Winnipeg’s Own…
We caught up with the Chi-Ali of WPG streetwear, Peter Takis, to tell us a bit about his brand Local Advancers…
Introduce yourself for those that don’t know…
P: My name is Peter Takis, I’m a 16 year old high school student from Transcona. I also own Local Advancers, an activist clothing company. The slogan for my brand is “always advance, never digress”, I live by that slogan everyday and that “mindset” is probably the only reason my brand has gotten to this point in the first place. I really hope you guys like what you see!
Why start your own line?
P: I’ve always been interested in “streetwear” and creating a brand. So one day I just said “dam, I can do this and in a positive way”. So I started to grind for cash and got the gears rolling. Today, 3 month’s later Local Advancers is sold in 2 retail locations, and have sold well over 100 products. But this is just the start, I’m confident the future for my brand will be bright thanks to you guys!
What have you learned in your first few seasons?
P: I’ve grown alot since I launched when I was 15. Back then I had no clue what screen printing was, or the basics of running a business. Thankfully things have been moving/growing super fast, that’s helped me adapt and learn all the fundamentals pretty rapidly.
Was your age a factor when starting up the label?
P: I get that question alot, people often think it would be a negative to start a brand at my age. But in reality its been a huge positive! My school is like a giant social network. When I tell just 1 person that my new line is out, an hour later 500 others heard and want to pick something up.
What brands, if any, do you look to for inspiration?
P: I grew up going to TUB pretty often so obviously the brands you guys carry have been a major inspiration. I typically follow Bobby Hundreds with his brand The Hundreds and Shepard Fairey with Obey, those two brands also dominate my closet.
What does the future hold for Local Advancers?
P: I’m really just trying to raise awareness for what Local Advancers is all about. In my opinion if people knew about my brand, myself and my message they would jump on board in a hurry. So the goal is to keep moving forward with this rapid growth via twitter followers, facebook fans and of course bringing out quality products.
Shout-outs???
P: I want to thank all of my supporters online and of course my friends over at TUB for setting this up. Thanks guys!
Local Advancers Spring ’11 line is now available at TUB!
