I was asked by HYPEBEAST Magazine’s staff to do a shoot with Kyle Ng for a story on his clothing brand Brain Dead. I had a full page photo featured in the “Entrepreneur” issue of the print magazine, but I also had some unused photos I liked from the shoot. Since I already had the imagery, I decided to utilize it and write an article on the graphic tee, as Brain Dead is known for their strong t-shirt designs. The piece worked to voice my opinion on the graphic t-shirt; framing it with their significance to streetwear and how the internet/social media has changed their meaning in recent years. There’s a lot of people putting out uninspiring designs but Brain Dead is not one of them. Kyle and his business partner Ed are huge fans of all things subculture and their curiosity for minutia is unmatched. Check out the story about Brain Dead and the underground traditions of the graphic tee on HYPEBEAST and read an excerpt from my interview with Kyle Ng below:
Brain Dead: Keeping The Underground Traditions of the Graphic Tee Alive
Do you try to stand out and differentiate yourself from all of the other people doing graphic tees or is it more about just designing what you’re into yourself?
We don’t try to separate or emulate any other brands. We only do what we are into. I always believe that brands are like people. They have their own personalities and style. You can be inspired by people and like what others are doing but I think it’s really important to have individuality. This brand is all about conveying ideas, not just trying to make products.
