Cruel Clothing

With Summer 2021 fast approaching and with it looking very different to the summer of 2020 everyone is faced with the same problem... finding what to wear. You want to look stylish, you want to stand out and you want all eyes on you and this is exactly what will happen if you make Summer 21 the Cruel Clothing summer. Their new collection boasts some incredible peices and we sat with the founders to talk all things about the new seasons designs.

What was your motivation behind starting Cruel Clothing?

First I would like to thank you for the wonderful opportunity to have a conversation with you about my passion. To get back to your question, cruel started around 2 years ago as a short school project in which we designed a t-shirt and then sold it to mostly the students in our school. I myself have always had a passion for fashion and always had the dream to build my own brand myself, so I decided to continue the project privately and therefore brought 3 of my closest friends into the team.

My motivation was to build a brand that everyone can identify with in one way or another. A brand where nobody is discriminated against and there is always something for everyone. I still work that way today and try to have a positive impact on the world through multiple projects like donating to the world food programme for example.

Where was your starting point when you decided to launch your own clothing brand? As I already mentioned, the start developed very smoothly from the school project. Which also meant that I didn't have enough knowledge about the subject and didn't really know how and where to start. I then needed a collection to get into the matter and gain a foothold in the fashion world and to find a production facility where I can implement my wishes from the design to the fabrics to the cuts exactly as I imagine.

When coming to designing your first ever collection, did you already have in mind what you imagined it looking like? Or was it months of designing?

With my first collection, at the beginning I didn't even know what it would look like in the end. I just knew there was going to be a summer collection with some t-shirts and shorts. I then worked on the designs for several weeks and had them printed on my first samples and so the first collection came about.

What is your creative process when coming up with new designs?

The process is always different, but most of the time I or my design partner Jorin Kauer have an idea that comes to our minds and we try to implement it digitally as well as possible.

What was the reason for naming the brand 'Cruel Clothing'?

The name Cruel Clothing originated from our very first t-shirt which we designed in school. On the back of the t-shirt was an eye that was crying blood, while the pupil of the eye was the earth. We wanted to show the current situation of our planet, our home. With this design we came up with the name Cruel Clothing and we named the t-shirt the Cruel World T-Shirt

What would you say is your favourite garment from the full range?

This is a very difficult question, but if I have to choose one piece right now, it would be the Varsity Jacket from the Purple Dreams collection.

When designing a new collection do you use inspirations from previous collections or will it be a completely different design?

We usually try to catch a completely new vibe with every collection. But some elements such as the placement of the prints etc are mostly inspired by earlier collections.

Are there any inspirations you have in the fashion industry? Do you think you could emulate their success?

Of course! My biggest role model and inspiration is Kanye west. His personality may forever be controversial, but his influence on today's fashion scene is incomparable. He broke so many norms and set new trends again and again, revolutionizing the entire industry in the process. I definitely think that he deserves a lot more creadibility for his work. However, you cannot take his success as a goal, because what he has achieved with fashion is almost impossible to equalize.

How do you make Cruel stand out in such a crowded market? It is of course difficult to stand out from the crowd in such a strong market. We always try to stand out with our loud and subtle designs that catch people's eye. We also believe that the hard work and passion we invest every day will one day be worth it.

What would you say was the toughest moment when starting your brand?

The most difficult time for us was definitely the beginning of the pandemic. It was very difficult for us to work together during the lockdown, and production and delivery times were extremely extended at times. This meant that our annual schedule was pushed back and we could not launch our collections in time.

What would you say your ultimate goal is with Cruel Clothing?

Our ultimate goal is to start a complete youth movement which is identified based on our style. We always want to have a positive influence on our enviorment and do our best to make this world a little bit better.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about starting their own clothing brand?

I would advise you to take enough time at the beginning and pay attention to the details. It is not worth launching a collection that has been put up in a short time just for the sake of it. You have to be aware that it will be a hobby that will take up a lot of time and passion and that you have to be really sure that you really want it.

Is there anything you can tell us about any new collections?

We are currently working on our Spring / Summer collection for the year 2021. We will definitely try out a lot of new colors and color combinations and once again catch a completely new vibe! Stay tuned!

Finally, In 3 words how would you describe Cruel Clothing?

Soon world famous.

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you Curtis

You can check our the full range of collections from Cruel Clothing over at Cruel.clothing