Boomslank has been around for quite some time, but more recently, I’ve noticed that they’ve been around the convention game more often. You may have seen them at Anime Expo or Anime Central. Their artwork is beautiful and stands out every time I see their booth in the vendor hall. Because of that, I felt like this is an anime clothing brand that I want to share with you guys.
I contacted them and was able to interview them about their brand and artwork. Here was the interview.
INTERVIEW WITH BOOMSLANK
What is Boomslank? How did you come up with the name?
The name is actually quite abstract. We were at the time looking for an available domain name. For whatever reason that combination of letters is what we settled on. I did learn later that Boomslank meant “Tree trunk” in dutch.
What inspired the creation of the brand?
I have always wanted to start my own brand, and my brother David was working a deadend job as a cashier at Walgreens. He was also a very talented anime artist. I figured we’d do better to get into business together.
If you had to describe the kind of art style for the brand, what would it be considered as?
That would be difficult. David tends to adopt various style depending on the mangaka’s admiring at the time. He’s fairly versatile at switching up his style.
Of all of your designs, what is your favorite and why?
My favorite design is the Megalith. But I think David and Kevin (the other brother) will have a different opinion.
I’ve noticed that Boomslank has 5 mascots. Can you give a little introduction of each one?
We’re still fleshing them out. So, I’ll just say the two main ones are Shin and Yuki.
What was your very first design that you created? What inspired it?
Our very first design was a black and white tee called Airport 1. I believe David’s inspiration came from Hiyao Miyosaki.
How is it running a brand during the current time (of Covid)? What are some issues you’ve gone through as a brand?
We usually do a lot of conventions, not being able to do that this year has been a massive change in pace. We’ve decided to focus on pushing our online store. Initially, we figured we’d save money and not invest in new designs. But we decided we can’t live in fear and have to continue pushing forward. So, we’re actually in the process of creating a new t-shirt.
What would you consider as one of your greatest accomplishments as a brand?
Being able to collaborate with Crunchyroll, twice! I don’t want to brag, but I have sneaking suspicion that the idea of collabs was something we introduced to Crunchyroll. They’ve gone on to collab with multiple other brands.
What are some of your favorite anime series and characters?
I love Hunter x Hunter. It’s by far my favorite anime series. And of course Death Note it’s another great one. I love the character design of Hatake Kakshi, super minimalist character. I love how he just carries a single Kunai, and can do serious damage with just it, and his Chidori. And another character is Aizen Souske. Dude is so OP, I love it.
If you had to give any advice as a brand or an artist, what would you say?
Building your brand is an act of consistent effort. Your fans need to recognize why you’re different, especially in a crowded market. Focus on telling your story more (something we too are working on). Take care of your fans. Offer great customer service.
In addition to their interview, we have here a video that they posted on their website that gives more detail about the creators and artists of the brand. Check it out!
If you guys are interested in any of their products and want to be up-to-date with what’s going on with Boomslank, make sure to follow their social media down below.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Website: boomslank.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Boomslank
Instagram: @boomslank
Twitter: @boomslank
YouTube: youtube.com/boomslank
