It’s Deeper Than The Threads: How Kendall Scoops Wove Together A Brand
Some people just throw some designs on clothes and call themselves a brand. but there is an art to being a student of the game. it takes a refined eye and assured sense of self to dive deeper in the levels of mastery; especially when it comes to streetwear and fashion culture. Kendall scoops, owner of @threescooops clothing is a great example of what it means to stand apart; to choose a lane and really dive under the surface. So we had to tap in and get the “real scoop” on @threescooops!
I'm chilling here with the homie Kendall with @ThreeScooops, we've done a couple events together; I appreciate you for coming to the Wi-Fi event that we had in Norfolk. I appreciate you popping out on us man. We really want to find out who you are as a creator and as an individual, plus the story of three scoops and how that really came to be. So lets run it from the top start us from the beginning.
Most people don't know that I'm actually from Atlanta. Family was military so we moved around a whole bunch probably like 10 different states by the age of 18. But the 7-5 was the longest out of all those times. So I’d always move out; two, three years and then we come back. So like a lot of my style and the brand originated from the dirty south type thing. So when I moved back I first got situated in Virginia and everybody up here was like “yo this kid is mad country”, can't understand nothing he's saying he dressed like he from the SOUTH SOUTH.
So like did you go to high school here or did you go to go to school in ATL?
Here was like the third to fourth, came back in the fifth, was here for six, left out seventh and eighth and ninth and then came back in the tenth grade. Landstown high for 10th through 12th. Freshman year I went to school out in Florida like Central Florida. That's when I was like super country straight living in the south. That entire style and everything was like mad different. Like Reeboks. Then I came back up here and everybody was wearing fresh white air forces and things like that so I had to get like acclimated back to the style up here.
At Landstown were you doing sports or were you into the art scene or what were you kind of thinking around that time?
Sports. Strictly sports. Like I mean I would listen to music and stuff but soccer was it. Different because in Florida we had mad black people on the team. I didn't really realize at the time but everybody on the team was like Jamaican or from Trinidad. So different cultures. I wasn’t used to that; I kind of felt out of the loop. Because you know I’m just from Georgia and I hadn’t been around that many different nationalities and stuff like that.
So after Landstown where are we at?
So soccer actually led me into college. I went to High Point University down in North Carolina. Played there; that was D1. High Point is like a super prep school but that kind of helped me out because I was an entrepreneurship major back in 08 when not that many people talked about entrepreneurship. I always knew I wanted to do my own thing. Saw they had that as a major and I was like I'm gonna take full advantage of it. So from there it was like senior year entrepreneurship class. You know your final class project where you have to start a business and do a business plan. That's when I started @threescooops. Came up with everything on the spot right there. So it was running for probably four, five months then I had to present it. Think I got a B on that project. See lot of that stuff I was just taking shortcuts back then. Like I was good at school but at the same time I was balling.
That’s just like a serendipitous story to be just like okay this is a class project. But you know fashion had to be in there somewhere like…
So I really really got into fashion like end of tenth grade year. Before that it was feeling super baggy; like middle of 06. Still on coogies, pre-ed Hardy, pre Black Label era and all that. Then you know it got more into like the Stussy and the skate era because that's when I bought my first pair of skinnies. It was like yeah…..”the fit on these jeans”. Shoe display is what got me with the skinnies though, it wasn’t even really the fit but more when I looked down and saw my sneakers I was like yo this is different. From there I probably went into a skate phase a little bit. Like a little bit of stuff but I didn’t rock that too too much. I more so went straight to Ralph. It was all fitted Ralph like I used to go to the tailor, get stitched and everything. Exact fit. From there I just kind of like stayed prep. So when I went to High Point and a lot of people there are preppy so that's when I started rocking the Clarks, Patagonia and stuff like that. And it kind of just kept going. Like the hunter jackets, etc. I got introduced into that style of fashion before anybody was wearing it or heard it here.
So I understand how the senior project started @threescooops. How does that morph into something where you're past the class? Were you on campus pumping? Was Instagram even out; like what's going on in life?
At the time it was more like “I got this, I'm gonna put it on Facebook, put it on Twitter, put it on Instagram”. My homie built me a website. Like my first batch of shirts was just some screen-prints with a logo. Took those down to the student center and I was selling them out of there. So other than balling that was the most fun I had in school for real. Some changes happened because for me like, I'm not nice with graphic design right. It's not my lane. I'm more so the one to put the garments together, tell you what textiles and fabrics make a nice piece and all. So those things started the transition. This is maybe jumping forward to like 2019 almost. That’s when I started doing the manufacturing. So back then it was cool purchasing blanks and putting my designs on them, but I was never fully getting my idea across. So it was frustrating for me in the beginning because it was like, “I know what I want to do, I see the aesthetic, I see the brands that I want to compete with; but I don't know how to make those products.’ And at that time I was probably leading with fear right…like I'm not gonna find nobody that's gonna give me less than 500 piece minimums or feeling like can I trust people overseas and stuff like that. Just taking the leap of faith was more so like… nah I can't do that. Until I finally got to that point where I was like “I'm willing to lose something to get what I want”. For real. Other than that it was just consistency; saying this is what I'm gonna do and showing up.
So you started on campus, and then what happened when you came back to VA?
So like Pharrell, Push….a lot of style originates from here. In NC it was like they don't have a beach aesthetic, and you know I'm used to being by the ocean. I was by the water for eight years of my life then suddenly I'm living inland. It's just not for me. Also I knew it would be easier for me to have a team down here. I know the places to go, I know the creatives out here. I know a lot of people like yourself who are always doing things to promote and just make it to the next level. So working in NC was like…. I knew the college scene but at the same time we had already graduated, everybody is getting jobs, etc. So I was like let me go back to where I know where I can get the most help. And then the style at the same time; like we're progressive in our style but we don't get looked at all the time. We kind of get looked over a little bit if you think about it.
So your journey as a designer, the creative vision. What was that process and journey like? What did you have to go through or what were some key lessons you had to learn?
At that time, I was just doing everything off the cuff. Like whatever idea came to me I was just doing it. So I had to go back and do actual research. Not just like doing things in the spur of the moment. I don’t regret it because it got me active; I was constantly moving trying to do things but I would have sat back and listened to some podcasts, watched some more YouTube, read some books and probably would have made better decisions and got to where I wanted to be a little bit faster. And would have saved money. I took a job at a soccer shop when I first got out of college and it was a great match. I was fresh out of college playing soccer so I was already in the community that way. But we had a print shop and did a lot of embroidery so I got to work with different fabrics. Became general manager then I started handling the accounts and all the business. Started seeing how purchasing goes and all that. Stayed there for like three years. That taught me all about embroidery, file types, screen printing, turn around, etc. Really helped me personally because when I was ready to do my own business I knew I could set it up as if I already ran a small business.
Here's an opinion question, do you think there is a difference between the clothing lines and ones who are focused on the “street wear” style of graphic images versus someone such as yourself where cut and sew comes into play?
I think it all depends on who you're marketing to for real. Like right now if you're in the graphic tee space that's a win. Thats something everybody wants you know. The vintage tees, larger prints, all-over prints and things like that. So if you have somebody that can consistently pump out good quality; different designs, always putting out new product; surprising them and then you can also be on trends too……like if you can come out with a shirt every week, every other week, and as long as you can get your shipping straight, you know your customer base is gonna buy from you consistently. Whereas a cut and sew is gonna have longer lead times and more margin of errors because now you're creating something from scratch rather than purchasing blanks that are going to come in correctly 99 percent of the time. So it's going to increase how much you pay for that individual item. And then you could price yourself out of a lot of markets. A lot of people like the 20 to 40 dollar t-shirt. It's a different struggle for the different methodologies so it just depends on who you are and what you want to do. I mean the money feels good; as long as you make the transactions. That's the best feeling but at the same time like it's very fulfilling to be like damn I had this idea and it's actually people adopting the idea, buying into it. It's like community building, it’s crazy…..it's very powerful.
What is your creative process? How do you usually come up with a garment or collection? How does your mind go through the hemisphere and work that together?
Believe it or not a lot of stuff just pops up depending on what I'm doing. All the activities that are outside of clothing. So if I'm working out, going for a run. Or I'll do yoga a couple times a week. Even right before I go to sleep while I'm reading; ideas just hit me. Like let me at least write these down or write what's popping in my head so when I'm ready I can sit down and organize it all. A lot of them…well most of it comes that way. The other part I'd say comes off inspiration I can see. Something if I go out. Like if I go out in New York and it’s beginning of February, I see all these different textiles for wool. Like just seeing the textiles and the patterns bring instant ideas I can take to do that and do this, etc. I wish I was one of those people that was like, “I'm a graphic artist I can sit down and I can just draw out boom boom boom–’
What about the local scene? 757 Tidewater?
I would say here is so much creativity but we don't even realize because we're surrounded by it 24/7. Everybody's doing something. I got a chance to go to Agenda in Vegas to see brands from around the nation, even some international brands and vendors. Seeing the competition and everybody there I'm like….. “yo I know somebody back home that's doing this better”. All somebody needs is to see these opportunities and they can take that same avenue and now they're in the same position getting these same type orders. I think we just have so much talent here and we're so used to seeing it that a lot of the time we don't all the way value the consistency and quality that's here.
Last one, endless money and endless workers hypothetically. What are you doing to put the 757 on?
Well actually right now I have a non-profit where I'm teaching high school and college students how to learn how to sew for free. So like that's one I would expand on that. I would hire more sewing instructors, make sure I'm going to more youth groups and high schools, including more years like middle schools and things like that. That would help the scene run itself because now you have people learning about textiles and then you have people who are able to make their own designs. Now you have sewing instructors that can potentially do this full-time and develop a different type of community and start their own businesses and make it more thriving from there. I would love to open a storefront too. Not only would I have my side but I'd have our wholesale and manufacturing side because you know I do that part too. Plus a side to where independent brands can come in there and showcase their clothing. They would be able to enjoy their events, use the storefront, design their rack and layout plus things like that. Just give more structure to it. Gives people a sense of ownership. Then if I had it my way I would do drops in local places, sell it here first. People do the resale thing now……everybody here has a product and you can get your bread off people needing to buy it. And then of course I have to vacation in there too!
Anything else?
Gonna have hats coming out for sure, I'm working on some swim trunks right now. Long sleeves and some short sleeves. You know I want to be very festival heavy for sure, Something In The Water….if I don't have a physical location that I'm selling out of best believe I'm gonna be backpacking. I’ll have my venmo and my cash app for sure. And like I said I went to that textile trade show up in New York so fall is gonna be crazy. You can find us Instagram, Twitter, Facebook: @threescooops, the website the same thing www.threescooops.com.
