetwear is a difficult category, but to me, it is about representing a specific geographic area or community. With Muertos Clothing Co., I feel like there is a large demographic connection to people that can relate to those values and beliefs that were instilled in me.

Ernest, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have had a long career in retail and restaurant management. They have given me critical training in visual merchandising, production, sales, marketing, and sourcing goods. With my career in management, I was able to see fashion week in NYC, travel to different parts of the country and Mexico to experience fashion in those regions. What sets my brand apart from others is that I still have a heavy influence of art in every design. You are not just getting fonts, you are getting pieces of my art and vision. I design every piece to be a reflection of what I think it is to be Latino. I left my corporate career last May to grow Muertos Clothing Co. I am most proud of the fact that I took the last year to delve into how to screen print and work with leather to produce all goods myself. The quality and feel of every garment or accessory matters to me. If it doesn’t feel amazing, I don’t want to wear it, and equally, won’t ever put it out there for my customers to purchase. There is a pride that comes with knowing that quality control is everything in Muertos Clothing Co. I’ve always had tremendous work ethic, so now I can use all of that energy on my brand and promise that my customers are going to be satisfied with the look and feel of everything in my collections.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I created Muertos Clothing Co. originally as a hobby for my art. I wasn’t sure how it would be received, and at the time, I was a District Manager for a restaurant group. For those who have had the pleasure of working in the restaurant industry, you know the extreme work load and long hours that come with it. I built the brand to the point where I was vending on the weekends and looking for places to carry my small collections. It was a ton of work, especially when you are a one person business. The pandemic really took a toll on me, personally. We continued to work straight through and didn’t get a break. We were selling more with half the staff we were used to. I had little to no time to work on Muertos, and sales came to a halt. Once the world started to reopen, I felt like the momentum for my brand came right back. It got to the point where I was having to turn away business because of my career. I took the leap of faith a year and a half ago and left my corporate career to try to grow my brand. I took the time to learn how to screen print and have since been producing all of my own merchandise. It was a huge savings to my cost and now I can control my quality as well. I am now in the process of scaling up and looking for more retail placement. What was once my side hustle is now how I survive!

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I sell on my website at www.muertosclothingco.com through wix.com. I have used PayPal and other platforms in the past. The difficult part of using multiple platforms was keeping up with inventory real time in three different selling areas. By moving everything to wix.com, I can sell at our retail store, vending at events or online and never have to worry about selling something I do not have. Another positive aspect is having real time sales reporting and the ability to see what merchandise is doing well and what is not moving as quickly. I also like the ability to make changes via the app without having to be in front of a laptop. There have not been any major disadvantages to making this move, and I am very happy with the efficiency and flexibility wix.com offers. As we continue to grow, we plan on adding either Amazon or Etsy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.muertosclothingco.com
• Instagram: @muertosclothingco