To be an artist is also to be an architect of sorts — knowing the ins and out of your project down to the smallest seams is key to becoming a successful designer. There is one designer we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know, who’s not only shaking up the fashion scene in his own right, but also providing the tricks of the trade to those inquiring minds. This designer is Nathan Achorn. Nathan is the mastermind behind Chicopee Clothing Company based out of downtown Los Angeles, California and he’s been turning heads with his unique take on fashion design. We had the chance to ask him a few questions to get a better understanding of exactly what drives him to do what does, and some of his future plans…
@nathanachorn
Underground Underdogs: Tell me about yourself and your background, what are some of the reasons you decided to get into design?
Nathan Achorn: I’m from Chicopee, MA, about 2 hours outside NYC. I’ve always had an engineer / designer’s mindset because of how I was raised by my father, who works as an engineer. I grew up paying close attention to our culture and what inspires people, and I want to contribute to that cycle the best I can. Design has always been on my mind, before making clothing I used to produce music, and I look at that very much as design as well. I think the basic design elements that define everything completely shape our world and experience on so many levels, and its exciting being able to influence that in a small way.
How would you describe the style of your brand? What and who are some of your influences?
I’d describe my label Notion to be just that problem solver / engineer mindset…in clothing form. I look to push that as far as I can when I develop capital to begin ventures beyond clothing. I’m very much influenced by critical thinkers and communicators like Sam Harris and Carl Sagan, as well as tech giants like Elon Musk. I think these people push the limits in their respective fields, as far as contributing value to the species is concerned, and I only hope to contribute in the same way over the course of my life.
Quality material can make or break a designer, how important is it to you that you make sure your product is made of the best possible material?
I think terms like “quality” and “best” in design and in general are extremely subjective. Often times products are released by high end design houses that are not the best possible version of the design material quality wise. I look at design, especially fashion design, as a communication vessel of perspective and ideas. The clothing can be worn, and can make you feel great, but they function best as a form of communication of who we are. A good example is the MAGA Cap. A lot of people wear that and feel amazing wearing it, but its a cheaper wholesale cap. The material isn’t make or break in that scenario, the communication is.
Tell me about your creative process, when you have an idea in mind, what are some of the steps you take before ending up with your final product?
My creative process is really unexciting. I generally come up with my best ideas completely at random, when doing meaningless tasks like washing the dishes. Sometimes concepts just pop into my head, and I’ll walk over to some paper or my phone and document it for later. I’ll then revisit it another day, and break down the elements that define it, and work on each part separately to capitalize on the initial idea. For example, on the Cargos I just released, I’ll conceptualize several versions of the straps and hanging bag until I figure out what works, as those are the primary elements of that design.
On your page, you have a film section that displays how you make some of your products. I haven’t come across many designers who let the public in on how they produce their material, what made you make the decision to do that?
I do spend the majority of my life now actually physically making clothing, literally 80% of my time at least. So it would be a waste not to communicate that to the world. On the other hand, I don’t communicate it as who I am. I think in design, consumers generally are uninterested in that, its more about the design itself. I’m also very much a teacher by nature, I feel compelled to share information when others need it, and hold nothing back, so it just feels natural. I also teach a class currently at my studio for the same reason.
You were telling me about the new cargo pants you’re creating. They’re nothing like anything i’ve seen out, what inspired you when you came up with this idea? When can the public expect to see them available for purchase?
So the cargos are available now on my website NathanAchorn.com until this Sunday night, July 15th. Its a made to order product. Its just another idea that randomly popped into my head and I sketched it back in October I believe, I didn’t get to make the sample until January, by that time I’ve noticed there’s several designers on the market doing similar things, but it only makes sense. I think a lot of us designers pull inspiration from similar places, so its interesting to compete and see who can be the most innovative design wise. I definitely seek to do that more than anything, and think I have a lot of room to grow there.
You’ve got a pretty impressive following for your brand and it appears that a lot of your work sells out pretty quickly. What does it mean to you that so many people are supporting you and your product?
I would say thats mostly smoke and mirrors honestly. I don’t try to go out of my way to communicate that. The reality is I generally only sell a couple garments when I put products up for sale, and have a really tough time marketing myself. I think theres a massive void in the market for an individual like me with my skillsets that many people would be inspired by, so I’m trying my best to push myself out there without breaking standards I set for myself. I don’t reach out to influential people really at all, I want my product to compete at the highest level first, and I think people will then follow, but it remains to be seen.
What’s your opinion on the current state of fashion in general? Anything you’re a fan of? Anything that you’re not so much of a fan of ?
I think fashion is in a great place. I love the market of lesser known, just starting designers, that work hard and physically make products themselves. It tells me they really want this and will do anything for it. That’s extremely inspiring and I love it. I’m a big fan of Ev Bravado right now, I’ve seen his work for years and to see someone make the transition from a starting designer to someone who will soon compete in a global market, just proves to everyone watching in real time that its completely possible, given all the variables fall how they need to. There’s also a lot of nonsense on the market, but fashion is a very emotional thing, so I understand why they exist, but I’m not inspired by it. I only seek to contribute in a way thats inspiring by my standards. I think Ev is a great example of an inspiring designer.
@chicopeeclothingcompany
I noticed you have a catalog that expands beyond just fashion. Do you have plans on producing more home decor products?
I’m not specifically interested in home decor, but I’m extremely interested in experiences. When I do develop a following enough to more than live off my design alone, I really want to experiment with experience design. I have a million ideas for how that can be interesting. I’ve alluded to this several times, but my primary goal is to inspire and motivate, so if you can completely control the variables in an environment, people may never forget it. Many people cite specific experiences they’ve had in their lives as the reason for pursing a career or relationship. When I was younger I hosted a 24-hour scavenger hunt in my home town a coupe times that had groups of people out in the world performing tasks to win a prize, in which many of the tasks pushed them mentally or physically. The following weeks when I talked to people about it, many of them would say “that was the best 24 hours of my life” because of the context and circumstances of the event. I basically just want to recreate that feeling, people never forget it.
Any closing statements? Any advice you’d like to give any up and coming designers?
Be as objective as possible with dictating the value of your work. You need to see it from the perspective of a consumer. You’ll know you’ve done well when your design is desirable without a name attached.
