I had the privilege of setting up a interview with Corey Populus, co-creator of Sacramento based brand Above Average Apparel. We hit the dude up over Twitter and set up this interview through a series of emails:
HS: As a teenager did you want to become what you are today?
Corey: When I was a teenager, I actually always thought I would always grow up to be a pro skateboarder. As time moved forward my parents and teachers would always tell me that I needed a backup plan in case I were to hurt myself. So I thought well one day I want to run and own my own brand, something that had to do with skateboarding.
HS: Where did everything for Above Average all start?
Corey: Me & Francis were running separate blogs and we decided to make a joint blog posting day to day stuff and post on things like skateboarding, shoes coming out, and like different brands we were into. One day we were in the car and forget what song it was, but the guy said fly shit we Above Average. I thought Above Average was the coolest name ever for a blog. Francis actually designed the first Above Average logo which was just 2 A's stacked on top of each other.
We sent the design out to our homie and he actually thought it was dope as fuck and came up with the double A logo and told us we should print on some tees. After that we kind of just ran with the whole Above Average thing. We came up with DBLA as a sort of acronym for AA. Everyone's always clueless on what DBLA or DBLAYE means it stands for Double A. I had no idea how to use Adobe Illustrator only up until a few months ago. I always thought everyone used Photoshop for their designs. So I had to learn a whole new program before we dropped the line. That was one of the major reasons it took so long for us to come out with our first drop of tees.
HS: What inspired you to start your clothing brand?
Corey: Just everyone I look up too in the industry. People like Nick Diamond, Bobby Hundreds, all the dudes over at Crooks, Mega at Blackscale, Eddie at UNDFTD, Stussy, and the list could go on forever.. Just a bunch of my favorite brands. I always saw myself later on in life working for myself other then working for someone else. I just always thought it was crazy to think that you could make a living and feed your family from making clothes. Its like a win win situation your doing what you love and getting paid from it.
HS: How did you come up with the double A logo?
Corey: The main AA logo is actually just a flip of the Oakland A's logo. The other AA logo was actually made by my friend Kiet over at Elusive. He said those 2 A's reminded him of mountains. Mountains are somewhat Above Average to me for many reasons.
HS: Has creating a clothing brand changed your life?
Corey: Creating this brand has definitely changed my life. I look at a lot of things differently now most definitely. I also step out of my normal comfort zone and put out my designs. Its always a good feeling though to see that people like them haha.
HS: What major effects has this experience had on you?
Corey: As far as effects nothing to craze has happened yet. The biggest effect would be me just learning the business. How to manage a company and run a business. Its not as easy as it would seem looking on from the outside.
HS: Do you find designing clothes more as a hobby or work?
Corey: It can actually go both ways haha. Sometimes it can be very fun and sometimes it can be long and strenuous. The ending results always make me happy though. So I guess you can call it both. I think if your hobby can be your work and its making you successful, theres no better job then that. The way I always seen things when it came to a job you should do something that makes you happy no matter what you have to go through to be successful with it.
HS: How often do you make designs and come up with ideas for your clothing brand?
Corey: I usually work on stuff everyday to be honest haha. A lot of designs dont make the cut though. I usually start on something and end up working on it all night. Lately a lot of designs have been geared towards sports or old sports logos, but im trying to steer away from that soon and come with some new heat.
HS: What should we be looking forward to in the future for Above Average clothing?
Corey: The future for Above Average holds a lot I hope! Were currently working on our second drop of stuff for the winter. Some crewnecks, hoodys and new tees and a collab with a brand called Stay Dirty Co. In the future I hope to do some cut & sew. I also want to start a small skate team sometime in the future. I think it would be dope to hook up people with gear and have them rep. Definitely a bunch of things coming from us though. The future is looking bright. Shoutout to Fransteez, all the homies that rep Above Average, and everyone that believes in me and keeps me going!
Follow us on Twitter @AbvAve or follow me (@YoungCorey) & Francis (@Fransteez) & instagram for previews of what will drop from us. We also have a facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Above-Average-Apparel/106079612800170
Check out them out at http://www.dblaye.com cop some shit and dont forget to follow us on twitter @HellaSaucyCali!
-RobbyMobby
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HS: As a teenager did you want to become what you are today?
Corey: When I was a teenager, I actually always thought I would always grow up to be a pro skateboarder. As time moved forward my parents and teachers would always tell me that I needed a backup plan in case I were to hurt myself. So I thought well one day I want to run and own my own brand, something that had to do with skateboarding.
HS: Where did everything for Above Average all start?
Corey: Me & Francis were running separate blogs and we decided to make a joint blog posting day to day stuff and post on things like skateboarding, shoes coming out, and like different brands we were into. One day we were in the car and forget what song it was, but the guy said fly shit we Above Average. I thought Above Average was the coolest name ever for a blog. Francis actually designed the first Above Average logo which was just 2 A's stacked on top of each other.
We sent the design out to our homie and he actually thought it was dope as fuck and came up with the double A logo and told us we should print on some tees. After that we kind of just ran with the whole Above Average thing. We came up with DBLA as a sort of acronym for AA. Everyone's always clueless on what DBLA or DBLAYE means it stands for Double A. I had no idea how to use Adobe Illustrator only up until a few months ago. I always thought everyone used Photoshop for their designs. So I had to learn a whole new program before we dropped the line. That was one of the major reasons it took so long for us to come out with our first drop of tees.HS: What inspired you to start your clothing brand?
Corey: Just everyone I look up too in the industry. People like Nick Diamond, Bobby Hundreds, all the dudes over at Crooks, Mega at Blackscale, Eddie at UNDFTD, Stussy, and the list could go on forever.. Just a bunch of my favorite brands. I always saw myself later on in life working for myself other then working for someone else. I just always thought it was crazy to think that you could make a living and feed your family from making clothes. Its like a win win situation your doing what you love and getting paid from it.
HS: How did you come up with the double A logo?
Corey: The main AA logo is actually just a flip of the Oakland A's logo. The other AA logo was actually made by my friend Kiet over at Elusive. He said those 2 A's reminded him of mountains. Mountains are somewhat Above Average to me for many reasons.
HS: Has creating a clothing brand changed your life?
Corey: Creating this brand has definitely changed my life. I look at a lot of things differently now most definitely. I also step out of my normal comfort zone and put out my designs. Its always a good feeling though to see that people like them haha.
HS: What major effects has this experience had on you?
Corey: As far as effects nothing to craze has happened yet. The biggest effect would be me just learning the business. How to manage a company and run a business. Its not as easy as it would seem looking on from the outside.
HS: Do you find designing clothes more as a hobby or work?
Corey: It can actually go both ways haha. Sometimes it can be very fun and sometimes it can be long and strenuous. The ending results always make me happy though. So I guess you can call it both. I think if your hobby can be your work and its making you successful, theres no better job then that. The way I always seen things when it came to a job you should do something that makes you happy no matter what you have to go through to be successful with it.
HS: How often do you make designs and come up with ideas for your clothing brand?
Corey: I usually work on stuff everyday to be honest haha. A lot of designs dont make the cut though. I usually start on something and end up working on it all night. Lately a lot of designs have been geared towards sports or old sports logos, but im trying to steer away from that soon and come with some new heat.
HS: What should we be looking forward to in the future for Above Average clothing?
Corey: The future for Above Average holds a lot I hope! Were currently working on our second drop of stuff for the winter. Some crewnecks, hoodys and new tees and a collab with a brand called Stay Dirty Co. In the future I hope to do some cut & sew. I also want to start a small skate team sometime in the future. I think it would be dope to hook up people with gear and have them rep. Definitely a bunch of things coming from us though. The future is looking bright. Shoutout to Fransteez, all the homies that rep Above Average, and everyone that believes in me and keeps me going!
Follow us on Twitter @AbvAve or follow me (@YoungCorey) & Francis (@Fransteez) & instagram for previews of what will drop from us. We also have a facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Above-Average-Apparel/106079612800170
Check out them out at http://www.dblaye.com cop some shit and dont forget to follow us on twitter @HellaSaucyCali!
-RobbyMobby
