Clothing Designer Bryan Krohn was your average music fan with a passion for the bands and concert life he frequented. What materialized was more than he could have thought would happen for the brand he built for himself.
Many try to find ways to try to connect with things they love in an artistic or business way. In many ways, we try to find ways to combine both. Sometimes success comes rather quickly, oftentimes we are searching and waiting for that success to come. Yet still, we pursue those dreams, with the hopes we achieve them at some point in our lives.
“ACATHLA has been developing into its entity over the years, there isn’t a path we aren’t afraid to take and push our limits on. Whether it be successful or a massive fail, the brand has taught me a lot of life lessons and I like to think throughout the years I have also been able to shed some light on people and maybe give them hope to never give up on their passion”
For clothing designer, Bryan Krohn, music, bands, concerts, and fashion were his life's passion from a young age. That dream of wanting to combine those passions together would come sooner than he would hope when Krohn would be asked to partner and sponsor a Vans Warped Tour in 2012.
The rest of Bryan's story is history, but that passion to create the clothing for the scene he loves still burns brighter than ever. While this was originally intended to be a fun concept for concerts, the idea that propelled him forward was far more successful and fulfilling than he ever dreamed it would be.
When did you get involved in the music scene? When did you know this was something you wanted to be a part of?
Bryan Krohn: I have been around music since I was young, whether it was from being in bands or just going to concerts to watch my favorite bands at the time. It helped me decide when I was asked to be one partner/sponsor for the Vans Warped Tour back in 2012, since then it's been a dream come true and a hustle for me to always try and advance myself and my brand.
What is the story behind ACATHLA? Can we talk about that? How are the clothing line, shows, and festivals closely intertwined?
Bryan Krohn: It was originally intended to be for fun. When I started creating concepts and then wearing them to shows I started to get compliments and requests so I sat down and thought about the brand and how I wanted to create something unique. It started with the name ACATHLA which means (Dream Create Inspire). I felt like that would be the perfect fit for myself and my clientele, so in 2009 the brand was born…It took me a few years to fully understand the process but afterward, it was all uphill from there for us. The brand stands for the skaters, artists, performers, ravers, explorers, parties, and the brave, the sick and twisted, and daring. If you are ready to believe in yourself and understand that every day is an adventure and it shouldn’t be taken for granted because the roads in life are meant to be written and we are the authors.
ACATHLA being just a clothing line made it very challenging at first but after being accepted to be on national festivals and also tours it really helped me lock into the music culture with a twist of fashion to it. ACATHLA would be nothing without the fans we have generated over the years and the music culture, our hearts will forever be locked into the scene and we cannot be any happier.
What artists have you worked with since you started this? I imagine this has opened up a lot of opportunities for you since you started this project.
Bryan Krohn: I have worked with over 100 plus artists since I have started Acathla. Some went from local to national acts that I never would have imagined working with (Asking Alexandria, MGK, I See Stars, The Bunny The Bear) and so much more. Having a brand involved so much in the music scene and fashion world has definitely opened up a lot of new opportunities for us, we are now a part of tattoo conventions, partners with Inkcarceration music festival, sold in retail stores across the map, and little boutique shops, it has been an exciting run with the brand and I don’t think I would have done it any other way.
What have you taken from this personally since you started ACATHLA Clothing LLC?
ACATHLA has been developing into its entity over the years, there isn’t a path we aren’t afraid to take and push our limits on. Whether it be successful or a massive fail, the brand has taught me a lot of life lessons and I like to think throughout the years I have also been able to shed some light on people and maybe give them hope to never give up on their passion.
Being self-made, what advice can you give to others trying to break into the field trying to do as you do now?
Honestly, my best advice is to listen to your heart when going into the field because I’ve learned over the years there are a lot of jealous people out there. Some would tell me false information for guidance just to ensure I wouldn’t advance. What I’m saying is, stay true to yourself and what you stand for. Don’t change for others in the scene or fashion world just to make “quick money."Put the work and time in and it will show and pay off and to me, that has a much better feeling than jumping through hoops to advance faster.
You are working on some new shows now! What is that like right now? What can we expect down the line?
It’s been a blast working and setting up these shows, I have met so many new people since I started putting on local and
national shows, it’s very stressful,
but if you have a perfect balance it can definitely be done. I love booking bands that aren’t from the area because it's always a blast seeing new faces all the time at shows (band-wise and crowd) it’s been pretty successful so far. I have some exciting shows and festivals in the works this year and they will be announced around April, I think everyone will enjoy some of these new bands passing through and also the new Acathla merchandise we will be putting out monthly.
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