Bad Taste Lingers in Swank Tank’s Kitschy Kitschy Cool
Talk to Sean Barger and Chris Martin about their clothing company, Swank Threds, and the words gaudy and tacky pepper their description--not as adjectives to avoid in characterizing what they do, but ones to strive for, exalt and cherish.
Consider the company name. “We like the sound of it. Suwwaankk,” says Martin, taking pains to pronounce each consonant. “The meaning fits us perfectly: overly stylish to the point of being too showy, too gaudy.”
The subject of bad taste appears in the marketing image and in the images portrayed in the artwork embroidered and screened on the boxy clothes.
Rummaging through the reject bins of American pop culture, the duo finds the ‘70s the perfect period in history to pay homage to, although they also borrow retro elements from campy films of the ‘50s and ‘60s.
That the ‘70s are fashion’s latest era to emulate is all the better, they say. In the basics-is-better ‘90s, it’s the excess and opulence of the disco years that fascinates them. Barger notes “the giant Cadillacs, the furs, the chains, the dialogue. That’s what we like about the ‘70s.”
That overindulgence in material symbols still exists, he says, “but kids are wearing beepers clipped on to their expensive sunglasses instead. But now everybody’s so serious with the Mac Daddy gangsta look--the beepers, the cellular phones.
“It’s so silly, so tacky. What we do just pokes fun at all that,” says Barger, pointing to a soft corduroy short with a front slot pocket designed for beepers.
“It’s for the businessman on the go,” he jokes.
They take the kitsch one step further with their basic shirt, which features a large ring at the zipper tab and a dollar sign embroidered on the front pocket. Available in striped cotton jersey or solid-colored fine cord, the shirt also sells--by special order--in vintage polyester.
Recalling the stiff, industrial-strength jeans they wore as kids, they offer the “Tuff Skin” denim for their five-pocket pants and shorts, as well as a medium bull denim and a softer brushed twill. The Swank logo is embroidered on the wide belt loops.
Long jackets have become an important completing piece for the 29-piece spring collection. Same-color stripes are brushed into the fabric on a cotton jacket with a corduroy collar. Another notable silhouette is the boxy, medium-weight corduroy jacket that reaches to mid-thigh and is lined with quilted fabric. Both pieces feature large pearlized disc buttons and flap pockets.
Striving for what Martin calls “sick, dull colors and combinations,” the line appears in chocolate, tan, mustard, orange, sea green, black and a range of chalky blues.
Simple silhouettes aside, the real attraction to Swank are the cartoon characters that appear on Tees, worn oversized or extra tight, and caps and beanies.
Martin, the creative mastermind behind the funkadelic graphics, counts among his influences underground adult comic illustrators of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s such as Robert Williams, who contributed to “Zap” and “Coochy Cutie.”
Before turning to fashion, Martin had designs on doing his own comic book. However, “that never quite got off the ground the way I planned,” he recalls.
He made a short-lived attempt to bring his style to surf wear three years ago when he worked in the art department at Quiksilver. “I kept recommending comic book characters to (Quiksilver), but they’d shoot it down. Now it’s the rage.”
Martin’s cast of exaggerated caricatures include a funky, African-American dancer in platforms and an Afro; a muscle-head lowrider in a muscle car spewing flames from the exhaust pipe; a John Travolta-esque gent blow-drying his hair and dreaming of a disco pose a la “Saturday Night Fever,” and a side-kicking Bruce Lee-like figure.
Action films by the karate master, old teen-sex movies about water beds in vans and television series such as “Starsky and Hutch” and “Soul Train” are key sources of inspiration for them, but none are as great as the black exploitation films of two decades ago such as “Superfly,” “Blackula” and “Shaft.”
Martin counts the soundtrack from “Shaft” among his favorite all-time records. “That whole acid jazz soundtrack music with the wa wa pedal--I love that. That and car chase music. When I was growing up everyone was listening to white rock. But I preferred Psychedelic Funk, James Brown, the Meters. That was it .”
Although friends for a little more than two years, Barger and Martin share like backgrounds. The two 24-year-olds grew up in rough neighborhoods of Santa Ana, both are sons of “wild, hippie mothers” who encouraged them to be individuals at an early age and both sought screen printing as a vocation and creative outlet.
Before Swank, Martin mostly supported himself with his art and by screening Tees for local bands. Barger worked at Studio B in Costa Mesa, a screen printer that handles work for several street and surf wear companies in Orange County. There he leaned toward the business side, serving as a sales representative among other duties.
Barger handles the business side of Swank and Martin focuses on the creative end. Both collaborate on silhouettes and ideas.
Fashion was always in the cards for Barger. “I always thought I’d be doing something with clothes someday,” he says. “I’ve always been into dressing up different. Even as a little kid I used to love putting on my grandma’s wigs and jewelry. I’ve always mostly worn thrift store stuff--I still wear it more than my label.”
Besides rare finds, Barger says thrift stores appeal to him because of the price. That’s why he concerns himself with offering an affordable line. “We could easily raise our prices, but we’re not into seeing the maximum kids will pay for something. We’ve gone out of our way to talk to stores about keeping their price points for our stuff at the minimum possible and not charging more just because they can.” Swank Threds retail for $15 to $100.
Another issue they consider vital to their overall image is store attitude. Barger says he visits a prospective account when possible to test how the sales force treats him. “There’s a lot of stores out there that think they’re cool, but are very rude to kids,” says Barger, who sports several thick silver rings from his nose and ear lobes.
Boutiques that pass the courtesy call and sell Swank Threds include Atomic Garage in Hollywood, Fred Segal in Los Angeles, Rack N Ruin in Lake Forest, Hard Times in Orange, Behind the Post Office in San Diego and Recluse in New York City.
