Designing collections for a growing militia of young creatives battling in the war of art, Blu from Atlanta hopes to create a new world where creatives are at the forefront and are pushing each other forward for a better world. Blu works out of his studio in Atlanta and has just recently dropped his third collection for his clothing brand WNTD Apparel. The pieces are all hand made and beautifully designed by Blu himself. However, Blu doesn’t only specialize in creating amazing pieces of apparel but as well as the entire output of his pieces such as the editorial photos, lookbooks, and more. Blu pays close to attention to all aspects and every small detail within the features of exploring his product to create the best experience possible and visiting the website you can see the quality of work and perfection he has accomplished.
We had a conversation with Blu to learn more about the artist behind the quickly evolving clothing brand and got familiar with not only WNTD Apparel but the personal thoughts and feelings of the mind behind all of the complex ideas.
When did you start WNTD?
In 2007 when I was a sophomore in high school
Were you making clothes before that?
No that was just art, I was trying to be like Kishimoto bro. I was trying to be like in the Naruto Mangas. I was a heavy anime lover. That was like my art art shit.
So you always knew you wanted to be an artist?
Oh hell yeah bro, I been doing art since like damn 3rd grade, I didn’t do WNTD til I was a sophomore in high school
How was that in high school? Were people fucking with you off your art?
The way I first got off on it was by my homeboy who was my partner in the business but not anymore; but he had come up to me, he had a heat press machine from craigslist and he hit me up on some shit cause I was always known as that artsy n—-. He would always just pull up to check out all the drawings and shit because he was also my next door neighbor and so he was like yo can you help me draw this thing so he can print out some t-shirts but I wasn’t even into fashion then. I liked getting fresh but I never thought about making clothes, and then I had made that shit for him (the drawing). I saw him print it and wear it the next day, and I was like damn that’s so cool!
You know when you want to be a fine artist you got to go to a museum and people have to see it, I had my sketchbooks so I always had to show people my sketchbook, and that was cool but I was messing with the accessibility of people being able to have my art with them at all times. It was more accessible than people coming to this museum or you coming to see this sketchbook or you just happen to have a picture of my artwork on your phone it’s like you’re living and breathing my vision, I really fuck with that, and that’s how I got into fashion.
Sensitive Thugs Tee by Grayson Kent
How do you feel when you see people wearing your pieces now then?
To be honest, on a real note, my first essential thought when I see people in my shit, I get kind of nervous in a sense. It’s kind of surreal when someone you don’t even know just fucks with your ideas and they’re wearing it proud and they always look confident in my art and shit like that. My first initial thought when I see people in my shit or they’re repping it, it’s just surreal like wow bro is this real? It’s almost like being the best rapper and then you hear yourself on the mic, even though your raps are fire you’re still kind of weirded out because it’s your voice! It’s like seeing yourself on camera or in a video. I’m not gonna bullshit you and be like when I see it “oh it’s my vision yes!” That’s my shit, like it gets real. I almost get so nervous where I’m like hope everything is good with what they ordered. [laughs]
I feel as if just as you get nervous, so does your audience, because it’s almost as if you don’t know WNTD unless you know Bluboy, do you agree?
As far as me personally, I think that shit’s cool man, because the reason why I try to put myself out there as much as my brand— almost even more than my brand sometimes— because it’s designed for the creatives of the modern world, every piece I try to keep artists in mind like “art is war”, “designed for the creatives of the modern world”, I always try and keep that motivation and spirit to it and I’m like what better advocate for my brand than myself, a young artist, straight out of drawing in my own bedroom just grinding. I feel like what makes WNTD so special is the direct connection to artists, I try to put myself out there as much as possible because I’m exactly like what everyone else is, I’m not different. I wake up every day and do my thing like everyone else, so I try to keep that constant relationship between my brand and my art to a direct connection to me. There’s no split difference between my brand and who I am. I am WNTD I am Blu all within the same thing. I really fuck with people who get inspired because that’s what I try to do. Every piece I just try to inspire, that’s why I show so much of the behind the scenes shit, that’s why I show my fashion sketches, that’s why I show everything because it’s all inspiration.
Bluboy x LV Design Sketch
Would you say a key part of your process is drawing out your designs?
Well when I was in 3rd-grade bro I was drawing Dragon Ball Z and Naruto, all my inspiration really comes from anime, I’m next to Osean and it’s like we’re Naruto and Sasuke now. But um I got a lot of animated stuff now so I needed a character and I always used to draw characters and shit like that and I created the Bluboy because as a fashion designer you know you got to use a lot of fashion sketches. So I had a fashion journal where I was doing a lot of fashion illustrations and the art was so important to me being an artist originally from going to fashion. Traditionally you’re supposed to do a little shitty sketch and send it to your manufacturer and they figure it out and the most important parts are like the logos the materials and shit like that, but being an artist first I took great initiation to make my fashion illustrations very specific to my art style. That was really important to me, almost more important than the clothes. I was like yo the art behind this shit has to be amazing, but that’s just the artist in me though. You know I’m more artist than designer on god, I don’t really care about models being skinny, seams being super neat and clean, and runway, I’m not really all about that, I’m really about the art.
Blu says goodbye to what sounds like a small group exiting his studio
So on your website we see the shop, new lookbook, design book, and visuals, are the lookbooks and visuals just as important to you as the drawings?
I pay more attention to the art and the creative direction behind what I put out than the actual pieces. I mean everything is well thought out and if I got a good idea for a piece its a good idea and I’ll make the piece but then its kinda over after that. The real work comes in the presentation, the way I go about the artwork, the style, and the creative direction for the editorial, for me that’s the most fun part. I want to be able to do something cool with a product for me as an artist first then designer you feel me?
Yeah, I feel an agreed upon issue within the industry is that some new kids aren’t paying attention to the quality of art throughout their products, right?
Yeah like there’s nothing behind it than just a logo on a shirt, but they don’t take the time to go out and find a crazy model or be like let’s make some animation behind it, let’s get Yameii into some shit you know what I’m saying? Like something extra. This collection working with Osean has just been crazy because I’m someone who pays so much attention to details behind just a product and he’s the same way so that duo mindset just being in tune we were able to take things to a whole other level and into a whole other three dimensional world and just bring fashion and present it in a whole other way. People don’t even know that’s the first 3D look book ever *laughs I’m not trying to say I’m the first person ever to mix fashion with 3D, people have done it like this and that, Osean has done it for Ghost Supply plenty of times but not to this magnitude where its; editorials, lookbooks, product pictures, storyboards, all mixed in, also there’s a real-life look book and editorial and its just never been done but I’ll live to tell that story later on, but you know just innovative shit like that shows what kind of time we’re on.
Bluboys & Yameii by Oseanworld
You often say and stand by the phrase “Art is War” what’s the meaning behind that?
I mean there’s a whole bunch of meanings and underlinings to it, most of the time I let people get their own feeling and interpretation cause it’s such a shocking statement and it makes you think and shit like that. For me, there are 3 or 4 different reasons why I believe that way, to prove my case like “Art is War” for me forever for life and I have things that prove it from my own mindset and people have their own interpretation of it. Sometimes it lines up with mine because they just get it immediately, but if these kids don’t get exactly what I’m talking about and it speaks immediately and its just like “hell yeah art is war” they get it, even if they don’t know exactly what I mean by it, but they still know. Yeah they still rep it they still get it they feel the vibes but if you want to know specifically what I mean by art is war:
1) I believe “Art is War” just because the mental battle that every artist has within themselves like outdoing themselves no matter what artist and what art form you are, you have to be better than the last, nobody wants to stay the same for 5 years or get worse 5 years later … If I make art today the next piece has got to be better if I come out with collection 3 its only common sense for people to assume that collection 4 is going to be better. That’s easier said than done though because you can come up with the craziest things ever and then be like damn I really have to outdo this to stay relevant and stay on top of my game? It’s crazy, so I think that’s a crazy battle every artist already associates with themselves it’s like you vs you and that’s even before you get into the battle with another artist you know.
Art Is War Vest Design Sketch
2) It’s a battle between every artist like every artist in your field you’re going one on one against them, it’s a friendly competition, you don’t have to think so much straining your brain, but it helps me out because I’m a competitive person. If it’s a competition or a battle or anything that kind of stuff fuels me, it’s not that I hate anyone or anything like that, it gives me a better edge, but its like your Michael Jordan dunking on somebody, that gets you in the mode gets you in the jam and gets you to want to go harder. Like me and Osean we don’t be doing the same shit but I wanna shit on him and he can come out with some shit and its like damn this n—- nice, it’s damn near a creative battle just sparring going back and forth. You get what I’m saying like if he makes something crazy I’m like damn I gotta one-up him and let him know I’m hard too so that’s a battle within itself and then a more serious battle than friendly competition is just the battle between society.
3) Anyone that’s an artist knows that damn well once you told anyone “Yo I’m gonna do this seriously and be an artist” that’s an uphill battle, your parents are gonna be like don’t do that you’re not gonna make money, its hard, your friends are gonna be like aw man you’re struggling I don’t want you to do this and that’s a battle. Just being able to follow your dreams is a battle, to be an artist is a battle, going to your friend and being like I want to be a rapper and they’re gonna look at you like what the fuck *laughs so that’s why you gotta fight through all this shit. All the examples I’m giving you requires you to fight, you got to fight to be a better artist, you got to fight with your fellow artists to be in the same realm, you got to fight against that doubt of being an artist, like aw man am I going to make money am I going to be an artist when millions of kids around the world are already trying to be artists. It seems so hard trying to be an artist there are so many uphill battles and so many things you have to fight I just found it all out and put it in a 3-word quote, Art is War” and kids get that immediately.
Most people who are doing this shit for a living and their end game is end all be all they gravitate towards the quote more often than someone who is doing it for a hobby. Nothing against them, I’m not saying art you have to take seriously every day but I’m doing a brand for the artists I’m speaking for the people out there who are like yo this is who I am, you identify with this so that’s who the quote really speaks to so its crazy you could just hear that quote and have a connection to it and be spot on, that’s exactly who I made it for.
WNTD Apparel Shoe Mock Up
So what’s next for Blu and WNTD?
Well i got some shoes coming out soon I’ve just been sleeping on it because of Chinese new year and they have a crazy ass break when they get on new years like 20 days or some shit like that but they should be back now so I’m coming out with my own shoes, my own shit, no more painting on stan smiths like really an official shoe, I’m working on the Art Supply 3 book that’s gonna be crazy, it’s gonna break down everything that’s going on; artwork, fashion, and a crazy art cover for collectible editions. Oh and I’m working on getting a Bluboy action figure, but everything that’s next is pretty much just being strict and positive.