BU x One Anthem Q & A
This Q & A comes to you from Be Unequaled via the One Anthem
BU: Where, why and when did One Anthem begin?
One Anthem: Where: Chino, Ca (Southern Cali)
When: The dream started Oct 2005 but it came to came to fruition March 28, 2006
Why: I was always into sneakers and fashion. One of my dreams was to open up a sneaker boutique but too many variables were involved to start one up plus the capital needed is insane.
BU: Who or what does One Anthem represent?
OA: One Anthem represents the people. Anyone who lives life searching or striving for 1 thing may it be freedom, spirituality, family, a life dream or just searching for your Holy Grail (Sneakers) that is what One Anthem stands for.
BU: Where did the name One Anthem come from?
OA: A group of friends and I were going to start a clothing line together, but it never came to fruition. I really liked the name and thought it was a perfect fit for what I wanted to create.
BU: What made One Anthem go from a thought/ dream to happening for real?
OA: I got tired of my day job as a graphic designer for Oakley. Plus, driving all the way out there was just terrible… I guess the positive thing that came out of it was that I met a lot of people and I was able to brainstorm a lot while sitting in traffic.
BU: One Anthem is one of a growing number of online only stores, are there any ambitions for a real world store, or have you found the world wide web a good way to reach your customers?
OA: Hmmm… online stuff has its good and bad sides but sometimes it's hard to get some of the good brands in because the online shops are getting a little too oversaturated. As far as a "real" physical store, there are a lot of ambitions for it to happen but the timing has to be right. So I guess you will just have to stay tuned. Although, I am excited to say that our showroom will be opening up very soon.
BU: What makes a brand worth stocking?
OA: As an artist and in a perfect world I look for strong concepts and good graphics but from a business standpoint I also need to bring in brands that people want and labels that have hype behind them. Also, sometimes it’s just intuition.
BU: One Anthem has a few underground/unknown brands, what makes you take the plunge to invest in an unknown?
OA: Again, it depends on strong concepts and good graphics as well as just having something fresh. Sometimes a lot of designs look the same so I try to stay away from that as much as I can but other times I bring it in cuz of the demand for it.
BU: Who is your target audience?
OA: Sneakerheads, hip-hop heads, skaters and artists.
BU: Corny question, but if you had to choose an artist to sing/write an anthem for One Anthem, who would you like to hook up with?
OA: Man this is tough… let me put it this way. I grew up listening to old school hip hop so I would have to get my favorite hip hop group of all time, "A Tribe Called Quest." BUT for the new school I would want Common doing a collaboration with Kanye West.
BU: Who would direct and star in the video?!
OA: Hype Williams and the star will be me. Lol.
BU: and finally... what makes One Anthem really stand out from the crowd?
OA: The website is designed from an artistic stand point. Also, I’m very selective in the brands we carry and who we represent. We are not gonna be a website where we will bring in any brands just to have brands in our online shop.
A huge thanks to Ritchie at One Anthem!
Find out more about One Anthem on our store page.
