keep on keepin on

hi friends!!

it has been a while...but i suppose that's good since it purely because we have been so busy!!

it's fashion season everywhere, so it's more than enough to keep B and I incredibly busy, between events, travel,day jobs and of course our pride and joy PreK Apparel. We have been fortunate enough not only to be retailed on www.Karmaloop.com, but we have gotten significant blog support from the Karmaloop family and beyond...so HUGE thanks and props to the talented and lovely folks who have invested in the success of our brand by blogging and spreading the word about our big Debut...this means you Andrew, Dina, Greg and Stella the Stellar :o)

Things are really rolling along too! We've sold enough on Karmaloop for them to place a reorder with us after less than 2 weeks!!!!!!!!! We have already fulfilled and shipped that out to maintain this incredible momentum...and we will see what happens next!

We have also been approached by other streetwear retailers interested in carrying PreK and so we are in the process of making that happen as well...we are also about to keep it 100% local by sourcing our blanks right here in good old Mass USA...which will help us on a number of levels!!

Our lookbook has gone to print and once that is done we will arm Brian with them and send him out into the world to spread the PreK gospel...hopefully to a receptive audience.

I just have to keep thanking everyone who has shown support of any kind to us and our effort because we really could not have not gotten anywhere without you all. Even if it was just listening to us obsess about our ideas and the details of this process...you helped us get through and not lose our damn minds...although we may not be out of the woods on that count yet hahahahaha

Here we are working again on the weekend...but you gotta be a warrior if you want to be anywhere close to success... so, we will keep on keepin on and grind as hard as time will let us...despite the long hours this season demands, we love it and would not change being involved to this extent for anything in the world!!!!!!!

Happy Fall Fashion to you all and I hope that you enjoy this season as much as we do!

More as it falls in our lap :o)

R & B

The test

Well it's been quite a whirlwind since shooting our lookbook! We have scarecely had a chance to sleep let alone blog...but finally here I am finally!
We have since shot our lookbook, which went shockingly well!! I am so impressed with our little models and to an even greater extent, the parents who really knew how to engage these kids so we get our shots...I sure as hell am not as capable!!! Mad props to you guys!! Also our Photog Joe knew just how to get in and get those and get back out
We did our product and model shots at Karmaloop's headquarters last Monday and that also went well, you can check it out here on our product page...

http://www.karmaloop.com/vendor.aspx?VendorCode=PRE&bysex=2

It's a scary time...this is the test that will tell us whether we alone appreciate the product we have built and whether we have any hope to continue on after this round, and whether spending so much time on the details was even worth it...It's ironic, it being a line for young kids and new parents because we feel like we have nurtured this baby for so long now; making it into what we want it to be and trying to have it stand out from the rest and now we're exposing it to the critique of so many by turning it loose into the fashion world...will anyone love it as much as we do?? Repect it for what it is?? Read to it at night??...ok maybe I need to step back and not obsess let it go :o)

Only time will tell I suppose...

Kids and Animals

The phrase "never work with kids and animals" is dead wrong.

Sure, when working with kids you sometimes experience the occasional melt-down (from the kids, too), and I've found that animals don't take direction very well. But this weekend we discovered that working with kids and animals together is a mutually beneficial arrangement.

This past Sunday morning we set out to Boston's Franklin Park Zoo to shoot our line for our "look book." At ten sharp we marched a group of nearly thirty people — parents, kids, models, photographer, et al — through the zoo gates. The nine children in tow sported our gear paired with lots of unbelievably cute items for kids (photos to come).

The idea: dress 'em up, let 'em roam and shoot away. Joe Prezioso was our photographer, and God bless him, he hardly had a moment to breathe. He flitted from one cute kid doing a cute thing to the next, and it went on this way for about two hours.

Anyway, my point is that there's nothing handier than a zebra to keep a kid from having a full-blown melt-down. "Look, a giraffe!" and suddenly any tears teetering on a child's bottom lids are actually sucked back into the ducts. Miracles, those wild creatures are.

Generally, animals like being around kids, too. Kids are ever-likely to unwittingly drop bits of food here and there, not to mention the extra morsels they seem to constantly have sticking to their faces and hands.

So yes, working with kids AND animals proved to be quite a success on Sunday. Now I've just got to manage to work like an animal to put this book together without throwing a tantrum of my own.

Getting There

Alright! Today's a big one...we've closed another chapter. Today we wrap up production with our silk-screen shop on our first order. We're currently sitting on over 200 onesies & T's, each as sharp and vivid as the next. I've really got to say "hat's off" to OneOff Apparel in Worcester, those guys work magic.

(I was about to post some shots via my web cam, then thought better of it...you'll just have to wait until next week to see them being modeled online ;)

So right now we've got stacks and stacks of six designs:
Pop Tot
Safety First
I Get Lifted
Kinder Keffiyeh
Lil' Grill
Tux

We're very proud to be able to present single samples of another 6, for a total of 12 from our 18 original designs! It really means a lot to have the product in hand rather than just on a screen or on the page. I just couldn't be happier with how our first line is turning out.

On Friday we'll have our first large order tagged and bagged and shipped off, and are planning on shooting the merch for karmaloop.com on Monday. Then, well, I guess we'll be up and running!

But we're not resting. Our next steps are our look book shoot (this Sunday) and approaching many other premier street & baby vendors with our samples.

Oh, it also looks like we'll be doing some PR pretty soon. Boldfacers, a beautifully done Web zine focusing on local movers and shakers (co-produced by Adam Larson, designer extraordinaire), just contacted us about covering Pre-K! Our first write-up!! :)

So that's the news for this week, kids. Thanks for checking in, we'll keep you posted.

B

the final countdown

WHAT A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe that we got through this alive! Maybe more Brian than me, because he had to deal with me being a stressed out beeeeyatch all week long...hahaha

anyways, the look book is falling into place nicely, all of our models have confirmed, we are finalizing outfits and let me just say...as per usual, no expense was spared to make this the dopest ever!!!

As Brian posted last week, we will be heading to the zoo with some of our dearest friends and their tots and we are going to dress them in some fly outfits that we have been building all week! So far the supposrt has been overwhelming, with WeSC, Reebok, Goorin Bros and Keds all pitching in to help us make this happen.

The styling will have some surprises for ya'all...but I guarantee it will be enjoyable to look at...I'm excited to give copies of these images to our friends so that they can have them in albums etc as their little ones grow up and show them what they were a part of from such an early age.

As far as production of our initial order for Karmaloop goes, we had some serious scares this week, but nothing we couldn't handle and didn't come out of...my parents threw us a life line too at one point so you gotta love that! thanks Moozie & Daggles!!!

So, yes...the countdown is on...how is look book gonna turn out? Will we have all of our clothes and shoes ready to shoot it? Will our order meet our Karmaloop deadline? Will our stuff even sell once it gets onto www.Karmaloop.com?

The next week will answer ALL of these questions...we will keep you informed...

Look Book

Now that our samples are coming off the presses, we're finally able to move beyond showing blueprints of our line — in about a week, you'll start to see the actual product!

(We initially produced several samples digitally to get the general feel. We're proud to say we'll NEVER sell digitally printed pieces, however, as the quality of screen printing is far superior.)

So with our clothes in hand, it's time to plan for our look book.

Right now we're scheduled for an August 30th photo shoot at the Franklin Park Zoo featuring several children ranging in age from one to four-years old. Renatta is putting together outfits as I type this, coupling our pieces with those of WeSC, Cre8tive Rec, and more. I can't wait to see the final outcome.

This weekend we've got to get ourselves over to the zoo to scope out some potential locations, and of course we're in the midst of coordinating with parents, kids, photographer & crew, but I think we've got it all in hand.

More to come!

Man Hands

Hi friends!

As we at PreK apparel get ready to go into production, and we fuss over the details big and small, we are also striving to keep on top of our day jobs….me handling the Karmaloop Merchandising department and Brian designing and concepting for another new brand KLP (Klothing Liberation Project)…while we’re stressed and strapped, I feel like it has been bringing out the best in us…I myself find that I am better under pressure, and Brian, well it’s teaching him to organize and discipline himself and his methods.

It seems as though this is all not enough for us, we are constantly sticking our fingers into other pots... looking for new and unique ventures to get involved with, ( we have been speaking to a charitable organization to raise awareness on “baby shaking”), we are constantly seeking reasons to throw parties (last weekend was my “10,000^th day alive” surprise beach bash, followed by a “we can’t finish all this food” BBQ), and of course new and interesting ways to get ourselves noticed, (Brian designed a Shephard Fairey inspired “911 is a joke t-shirt” to commemorate Shep’s arrest in Boston last February and was the talk of the town last Friday night). It's a good thing we both have such big hands, they just can't seem to get full enough!!! But like I say...it's better to have "man hands" than to get manhandled hahahaha!!

We both seem to hear a clock ticking somewhere and are working like devils to stay ahead of it and everyone else; every design trend, every seemingly pop phenomenon, every catch phrase, every idle thought and suggestion we sock away in our minds and notes for a possible RE-appropriation on a onsie or a tee…like I said it forces us to stay sharp and not discard any exposure that we find ourselves getting.

And there’s more…we started rounding up our troops today, babies, models, photographers, new parents; for the next step in the launching of PreK Apparel…OUR LOOKBOOK! I am heading up this project and am SUPER excited about it! The concept we have come up with is pretty freakin dope I think, and we cannot wait to execute it with all of our favorite people.

We are still working out the dates and details, so stay tuned and you will see what we have up our sleeves!!

More as we do it,

Renatta