Iriedaily | Somewearelse, where colours are voices

German version of this article you'll find exclusive in the printed issue of stw2d.

Both Daniel and Walt were raised in the Allgäu. Together they went to Berlin. That was years ago. In 1994 they meet JayBo Monkey in Berlin, who came from the south of France. Together and for the last ten years they have managed to create something unique and unmistakeable- IRIEDAILY. Their collection has been available in the Netherlands and Italy since 1997. Austria and Switzerland came next in 2001, followed in 2002 by Belgium. Most recently their collections are available in Finland and Denmark. In the first 8 years Iriedaily managed to increase their revenue by 45% each year. A remarkable business story, yet in truth, it is far more than that.

How did it all start?

Walt: We started with W.A.R.D.-Production in 1990, which was founded by Achim, Role, Daniel and myself. The name came from the first letter in each of our own names. In the beginning we were mostly keeping ourselves busy with band merchandising and screen printing. JayBo joined us in 1994 and we founded IRIEDAILY. We then moved our focus to a more design, production, marketing and distribution approach. Due to that development we closed our own printing press and Achim, who up until this point was responsible for the screen printing, left. He went on to open up his own screen printing company (www.printwork-berlin.de). Role, who used to be responsible for the product development, left in 2003 to start living his dream of beaches, sun and surfing. He is currently living on Tenerife and renting out canoes. Next time you're there check out www.canoa-canaries.com, and find out what it means to live the IRIEDAILY motto: STOP WORKING-GO OUT AND RIDE.
Daniel: All the best to Role and Achim. They were an important part to the family and both went their way. Achim is doing what he is best at and Role is living his dream.

JayBo: Long live Role, Aloha. Without him IRIEDAILY wouldn't be what it is today.

What does Somewearelse, where colours are voices mean?

JayBo: "somewear" is our way of representing our outsider status, it's a pun. On the other side it means somewhere else, and furthermore, it also represents something for the people that like to wear something else.
"where colours are voices" is in reference to the origin of the "Irie-people". I don't care where they come from, what colour their skin is or what religion they belong to. The Irie-person is loud and let's you know if something doesn't sit right. At the same time the Irie-person also needs to have the tolerance to grow, as the one that is loud also needs to listen well. You should listen before you scream.

What was happening in Berlin-Kreuzberg around 1994 and what relationship do you have with 36?

Daniel: In 1994 things were happening in Berlin. The thing that impressed me the most was the Do-It-Yourself attitude, which came from the whole punk and independent scene at the time. You can do everything you want, you just have to have to guts to do so. The former east block was open and not so wild anymore, but you could still build something from scratch with little money. 36 is the name for the old district Kreuzberg, our second home, which we have been loyal to for 20 years.

Walt: 1993/94 was, for me, the time when Hip-Hop took over from Punk. Kreuzberg 36 was a little Gallic village made up of punks, punk-rock musicians, draft dodgers and skaters and many more sub-cultures. It was a place where you could live your own alternative life-style. The conflict with "normal" society and the control organs of the state were omnipresent. One has to do say though that it literally was a village, a life outside Kreuzberg did not exist and wasn't relevant at all. After the wall went down and the ever increasing influence of Hip-Hop, structures started to develop. In the former eastern part of Kreuzberg basement parties started to emerge that solely played Hip-Hop. The new underground started to emerge, this time, rather than it being angry white kids, it was angry black kids. The bands that got their T-Shirts printed from us were no longer just Punk Bands but Hip-Hop and Reggae Crews, Graffiti Artists and Streetwear companies. At this time a lot of Artists were starting up their own businesses. They organized concerts and events or opened bars and clubs. The structures that were developing were exactly the ones that used to be criticized before. The opportunity arose to do it better yet start to live like the rest.
36 stands for roots and values in which we grew up. It was very important for our development and our way of life even though we now live in 10999 Berlin.

JayBo: Since 1990 Hip-Hop has been merged into this city. For two years I played in the band Reality Brothers and we gigged the club scene in Kreuzberg. We organized concerts, free style sessions, mini-festivals where you'd play with bands like cps, in which Walt and Bindo played. Property in the old Berlin Wall area was cheap and perfect for these kinds of events. Hip-Hop then was free off the commercial pressures it has now and we were proud to part of that underground. Hip-Hop gave us everything we needed, a global entertainment unit which combined the four elements of graffiti, dj-ing, break dancing and rapping, so, everything you needed on a T-Shirt. That's how I got in touch with W.A.R.D. who had a real good network for the bands in the area. The chemistry between W.A.R.D. and myself worked instantly and has been so ever since. The whole district was very young, where all kinds of ethnic and interest groups worked and respected each other. The cultures merged which made it a metropolis. Everybody involved wasn't really from Berlin as well, but from the west of Germany, England, France, wherever.

What gave you the biggest impression and what influenced you?

JayBo: Hip-Hop definitely at first and the Do-It-Yourself punk attitude, with a little bit of Reggae. In 1994, I thought I could anything I wanted, no matter what it is, it's still that way today.
I watched Stüssy, Yagga, talked to Jamalsky and Massive Attack or Poor Righteous Teachers. All that really pushed us towards the Independent. Since then I have stuck to the old saying, that there is an alternative to the Babylon system, so fuck the greed and stay real.

JayBo, what are you doing when you are not designing artworks and colour ways for IRIEDAILY?

JayBo: I am the co-founder and Creative Director for style and the family values, which was also founded in 1994, the magic year. Before that I played in the band Reality Brothers and Mellowbag, did some theatre with Jean Vedier, Charla Drops and Unart. I also opened up a bar called "ZOULOU" and since the 11th of September 2000 I've had the chance to work in Art.

Tell me what the deal is with IRIEACT?

Walt: Due to the lack of money in the Streetwear industry we had to come up with an alternative marketing plan. Thanks to the good connections we have to the "street", for example Musicians, Actors and Athletes, we are able to promote our brand through product placement rather than doing the classical advertisement. This way, we can all learn how to respect and learn from another as well as support each other better. So we sponsor musicians, athletes and actors.
The fact that we are fans or friends of the artists stays in the forefront. There is usually a direct connection between us. A certain skate style or a certain type of music sometimes just perfectly represents what we are all about. In this context IRIEACT came about, where actors that we respected approached us to do PR work. We sponsor them and they sponsor us.

What are the different lines, LMTD, CALI, JUGGA and IRIEGINALS all about?

Daniel: You could write whole books about the different lines! For me, they are about the different faces of a project, which come out of the fact that we don't have a typical hierarchical structure at IRIEDAILY which also means that we have to respect different styles. If you push everything into one style it will no longer be clear.
Walt: We try to meet the different demands with the different lines, to be innovative and fashionable and at the same time trying to create our own identity. To develop styles, to produce them well with attention to detail and good quality, and still have god price points.

LMTD-Green-INSPIRATION-Hope
This collection is being mainly created under the theme of fashionable and design orientated aspects. The timing in which a brand delivers certain styles show their cutting-edge, it's about being a trend setter rather than a follower.

CALI-Red-Revolution-Blood & Love
The CORE idea is very important here as well. IRIEDAILY is from Kreuzberg, we've been designing and developing our collections in this area for 10 years. The visuals are strongly influenced by the punk-rock scene, skate-, BMX and punk scene and our own early days in the early 90's.

JUGGA-Yellow-IDENTITY-Sun
IRIEDAILY has its own identity. It's not some fashion product that changes with trends and views it's customers as exploitable media by-products. An army of pacifistic-reggae listening folk is not a contradiction as such; it's part of our reality.

IRIEGINALS-Red-Yellow-Green and all shades in between-EQUALITY
It's the combination of all these facts that makes us always want to be IRIE, to develop an originality which doesn't restrict but binds. Get the spirit not the fame.

JayBo: Green stands for hope and the new. LMTD is the new and experimental part. RED is for love and passion, for Globalsidewalkentertainment. Everything that is fun to do on a sidewalk, street skating, football, graffiti, hackysack or Frisbee. Yellow is for sun, and Jugga is for Jugganaute, our army of peace. Tolerance and urban guerrilla. For the lack of sun. Don't be a fool, money is the reason of all evil. In peace we trust.

Red-Yellow-Green and all shades in between, when you mix all the colours of the rainbow you get white.

Most of your products are manufactured in Europe, predominantly Portugal, and you do not use sub-contractors. Why is that so important for you?

Daniel: We try and stop our suppliers from using sub-contractors as we would not know under what conditions our products would be produced. A company our size isn't also always able to control all of our suppliers. Hence, the long collaboration with our suppliers in Portugal, as we know what's going on there. Obviously, there are parts in the collection such as hats and accessories which cannot be produced in Portugal and that come through the normal channels via Asia where we just have to trust our suppliers.

JayBo: We have the Portuguese's word on that issue, they've been part of us from the beginning and we trust. They are part of the family.

Fairtrade-what are your thoughts on that?

Daniel: We cannot support it 100% with our means, but one should always, as a consumer as well, think about where the product is produced before buying it.
Walt: There is no Fairtrade, it is an illusion to think that as a small brand you can control all the little production paths. What it does do is elevate the consciousness of the consumer about the brands integrity.

JayBo: Treat others the way you them to treat you.

How does that affect your price points?

Daniel: You can only sell your brand in the long run, if the consumer can identify and trust your brand and if the relationship between the prices and product are correct.
Walt: The cost is always going to be the crucial element. If your products are too expensive then that's not going to help anyone. You learn to deal with it. Sometimes you surrender certain designs or details. The retail price is always part of the basic elements; it is part of the whole production and design process.

Words of Honour, trust, and a handshake are important to you. How does that work?
Daniel: It's not totally possible without contracts, a pre-order, for example, is one type of contract. We try and minimize our legal work as much as possible. As long as both side are fair it will work out. This approach does pertain that any work will be on a long term basis.

JayBo: It only works when both sides use good common sense, trust each other and keep to those words of honour. Lawyers are "the kings of Babylon" and I detest people that make their money from lying.

Have you been disappointed as a result of this?

Daniel: Sure, it doesn't always work, but luckily the disappointments have been few and far between.

JayBo: Of course, but without making mistakes you'll never learn.

Walt, you yourself are a sales representative in the East. How do you see that development?

Walt: The retail structure in the East is a lot younger. A lot of our customers opened their own shops in the beginning of the streetwear, skate,-and Hip-Hop era. They practically grew up in that era, and thus have very close relationships to their customers. They have become very loyal to the brands that they have grown up with and even forgive you if you have a weak season.
We have been in those shops pretty much since they have opened and have, with their help, slowly build a strong market presence for ourselves. We're profiting from that approach now, so even during a recession we are still making profits.

Looking back on the last 10 years, when would you say "I've made it!"?

JayBo: Not now, the journey is the goal, not the finish line.

Walt: I am still waiting for that moment. It's more like walking up some stairs, seeing a door, walking through it and seeing another set of stairs and seeing another door.
Daniel: The first time I closed the door in our office, the last trade show…I hope that feeling will come a few more times.

Have you ever wanted to chuck it all in?

Walt: Yeah! However, IRIEDAILY gives me the opportunity to do it differently. I have to do it, and one thing I have noticed is that the longer I do this the less time I want to spend on other things.

Daniel: It's like Ying and Yang. As often as you get a kick out of it as often you want to throw it all away.

What's it like to be friends and to be working together for so long?

JayBo: I love my work and I love my friends, I hope they love me.

Walt: It's my childhood dream come true. If there are any problems or conflicts we solve as friends. On that basis we all can work exceptionally well. There's a sort of blind trust there and we all know what our strength's and weaknesses are.

Daniel: There are pros and cons, obviously. One of the cons is that you become increasingly sensitive to the others habit's. One of the pros is that, like in football, that you become accustomed to the other players needs.

What do you respect?

Walt: People that do their own thing.

Daniel: People that do rather than talk.

JayBo: I respect honesty and good work.

What do you consider a successful business?

Walt: To do the things that one loves and inspires. To work with people that you like and to make money to live.

Daniel: To do your own thing with the people that you like without taking the piss out of people.

What do you do to relax?

JayBo: Nothing, I am relaxed as it is.

Walt: Spend time with my kids, Raquel and Vincent. To hang out with my friends and play football.

Daniel: We are IRIEDAILY, we are relaxed!

What motivates you?

Walt: JayBo, Daniel, to get better at what I do, make better styles, and solving problems.

JayBo: My family.

What would you do different today?

JayBo: Nothing. No regrets.

Walt: We are a Do-It-Yourself company. Nobody really learned what they are doing today at IRIEAILY, but because of IRIEDAILY we all have learned loads. In that sense, I would probably do a lot of things different, have more structure…

What do you want to say to the people?

JayBo: A "megasuperhydraphatestbigenormous" thank you for your support.

Walt: GET THE SPIRIT NOT THE FAME!