*Tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from?
Slash: GG&G (which stands for Good Girls & Gangsters) was founded and is currently based in Huntsville where we both stay. I was born in Tuskegee and My dad's side of my family is from Huntsville so I have a lot of cousins/siblings here but my mother moved us to Florida when I was real young, like 5 or 6. I came back to HSV after I graduated high school to start at AAMU in 2002 and have been here ever since.
Bentley: Im from Florence, AL. Northside to be exact, its about an hour and a half away form Huntsville. I moved here to further my music career & get away from everything going on in Florence. Just over the past week down there its been drug busts, police stand offs, and multiple shootings and I didn't want to be a victim of my surroundings like all of my friends. I didn't see me doing anything positive with my life if I stayed there so one day I just drove up here dolo and found an apartment. It helped that I was into music and already on the Huntsville scene so the transition was real smooth.
*What's your educational background?
S: I went to A&M briefly for a couple years. My major was fashion merchandising but I left to pursue entrepreneurial things.
B: I graduated from Florence High with an advanced diploma but didn't get to walk (thats a whole nother interview lol). After that I studied Commercial Music but it wasn't really challenging and at the time I already had the job my professor wanted so I felt it was nothing he could teach me & eventually changed to my current major in Criminal Justice.
*What are your general professional and non-professional interests?
B: Art has always been my biggest interest. The only thing I ever wanted to be other than an artist was an astronaut. I must have been 7 or 8 but I wanted to be the first Black Astronaut, I had no idea who Robert Lawrence Jr was at the time. Im also into Black history, I think it gets lost in the mix nowadays. In high school I complained in my History class until we noted a Black history fact everyday for February. Other than that, I love guns..Real big guns lol.
S: Music is probably my biggest interest but being an entrepreneur is probably what im the most active in right now. I like to do creative things so anything can be an outlet. Right now my creativity goes into coming up with new ways to market or promote. As weird as it may be, that's really my hobby and what excites me.
*What does fashion mean to you?
S: To me its just wearing what feels right or true to you, not necessarily whats trendy. I like fashion that makes a statement. Doesn't matter what the statement is, just as long as it reflects the wearer and the brand making it.
B: Fashion to me explains how you really feel. You can almost know what someone is going through by how they dress. If I'm feeling real good then your gonna know because Im gonna have a lot colors going on or Im matching everything just right, but when I don't feel like being bothered I will be wearing my hoody or something old.
*How would you define your city's fashion?
S: A melting pot. Huntsville attracts people from all over the country and world due to the military base and several colleges so people bring their styles from their own city and still wear it here but they pick up things from other people so it all blends together. There aren't a lot of stores with variety here in the city so the variety comes from the actual people. Three guys about the same size and height may buy the exact same shirt and one guy will wear a medium and some leopard pants with some yeezy's, one guy will wear a large and put it with some camo shorts and the last guy will wear a 2XL and put it with some 501s. Each person makes it their own. That's huntsville's fashion from what I see.
B: Everything that Slash said is exactly true but to add to that, It all depends on what demographic you are around. The college kids, successful 25-35s, and d boys all do their own thing.
*When did you realize you wanted to become a fashion designer?
S: I've been drawing since I was 4 or 5 but I started drawing sketches for my own imaginary sneaker label in middle school. Through most of high school I kept two thick portfolios of clothing sketches in my bookbag. Someone stole one of them the last day of school my junior year of high school. I was pissed. I actually fell back from drawing then because I was so mad and I started getting heavier into rapping, which I had also been doing just for fun in the lunchroom or before classes, etc. That was when i first started actually keeping a rhyme book and went to a studio.
B: I didn't realize it until after it happened. My phone juuggin all day anyway, so when somebody calling me for a shirt it was just another juug.It didn't hit me until I started seeing people really talking about GG&G and we gained the attention from all of the other brands in the city because we came up so fast. I couldn't believe what we created from inside of our living room.
*What was the first article of clothing you ever designed?
S: Tennis shoes/sneakers. At first i used to trace those thugged out Bugs Bunny and Taz pictures from back in the day but then I would draw in my own shoes. Then i just started drawing shoes by themselves.
B: It was shoes for me too. Back in the early 2000s I used to put bandannas on everything. I had bandanna visors, air force 1s, dickies, you name it. If i could have put a bandanna rag top on my Caprice I would have did it, lol.
*Who are some of your favorite designers?
S: Im honestly more into men's clothes than women's if that makes any sense. I would rather look at a well dressed man or a fly guy but I cant say that I'm attached to any one particular label or designer. I just like dope pieces. Plus designers eventually get lazy and put their logo on everything simple instead of coming up with actual concepts for new designs. I'm not a fan of the "brands" themselves. I'm a fan of what they create.
B: I don't think Ive ever had a favorite designer. Only designer I buy over and over is Tinker Hatfield but I own pieces from everybody. I am into collections tho. Like, the BloodBath "Crack" collection is super dope. I Wish I would have though of it!!
*What do you like best about designing clothes?
B: It may sound shallow but hear me out, I enjoy killing other designers lol. I use to have a bubble Caprice with a gucci top, tvs in the windows, Lexanis, train horns, it was decked out. If you pulled up to me in a Caprice and it wasn't up to par, I know it and you know it lol. I think the car culture mentality for me, translated into the fashion. Even when I didn't design clothes I would put outfits together to try & kill everybody. I don't necessarily compete with other designers tho. Everybody is dope in their own right. I like Diamond Supply and buy a lot of it but I would never make a shirt with a diamond on it like "Hey Nicky Diamonds look at this" to me thats whack & being a biter. The best example is the Jordan 3 88s. A lot of brands made shirts for those shoes but we killed them all with our "Still Spendin" tee. Its all fun tho. Its just like rapping, I rap with a lot of talented people but we all are trying to be the best verse on the song. The other thing I like about designing our clothes is that it all makes sense to our brand. Whether it be a single piece like "Still Spendin" or something like our "Jack Boys" Collection, it all makes sense to what we stand for at Good Girls & Gangsters and carries that overall theme.
S: The reaction from people when they see it. Especially if they get the meaning. Sometimes our pieces only connect with a niche group of people but when they get it, they love it even more. It's conversational.
*How would you define your personal style?
S: Today...I probably don't even have any, lol. I dress for comfort now more than anything. I still like certain sneakers and i'll get those but im just not one of those "swag on full" kinda people. I love creating it and appreciate how people rock certain things but I wouldnt try to do it myself. I keep it pretty classic. Shirts with small or no logos. Some basic jeans or leggings and some sneakers for most days. When I do dress up, I clean up pretty nice though. An occasional skirt or dress creeps into my wardrobe every 6 mos or so.
B: Its all on how I'm feeling that day. If Im stepping out I try to come correct but on a normal Im just wearing some 501s & a tee with some dope sneakers.
*How would you define the style your line exemplifies?
S: This might be long but I like intelligent hood niggas, lol. And I know a lot of smart, college educated, independent, corporate job-having women are attracted to the same thing. It's always something cool that happens when that hood guy finds out that good girl has some hood characteristics and she finds out that he's more intelligent than society would have you believe he is. Sometimes that connection doesn't work out well but when it does, they can use both of their strengths together to accomplish a lot. Jay-Z and Beyonce for example. He's obviously very intellectual despite rapping about coke prices and such, while Bey makes sure to keep it classy for the most part but she clearly has a love for Popeye's and UGK like most people in the hood. So, to me, our line represents that balance. Our designs require thought, but they're still dope. They're fresh and new but not so outrageous that you have to sacrifice your manhood to be trendy. You don't have to wear zebra print and man jeggings or skirts to be stylish. You can still be a man. And as we expand into women's clothing this summer, I want it to represent women that are smart enough to excel professionally but still in touch with their "urban" side. She may leave work on the arsenal but on the way home she's blasting "Gin & Juice" and rapping along all the lyrics. And she likes guys that can hold a conversation about current events but know who to call for a 42" flat screen TV with no box for $200, lol. She's a hustler as well, in her own way.
B: What she said lol. Its just comfortable clothes that can reach a lot of age groups. Its some brands I see that cool but I would never wear them because its not my age group. Like slash said earlier, Some of our pieces have niche markets & when people identify with it, it becomes more than an article of clothing to them.
*What are some of your fashion goals?
S: My main goal is to help shape Huntsville and North Alabama as a whole with its own identifiable culture. It's not just about fashion. There are certain things about the city that make it special but they aren't recognized or bigger cities steal it and become known for it because they are more popular. We have a lot of urban musical talent that goes unnoticed. We also have a lot of chefs or aspiring chefs that could have big restaurants with signature dishes but they "sling plates" because that's where they have to start and no one is willing to invest in them. I'd like to make enough money to invest in the culture of Huntsville. But I dont have the time to let money be an excuse for waiting to make an impact. Coming later this year, I plan on expanding our website to do local restaurant reviews and feature even more local music artists than we have before. Fashion wise, we just want to keep improving our quality to make things that much more impressive. Attention to detail. Things like custom tags with little messages and better packaging. Hopefully we can make some more accessories to make our brand stand out. We have a clothing line but our brand is about culture.
B: My only fashion goal is to continue having fun making clothes & maintain ownership of our products and ideas.
*Where do you get your inspiration?
S: My beliefs. Music. The city. Tweetwatching, lol.
B: Being around loved ones just joking around. Im a firm believer to act out on any joke or conversation that lasts longer than 10 minutes because that mean you might have something.
*Where can readers find out more about you and your work?
www.goodgirlsandgangsters.com for everything culture related and shop.goodgirlsandgangsters.com to invest with us.
www.goodgirlsandgangsters.com
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