Hey all! We at Weekly Shogakukan Edition/WSSTB seek to provide you news and interviews from all parts of the anime fandom. With that in mind, we'll ask a simple question –do you like wearing anime apparel? If the answer is no, then read no further. However, if the answer is an enthusiastic yes, then we've got an interview with Atsuko pioneers of peak anime drip. We conducted this interview with their spokesperson Jonathon Smith at San Diego Comic Con, and while we're a little sad there won't be as much Shogakukan in the future, we're still excited to put on some lit fits.
WSSTB: So to kick things off, what's it like to work on different anime and manga franchises?
Jonathon: It's a dream come true, obviously! I feel like I get to work with tons of licensees I grew up admiring and franchises that the team and I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with.
WSSTB: Awesome, so for Atsuko do the franchisees approach you? Or do you approach them with the notion of, “We wanna make merch of this?”
Jonathon: It goes both ways. We have really good relationships with most studios, so there will be times where either myself or the fans or the rest of the team will really want to do something. So in those scenarios we'll go to them and pitch an idea and say to them that “this is how we'd do justice to this thing you love” but there are times where they approach us if it's a newer property or something like that they want to promote or get representation for, which we love being on top of the new franchises and not necessarily have to compete with others in the same space.
WSSTB: Yes, that's something we've often wondered since you put out apparel of franchises that other clothing lines have. So is it a thing where it's a free for all and these properties are up for grabs? Or is it more like the highest bidder gets the spoils?
Jonathon: That, and it's also a contractual type thing. As far as what is available to us, for the most part unless there are specifically particular assets we get, every one of us (clothing lines) are working from the same bucket. So for us, it becomes this thing of wanting to differentiate ourselves. So since everyone is working from the same bucket, there is a lot of crossover as far as designs. So we try to take a bit more inspiration from what is given to us and applying that to a fashion perspective.
WSSTB: Personally, that's something we really like about Atsuko merchandise over others is that not only does it look good, but it lasts a while and feels good to wear. I've bought a lot from Atsuko myself. Aside from the design sensibilities, what do you think sets Atsuko apart?
Jonathon: Definitely the design sensibilities and focusing on the quality of merchandise we put out, such as the cut of the garments and such because we want people to feel like this is something you can wear all of the time. It shouldn't be something you only wear to a con or when you're around other people who are into the same thing. We want what we put out to be something you can wear to work, to school, on a date, etc. We want it to feel good to put these on and not just a flashy representation of what you're into.
WSSTB: Exactly. Like the Zom 100 shirt I purchased has the heroes on the front and Zombies on the back. It's a really cool design –are you going to put out anymore Zom 100 merchandise? What happens when things go out of stock? Is it a thing where if it's a popular franchise, you get more of it?
Jonathon: So with us, we typically don't repeat a lot of things. We have some properties and partners we think are pronominal, and we want to keep producing more stuff and working with them, and they mutually want to continue working with us, but for some of the smaller or newer properties we tend to test the water a bit, and see what the fans' perception is from a merchandising perspective. I keep up with a lot of the newer anime series and I know the community does too, but sometimes it can take some time for things to gain traction with fans to where they become profitable.
WSSTB: No, that makes a ton of sense, yeah.
Jonathon: Because a lot of the things that sell without needing a push are the OG established franchises like Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto and such –you know, things that no matter who puts out stuff of them it'll sell. So for us it becomes about finding unique ways to differentiate ourselves from others because there's way less to pull from inspiration-wise.
WSSTB: Okay, so as far as the artwork –what is the approvals process for this? Is it you get a design and have to work within that, or you can counter with ideas you have?
Jonathon: Well, I can't go into the approvals process too much, but I can say it is similar to what you outlined in the sense that we're given what everyone else has. We do sometimes approach them with ideas, but generally we work within the confines of what's given to us since these are Japanese companies everything has to go back to them regardless of whether we're working with the American licensing team and so, we have to be respective to that as far as what they want and their sense of fashion. We never want to tarnish any of these things, but we want to give them our unique flair.
WSSTB: That makes sense. I have to ask –will you be getting anymore Shogakukan stuff?
Jonathon: Absolutely not.
WSSTB: Aww. (laughs)
Jonathon: I'm so sorry.
WSSTB: That's fine, I get it. (laughs)
Jonathon: At the beginning of the brand we did spend a lot of time touching on the OG franchises and that did well for us and got us to where we are, but as the market grows and more and more clothing brands pop up, the OG are the ones that are easily accessible, and we want to push for the stuff the fans are talking about.
WSSTB: So then, what's a franchise you don't already have that you'd love to get to work on?
Jonathon: Sailor Moon.
WSSTB: Ooh, Good answer. So last thing –as far as getting into the apparel market, what would you say is the most challenging thing and what was the easiest.
Jonathon: Easiest? I'll start there, I don't think there's an easiest, but probably the best thing is actually being here in person and seeing people's reaction to the products. Since we're an online brand, we get comments and engagement as well as see sales numbers of course, but it's not the same as the face to face connection with fans. It's with that connection you start to make a name for yourself. The most difficult part is trying to find that name and that identity, as well as identifying what the fans want most.
WSSTB: Will there be brick and mortar stores in your future, you think? Or will you stick to being an online brand?
Jonathon: Right now we're just sticking to online, but we are adding more cons to our roster and with that more exclusive collaborations with each show, yeah so no brick and mortar right now but it's definitely something I'd personally love to be doing I love merchandising and building spaces like this.
WSSTB: Well that's all I have, thank you for taking the time out to talk to me today. I'm a little bummed about no more Shogakukan tie-ins, but I intend to keep buying Atsuko branded merch. I love your One Piece stuff especially. I don't think anyone does it better than you.
Jonathon: Wait till you see the stuff we're coming up with.
WSSTB: Can't wait! Thank you.
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