What’s up man. Tell me about your clothing brand. What is Fabric Narcotics to you?

Hey what’s good. So the brand started out of me getting in trouble for doing graffiti (allegedly). I was doing custom artwork for people and getting paid a little bit to do it then had the thought to maybe make a tee. I thought it’d be dope to see my creations walking around being worn by people. I did a shirt with a little design of a character on it, put it on facebook and it sold out. I was bagging the shirts up in gallon size ziploc bags because i had no idea where to get the poly/dust bags that shirts are shipped in. And then I would do meet ups for the shirts, hence where i got the idea for the name, Fabric Narcotics.

I officially launched the brand just about 2 years ago in the fall of 2017. Before launching, I was taking my time to learn about screenprinting and the ins and outs of business and building the brand behind the scenes. The brand is more than just that, its somewhat of an identity. Fabric Narcotics lives and thrives in places that I’m not. I’m in Chicago and there can be someone wearing the brand in Phoenix or somewhere and a piece of me is there. I’ve never been overseas but I’ve sent orders there. That to me is beautiful and a reminder that I need to travel more haha. 

What makes your brand different from others?

Well for starters I hand print 90% of everything. Any one of one piece I do is all hand printed by myself. I can’t name another brand that does that or produces unique pieces like how I do. I wanted everyone that supports and wears it to feel unique and the one of a kind pieces speak to that. I’m also a one man team, from filling orders to designing and everything in between.  

Why do you choose Chicago to be Fabric Narcotics’ home?

Well I’m originally from Rockford (an hour and a half northwest of Chicago). I’d skip school all the time growing up and come out to Humboldt Park with my older homies just to be in the city and catching the vibe. I knew coming to the city for the opportunities was the move.  The brand’s homebase will always be Chicago but I love how its growing and branching out further and further. Global soon.

How long have you been making clothes?

For a little over 3 years. I was really taking my time to learn about inks, exposure, heat curing, etc. and that’s all aside from learning design programs which I’m still learning new stuff about every single day. I didn’t want to just jump into something without knowing the craft and hard work behind it.  It was and still is a trial and error process to this day but thats the beauty in it, you can always improve and learn. 

How did you know that this your passion?

I knew it from the first time I printed something. It came out kinda fucked up but I loved it. Then once I started getting better with it i could really experiment and fell more in love with it. Then the first time I saw someone wearing the brand, that put it overboard for me and I knew this is what I wanted to pursue and dedicate my life to. 

I’m gonna switch this up a little. How do you pick your models?

Gooooood question. It’s usually someone that I’ve met in person and it’ll come up organically or through the DMs. I don’t have really a criteria for anyone to model the brand. It’s usually just other artists that I fuck with or am a fan of. 

Name some brands and creatives that inspire you.

BAPE for sure. They’re at the top in my eyes. I used to rock the fake Bape when I was in high school because I couldn’t afford a $400 hoody haha. I got the ape face tatted on my arm because of it. Kaws is another big one. He was doing some covert ops shit when he would take advertising sheets from bus stops and paint them at home and then put them back. Fucking genius. Virgil of course. And all my creative homies. I like seeing my friends striving and prospering. That shit pushes me.

Plug yourself (social media and where people can find your clothes).

So I don’t use twitter because that shit is toxic haha. The brand’s IG is @fabricnarcotics and my personal one is @ihatedru. The brand’s site is www.fabricnarcotics.us . If you’re in Chicago stop by TWENTYFORTYEIGHT to shop some pieces in store.

Any last words?

Shout out to Nefarious Supply, your team is killing it. 

Don’t take any shortcuts in this. Or let yourself be sucked into the social media rat race. 

Drink a gallon of water a day and smile. 

Big shout to Dru for coming on and interviewing with Nefarious Supply, you can find Dru on his Instagram here, and if you are looking for cop some clothing from Fabric Narcotics you can find the website here and follow the brand’s Instagram here.

If you enjoyed this interview be sure to leave a comment and share it with a friend and let us know what your favorite underground clothing lines are. If you know any creatives that you feel deserve a spot on Nefarious Supply feel free to send them our way and to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and like us on Facebook.