We recently connected with Pastel Swade and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Pastel Swade, thanks for joining us today. How did you find your key vendor or vendors? Maybe you can share the backstory and share some context and the relevant details to help us understand why you chose them, why they chose you, etc.
The manufacturers for most of the cut & sew pieces for my brand Angel Arcade were found on Alibaba.com. This app / website is the future, in my opinion. Facebook democratized ads, Alibaba democratized manufacturing. I start by searching whatever type of piece i’m trying to create. For example, i’ll type “heavy oversized hoodie.” Then, i’ll message every high quality manufacturer I see whose products look similar to my mock up design. After, messaging 10+ manufacturers i’ll negotiate with all of them to see who has the best price for the amount I want to make. I bought vintage pieces off Ebay often growing up, it’s essentially the same work flow. Right now, i’ve been building with one specific manufacturer on Alibaba that will make all my pieces instead of using so many different manufacturers, in order to streamline the process. Side note: if you’re are only trying to screenprint a tee and don’t need a custom silhouette. You could probably just order LA Apparel or Rue Porter blanks and have someone local screenprint them.
Pastel Swade, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started designing around 2012. I started my first brand Entertaining The Angels in 2013 on my birthday. I rebranded it as Angel Arcade in 2017. Angel Arcade is a retro-future sportswear brand. The mission is: “Sportswear inspired by the past to create an alternate future. Welcome to a different timeline.”
Have you ever had to pivot?
Once upon a time, I was supposed to attend grad school for I-O psychology (means to end not actual passion) was going to use it as a back up / way to appease everyone while worked on my brand, maybe even use it to help fund it. Then, I was advised to get a DBA certification (even less passionate about this one) to get the security / back up even faster. After, getting the certification and interviewing for the tech position I realized: number 1, I didn’t want to do this I was just trying to please everyone. Number 2, even me trying to force myself to get into was giving me massive anxiety. Number 3, it wouldn’t have been something I do on the side it would needed all my time and attention my brand probably would cease to exist along with my peace. So I decided to go against the grain and trust myself by working on my brand full time.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I’m a product first type of guy. So, most of the people who like or dislike me can respect that I really care about my craft before anything, because of that i’m able to create high quality product with consistency. I’m also have good taste so that helps me make sure the styling and presentation is up to par. Those are the things that I think me and brand are known for. On a personal level, I enjoy disseminating information that can help people grow or expedite their process. So, they don’t have to go through what I went through. I would assume that helped build my reputation, as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: angelarcade.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/angel.arcade?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/angelarcadeus
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@angel.arcade
Image Credits
Photos creds: @_n_e_l_l_e_ @therealsephora