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Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Ultra Apparel
Posted By Gavin Sheehan on August 25, 2009, 1:09 AM
The
average idea for people browsing and shopping for new clothing is the basic
t-shirt. Something that stands out without looking tacky or overstated, yet eye
catching and pleasing to yourself and those to see. And one local design company is cornering the market on that very
idea. 
--- Ultra
Apparel has been making the rounds through the fashion community recently,
showing off an array of original t-shirts with offbeat designs that while
simple, tend to be distinct from the majority of what's on display. I got a
chance to chat with designer Cale Montrone about Ultra and getting it started
and his designs, as well as thoughts on local fashion.
Cale
Montrone
http://www.myspace.com/ultraoriginal
Gavin: Hey Cale, first off, tell us a
little bit about yourself.
Cale: Well lets see... I
just turned 24 this month. I have lived in Utah all my life. I grew up
skateboarding, snowboarding, playing drums, and pretty much participating in
anything that had to do with the counter culture here in Utah.
Gavin:
How did you first take an interest in clothing and
printing?
Cale: I have always wanted to start my own
clothing company for as long as I can remember, but it seems like I became
legitimately interested in it when I was in about 9th grade. My
friends brother Tony had bought a full on screen printing set up to start a
business, and once I saw what the possibilities were with screen printing (as
far as what could be printed on a shirt) I wanted to start designing my own
clothes.
Gavin: What was your time like at Weber
State and their program, and did you go through any fashion courses while you
were there?
Cale: I enjoyed my time at Weber. I was
enrolled in their Technical Sales program while I was there. I met a lot of
really cool people, but I ended up taking a break for a while and I haven't been
back since. While I was there I never took any fashion classes because they were
not teaching the stuff I wanted to learn. The classes they were offering dealt
more with the retail aspect of fashion as opposed to the actual designing and
construction of clothing. But I as far as the school itself goes I think Weber
State has a lot to offer. It is definitely way underrated.
Gavin:
What were some of your first designs like? Still got any
around?
Cale: The very first shirt I ever designed
was for a snowboard company I was trying to start while I was in school. I made
my own font and logo, and printed about 30 shirts. The placement of the logo was
pretty standard (center of the the chest), but I ended up selling all of them. I
might have one laying around somewhere. Once in a while I will see someone
wearing one around.
Gavin: How did the idea come
about to start up a clothing line?
Cale: I finally
decided to take the plunge because I was sick of being at the mercy of some
other companies art work. I wasn't interested in any of the t-shirts I would see
around. So I just started making stuff that I wanted to wear, and since I have
always wanted to start up my own company I figured I would make a bunch of
shirts that I wanted to wear and see if anybody else wanted to wear them.
Fortunately people did, and Ultra has been slowly growing ever since.
Gavin:
How did you choose the name Ultra for the line?
Cale:
I just liked the word. I thought it was aesthetically pleasing, sounded cool,
and it has as a great meaning. Plus it is extremely over used in our society, so
I thought it was kind of funny to use it as the name. Almost every product you
see is ULTRA something. It is great advertising for me in a way. Ultra is
everywhere.
Gavin: Was it difficult getting
everything set up or did things flow rather
smoothly?
Cale: It ran pretty smoothly. Things
actually worked out a lot better for me at first than I thought it was going to.
The first store I went to to show my shirts was FICE, which is a street wear
boutique downtown. I talked to Corey, who is one of the owners, and he said he
would carry them on consignment. Once he agreed to carry my stuff in his store,
my confidence went through the roof and I figured that I might have a shot at
this whole clothing thing. Now I am in a few more retail stores and currently
working on my online retail presence. Hopefully everything keep working
out.
Gavin:
What's the process like in creating a shirt, from design to final
product?
Cale: The first thing I do is create a
design on my computer I think would look interesting on a t-shirt. Once I have
the design I want, I will look at what kind of shirt I want to print on (short
sleeve, tank top, etc.). Once I figure that out, I will e-mail my artwork to the
screen printing shop I work with. Once they get the art work they create a silk
screen with the design and print it on the t-shirts that I chose. It is a pretty
simple process on my end. I really only create the art and choose the shirts I
want. I leave the rest to my buddies who own the screen printing
shop.
Gavin: How has the reaction been like to the
products from both shops and buyers?
Cale: It has all
been very positive. Every store I have approached has agreed to carry my
product, and they have all said they like what I have been producing. My stuff
has been selling fairly well against major street wear brand in each store, so I
take that as an indication that the buyers seemed to be stoked on my stuff as
well.
Gavin: Is
it easier or more difficult doing the bulk of it by yourself? And what would you
recommend to people looking to start up their
own?
Cale: Well I am kind of a control freak so I
like doing everything myself, but it's a pretty daunting task. I am looking to
actually hire some people to help me so I will be able to hopefully expand the
company outside of Utah. If someone wanted to start something up themselves, I
would recommend that they surround themselves with good people that will help
them out. Maybe not necessarily in the business itself, but by networking with
people you are going to be dealing with while you are trying to start up. I was
fortunate because I have friends who own a screen printing shop so they helped
get me going on production, and I also used to work at a retail store so I had a
couple ins as far getting my product out in a couple stores. So I would say the
best advice I could give is network with
people.
Gavin: A little local, what's your take on
the local fashion scene, both good and bad?
Cale:
Ehh... it's okay. Its starting to get a little stagnant. There are a handful of
local companies right now that are really making their mark on fashion locally
and internationally though. My favorite local company right now is Zuriick. I
think they are the best thing Utah currently has to offer as far as fashion is
concerned.
Gavin:
Anything you believe could be done to make it bigger or
better?
Cale: I don’t think Utah has very many great
places to shop for clothing. There are a few boutiques that are pretty cool, but
we need more. I also would like to see more local
designers.
Gavin: What's your take on Fashion Stroll
and what its done for the local business?
Cale: I
think it is a great thing. It is definitely helping bring attention to the
talent we have here in Utah and gives people a reason to get out and see all the
other local business’ that are involved.
Gavin:
Do you have any favorite clothing shops you like to work with or shop
from?
Cale: I am a fan of FICE, Bastile, Blindside,
and this new little boutique that just opened up called
FRESH.
Gavin: What are your thoughts about local
retailers and how they deal with local
products?
Cale: For the most part I have had pretty
good luck with working with all the retailers I have approached. They will
usually start off carrying local products on consignment, and then if it does
well for a certain amount of time they will usually consider actually placing
orders with you.
Gavin:
What's it like for you doing business in this current
economy?
Cale: It is a little rough, but fortunately
for me I don’t have any employees yet, so I don’t have to worry about feeding
peoples families. I also feel fortunate because I am only selling t-shirts right
now, and for the most part people will still buy a t-shirt they like because it
isn’t usually going to break their budget.
Gavin: Are
there any plans to expand beyond what you've got going
now?
Cale: Oh yeah. I am working on getting denim
made, and some cut and sew pieces as well. I am also going to try and expand out
side out the Utah market. Hopefully I can play my cards right and make this
thing work.
Gavin:
What can we expect from you and Ultra the rest of the
year?
Cale: I want to start sponsoring more events
around Utah and start working more with local artists. I also want to work on
having a stronger brand presence throughout Utah. I want ultra to be a brand
people ask for when they go shopping.
Gavin: Is there
anything you'd like to promote or plug?
Cale: Yeah,
buy local! And don’t be afraid to think outside the
box!
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