FightTrends.com Interview with Ted of Tri-Coasta

I was recently able to hook up with Ted over at Tri-Coasta and pick his brain about their new line of clothing and get some more info on what Tri-Coasta is all about and where they are going. Here is what he had to say:

So what’s the story with Tri-Coasta, how did it all get started and what does it mean?

From the literal beginning, all three of us were very successful in private labeling and consulting for premium brands. In March of 2009, the three of us met to discuss launching a new brand we could call our own. A brand in which integrity, passion and originality would not be compromised.

So we first prepared the collection by offering very sophisticated designs, basically fine art oriented. The immediate response from the public was that they liked it, and that it kind of reminded them of Affliction. Now, I have nothing against Tom and the great products he’s putting out, but we didn’t want that response AT ALL. So we scrapped the entire collection and started from scratch (literally every single dot and line is drawn by hand via WACOM tablets).

So we got back at it and came up with 3 themes that no other brand really locked in. I can’t share just yet what they are, but it’s pretty easy to figure out when you look at the common themes in the new collection. A hint is to think “urban renaissance”.

Beyond that we love everything about what we do, and feel blessed that we have been welcomed with open arms into MMA. I want to give a special thanks to: Mika Casey, John Pomykala, Joe Lauzon and Noah Thomas for going out of their way to make sure we found success from day one. There are so many more people to thank, but I don’t want to make a mistake and leave someone out by accident. Either way those people know who they are, they will forever have my gratitude.

You have a ton of new shirts coming out. Tell us a bit about that.

Well, consider this version 2.5 of our series. The point of this series is to offer a full range of elements that draws individual fans to the sport. For the longest time I’ve been seeing nothing but skulls, brass knuckles and bloody fists. Now, I don’t know about everyone else, but what in the blazing hell do those things have to do with MMA or fighting spirit? In my opinion it’s a slap in the face to genuine fans who are looking for something that represents what they love about the sport.

I believe we accomplished this with the new series.

Any plans to start making more than just shirts?

We have already finished developing long-sleeves and hoodies. Still on-going are shorts, rash-guards and other accessories. I don’t have a release date on the latter, we’re pacing ourselves.

Whoever designs your shirts has some crazy talent, what is the design process like?

Other than the fact that everything is hand drawn, I can’t really say anything.

Whats the next step for Tri-Coasta?

Going premium, and expanding our Tri-Coasta Classic private label program. That’s what we’re good at, and that’s where we are headed.

Anything you want say to all the Tri-Coasta fans out there?

Of course. Our message to them would be that we appreciate their support, and thank them for allowing us to do what we love every day. We promise to repay you all by giving back to the sport, and continuously putting out even better quality and designs with every series. We <3 MMA. Thanks for meeting with us today Ted and good luck with your new line. Keep an eye open for the new Tri-Coasta website comming soon.

You can purchase Tri-Coasta t-shirts at MMAWarehouse.com.