We were lucky to catch up with Travis Ross recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Travis , thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Currently I am all in on one of my most meaningful projects to date, The Lost Cove Co.
The Lost Cove Co. is a contemporary lifestyle brand influenced by the diverse subcultures that mold the Southern California way of life. Our mission is to provide authentic visual expression and confidence. Our bold streetwear and unique tattoos collaborate together to empower and inspire. Through our pop-up shops, speakeasy tattoo studios, trade shows, and YouTube series, we continue to cultivate a community of artists and visionaries who find inspiration and belonging within our brand. The Lost Cove Co. strives to push boundaries, challenge norms, and create a lasting impact on the culture while staying true to our roots and embracing the essence of Southern California’s fearless spirit.
The brand started in 2019 by touring malls around the U.S. with a rotating tattoo crew and our apparel line. We did pop-up shops in Duluth, MN – Palm Springs, CA – Charleston, SC – Daytona Beach, FL and more. Some were definitely more successful than others but we had the time of our lives and I opened HQ in Inglewood, CA in September 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. It was a Hail Mary to keep the brand alive and we squeezed by. Our HQ also features a speakeasy tattoo studio thats home to artists Carlos Vargas, TANS, and Tony Ramirez. It’s become our own creative hub and there’s plenty of inspiration flowing daily.
In early 2021, we launched the multi-media branch of the brand, The Cove Media Group and premiered our late night lifestyle interview series “The Cove: After Dark” on YouTube. The show features creative culture, told by the artists who define it. Season 1 is streaming now and features Eric Wilson from Sublime, Rick Thorne, For Those Who Sin and more.
Recently this summer, the brand was hand picked by Phoenix Fashion Week to debut our new cut and sew line featuring leather, duck canvas, corduroy and more. With this selection came a nomination as well for the title of Emerging Designer of the Year. This helped me bring a 4 year plan of becoming a cut and sew fashion line to fruition and I’m beyond excited to show everyone what’s been brewing in my head.
Travis , 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 my journey to be a tattoo artist 14 years ago in Hollywood and Venice, CA. My apprenticeships lasted almost 3 years before I finally took a job tattooing on the Venice Boardwalk. It included being homeless and staying on friends couches, I also rented out someones garage with no running water or toilet for a few months. Whatever it took to get through and learn the craft.
Tattooing on the boardwalk was a crazy year of my life, I did more tattoos than I can count, met a lot of people I still talk to today including our artists Tony and Carlos. But I knew I wanted more so I hit the tattoo conventions hard and treated it like a music tour. Hitting cities trying to build up small audiences in each one. I had a stint of 2-3 years of putting everything in storage and being 100% on the road. I learned a lot, went through a lot, looking back now it seems unreal but it was a huge building block of my career. I learned from so many different artists and got to travel the world with a tattoo machine. Some cities I would show up with nothing booked, just hustling and making it happen. I also spent time living in Vancouver and New York City.
Eventually I ended up doing two seasons as a cast member on MTV’s “How Far is Tattoo Far” which really helped me get some traction and eventually develop and start The Lost Cove Co. I definitely was bit by the TV bug which led me to starting the production company, developing and filming a TV Pilot in Northern Ireland, and creating/producing/hosting The Cove: After Dark. We have some big plans for Season 2 and are aiming to film by end of the year.
As far as apparel goes, I’ve been making t-shirts and coming up with brand concepts since I was 17. My best friend and I used to make iron-on t-shirts and give them out around Long Beach. We ended up at the MAGIC trade show two years straight during some of its biggest years. Those a few of my best memories, we slept in a rental car and ate samples at a new Costco that had just opened.
Getting selected for Phoenix Fashion Week helped push take The Lost Cove Co. into cut and sew where we can really build out our brand identity and uniqueness. We are diving into some West Coast classic silhouettes and fabrics and putting a tailored and fresh twist to it. It’s a love letter to So Cal and our unique style. I feel like this new collection really tells a story of a the kid that came from Minnesota and fell in love immediately. It’s my love letter to our subcultures and the inspiration they instilled in me. In total, the collection took three and a half weeks to make from pencil to runway sample. The timeline of the show deadlines made this a process that had to be executed fast even if speed bumps came. And they did.
I think what sets us a part in general is the multi-faceted approach we have taken. With tattooing its the experience at our speakeasy studio or the traveling pop-ups and the team and individuals that tattoo at them. With apparel I think within the past few months we matured from what may be categorized as “streetwear” to a higher level of street inspired fashion that can be worn from the beach to a red carpet. The multi media arm was a surprise, what started as an experiment during the pandemic turned into a full season that we are very proud of. I feel like there was growth and creative expansion with each episode. Completing a full season with a team that was 3-5 people at a time was also quite win for all of us.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me there isn’t anything else I could see myself doing at this point. And to further my point, I’ve found that there is creativity in so many different aspects of life and you can find it almost anywhere. That thought and reality alone starts a wildfire of inspiration, desire and drive instantaneously. It is such an honor and I am forever grateful to have found this path. It continues to grow and give me so many different lanes to learn and educate myself on.
Being an artist and creating tattoos on people permanently is a whole other conversation. It’s a forever bond, a journey and moment most people will carry with them for life on skin and in memory. The dedication to the craft, to pushing yourself mentally in ways you never knew possible, to creating something from scratch mixed with a rich and profound history and impact on human culture. Being a tattooer is earned and being a part of that history brings immense pride and joy.
Creating clothes has taught me that stories can be told in many ways. My story in apparel has changed books and chapters, but the desire to create a lifestyle brand that pushes its community to strive for greatness has been there all along. Being a fashion designer is the next main chapter of my life story and I’m beyond excited to push some boundaries.
TV is something I feel comes natural. I love the whole process, even on the “How Far is Tattoo Far” set my cast mate Kevin Laroy and I would always talk about how much we loved the behind the scenes of it all as well. It’s a machine and every part needs to be well functioning, communicative and consistent otherwise things get hairy fast. We also have the pilot for our series we created that I still think will sell when the time and climate is right. I see myself hosting and producing for many years to come.
Have you ever had to pivot?
CONSTANTLY!!! This world and our existence in it is constantly changing. The past few years have really let our current generations know this, but it’s been a fact since the beginning of time. Adapt or get left behind. I will share one of my most recent pivots with The Lost Cove Co. In all honesty the past four years of its life span have been a constant pivot, anytime I thought we had it and smooth times were ahead, challenges and/or almost detrimental events popped up immediately.
We had a very fast start, things were looking better than good. We were on a projection path with momentum and steam building. The TV pilot had an offer from the perfect partner, the first pop-up was so successful, we extended. another month. I came home and boom. World shuts down. Literally thought I was coming home to a brand new life. A lawsuit followed by a money hungry investment partner tried to take credit and ownership of companies in industries he had no knowledge or history in. It lasted two years. I opened up our HQ in the middle of all this and the pandemic to try to keep things alive. I built our speakeasy studio in the back to create a new experience. The lawyers were begging me to change the brand and concept but I knew the truth about stolen funds and who really created everything would come out. This is my story and I was going to tell it. I ended getting full ownership of all the companies that we owned together and I owned separately (The Lost Cove Co.)
The lawsuit almost derailed everything, the shop wasn’t getting steady clientele and bills got behind. After 2.5 years I decided to start traveling to Arizona half the month to tattoo and help a friend run one of his locations. I contemplated shutting it all down and moving there full time. But I just couldn’t do it. So I found two artists, Carlos and Tony and they joined the crew. I started designing clothes again, reached out to Brian Hill, director of Phoenix Fashion Week after hearing his podcast and all the sudden we were back on track, back growing and building momentum. And this time a lot wiser and with much more support.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thelostcoveco.com www.thecoveafterdark.com www.travisrosstattoo.com
- Instagram: @_travis_ross
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelostcoveco
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChQjwM2C6qZ1M8WUFqPCqpQ
Image Credits
Photo 1 – Jarrod Anthonee Photo 2 – Jessie Lin Photo 3- Jessie Lin Photo 4 – KJ Media Lab Photo 5 – Tattoo by me Photo 6 – Jarrod Anthonee Photo 7 – Jack Berry Photo 8 – Amaya Images Photo 9 – Corbin Cox