Dat Tag is like nothing you’ve ever seen before.  Mixing the subliminal with a vivid swirl of colour,  Dat Tag clothing is both intriguing and uniquely fashion-forward.  From brightly coloured, chunky zipper-tops to more graffiti-inspired pieces, creator Danielle Garner-Grant boldly innovates and redefines the parameters of fashion design.

Could you tell us a bit about Dat Tag and how the label came into existence?

Okay well, I’m going to keep it real with you. It all started when I was in my last year at university, student loan had run out and hunger kicked in. I worked part-time but pay day way still a long way off… So looking through the cupboards, the only thing I could find was a bag of long grain rice (to be precise) and a ketchup dip from McDonald’s (can you imagine?!) so you know I had to boil it and use the dip as a gravy right! It was far from tasty… so I decided that I never wanted to experience it again… as a result I started jotting down ideas for my designs on a notepad.

Why the name Dat Tag Ltd?

The name DAT TAG is representative of our brand, in the sense that it has two meanings… the first being a normal tag on a chain and the other being a way of writing. Similarly to this, most of our designs have double meanings, (that is, depending on the way you interpret them). DAT TAG is short, catchy and easy to remember. When you think of graffiti, the first thing that pops into your head is that it’s a form of vandalism/ empowering. However, I want to portray graffiti art in a positive way showing the artistic side behind it.

What piece do you think shows the greatest creativity of the DAT TAG designers?

To be honest, we only produce 150garments per design… (not size) as we want to keep our designs fresh, limited and collectable. Each design that is produced by DAT TAG brings something different to the table, whether it be the oversized zips, the oversized gem stones, the use of vibrant colours, the various textures or through our original limited and collectable pieces of art.

What other fashion labels do you admire, and why?

KidRobot and Terratag have to be named as two of my favourites, partly because of the way they integrate elements of graffiti and anime together. Their designs are authentic and have an element of culture within them.

What do you think of the growth of the UK’s streetwear and urban fashion scene and how do you see it developing in the future?

I love the fact that everyone’s trying to bring something fresh to the clothing industry, it’s definantly a positive movement. As for the competition, what can I say, it keeps me on my toes which is always a good thing cause it makes me want to produce more and more unusual garments! In the future, at this rate I think everyone will be wearing their own label… but I can see other countries looking to the UK for inspiration.

What does Dat Tag bring to fashion that is unique?

Dat Tag is more than just a brand, it has character, it is playful, a bit cheeky, a bit of an attention grabber… but what differentiates us from other brands is that we believe it is important to treat customers like friends, in terms of communicating with them and building up good relationships with them.

An example of how we do this, is that we offer a collaborative service to our customers, which enables them to incorporate their designs with ours, putting their names on the site and selling them on the site, whilst giving them a cut of the profits. To add, we also offer customisation services.   DAT TAG designers will turn your message into a design that conveys your message subliminally.

What next for the label?

Well we have a few collaborations lined up with some UK/USA brands, I cannot tell you who just yet because I’ve been sworn to secrecy…but working together we will be producing some very unique and exclusive pieces fuelled from our creativity! Make sure you don’t miss out, cause when it drops it’s gonna be BIG!!

http://www.dattag.com/

http://twitter.com/DAT_TAG

Kid-Vanilla is colourful, unconventional and fearless – the stuff of fashion dreams come true.

The formation of the label has been an organic process for Eva Balg, creator of the label. With the release of one collection a year – Kid-Vanilla doesn’t believe in seasons – much imaginative vigour is evident with each design. This year’s collection has been in collaboration witth graffiti artist Cream and German artist Sebastian.

Citing airbrush, the 90s and burgers as inspiration for this year’s collection, there is also an undeniably strong hip-hop influence on the collection, something that was evident from the conception of the label.

Moving from Cologne (Germany) to Antwerp (Belgium), Eva set out to attend the prestigious Fashion Academy, however, after failing her third year she decided it was time to have things her way.

Already armed with a desire to run her own label, circumstances played to her advantage. “As I live in a big house with some friends of mine (who are all busy with graffiti and hiphop), and some of them run a silkscreen atelier and I run a gallery with my boyfirend downstairs, that was the best place to start my own label in 2006.”

Each piece is handmade with the prints produceed in Belgium, Artist Sebastian is responsible for the ”universe” print sported on several designs.

On the subject of how the label has been influenced by hip-hop and graffiti, she says,”I grew up with it, but I like to use it ironically, like the masks I made. It’s like the typical masks we wear to go and paint, but then in pink and with a bow. Or the hiphop bling-bling, but then really soft and knitted.”

It is Kid-Vanilla’s effortless merging of hip-hop style with casual wear that has earned it a reputation of a hot up-and-coming label. Eva says her favourite pieces from the collection are, “Everything with the universe print…the pony skirt and the grey ruffle skirt!”

Combining simple, classic clothing with a modern twist, Kid-Vanilla outperforms its contemporaries with its unique outlook on fashion. Its individualistic philosophy is something that should be celebrated and applauded by fans and fashion lovers alike.

http://www.kid-vanilla.com/