Fresh Tango has been around for a couple years. Ever since I heard of their name, it stood out for me in the anime community, but I didn’t know why it took me so long to interview them. Their brand stands out, and I love their designs. After finally meeting them at Anime Expo, I thought, THIS IS THE TIME. Here is the time for the interview!
I connected with them, and before you know it, this amazing interview came out. Here gives you a bit more insight about the brand and what started them off!
What is Fresh Tango? How did you come up with the name?
FreshTango is a brand I created to promote self-expression, and to not be afraid of who you are and what you love. It’s a brand I made to share my love for anime, cars, gaming, etc., send positive messages, and help others who might be more hesitant to act a certain way or do a certain thing be more comfortable expressing themselves. Since my first release I’ve been including in a little letter for each order that captures the message of what I want to send with FreshTango, and I’ll include it below:
Everyone has a passion, a hobby, or a love. For some it might be cooking, for others it might be gaming. Unfortunately, not all hobbies are defined or looked upon in a positive or even neutral light by some. As a result, many people are unable to really express themselves or pronounce their love for something with fears that they would be labeled or thought of differently on a social standpoint.
I disagree with these thoughts; thoughts of limiting one’s self expression to accommodate to a social norm. The philosophy I have created for my brand revolves around the central fact that you should not be afraid of who you are, and should not be afraid to pronounce what you love. The designs I make are a physical embodiment of what I love and what I define as cool, and I hope that my designs evoke similar feelings to others.
The FreshTango motto was inspired by my work in computer science. When you attempt to access an element outside the bounds of an array, you get an OutOfBoundsException. While this will cause an error in a program, going out of bounds in society won’t. Be the exception. Live life out [of bounds.]
FreshTango was a name I used for all my online profile usernames at the time so I decided to go with it when creating the brand because of its familiarity. I wanted to choose a name that was rather vague so that if I were to change my overall business platform I wouldn’t need to rename myself, and the name already seemed rather appropriate for what I was doing. My last name is Tang, so the “Tango” part of the name gives it a sort of personal touch, and the “Fresh” part seemed relevant to my initial plan on selling fresh clothing and streetwear, haha. Looking back at it now my name definitely is a bit of an outlier compared to other vendors who have names that revolve around the theme of their products, but I think I love it even more because of that.
How did Fresh Tango start? What inspired the creation of the brand?
FreshTango honestly started from a rather impulsive decision, and its origins began during pretty low times in my life. I was in my second year studying for my Bachelors in computer science, and ultimately I was in a pretty unhealthy spot. I would go to class, study for hours on end, sleep at 3-4am each night, and every moment that I had of leisure I would end up spend playing League of Legends. Months of repeating this lifestyle took a toll on my health, and the stress and pressure associated with exams/projects, job interviews, parental expectations, and just comparing myself with other successful peers led me to making very foolish decisions. I wanted to find an outlet to all the stress, and do something that could help me become more productive with my time and live a healthier lifestyle.
My decision to create FreshTango was pretty much set in stone when I attended Anime Expo in 2016, and was inspired by all the clothing vendors sporting unique designs and selling out. Omocat was one of the main vendors I saw there, and I really loved her overall aesthetic and designs of varying complexity. It was probably the third day when I ran into the booth, and it looked like they had already sold out of over half their designs. Interestingly enough, iiiiclothing was the second standout vendor I saw, and back in 2016 he was a small vendor with a single booth in the exhibit hall, and he too was sold out of many of his designs and was taking preorders. I looked him up on Instagram and expected him to be some kind of super popular, niche streetwear brand that I never heard about, but he was just a regular guy with a passion to make unique clothing and had probably around 4k followers. I admired his grind/unique style and ultimately thought to myself, “If these vendors can make it this far, why can’t I?” Aside from programming video games for fun in high school I also was pretty invested in art, so my foundations were already there, and that’s when it began. My opinion on Brian and his brand has not changed since then and I’m really glad that he has since become one of the big names in the anime clothing community.
Of all your designs, which one is your favorite? Why?
Definitely my favorite design would be my Out of Bounds shirt design. It features a girl falling down with what looks like strings being tied around her arms and legs as if holding her back. It encapsulates my entire message and goal for FreshTango, and the overall digital aesthetic/color pays tribute to my computer science background. The design represents breaking free from the chains that may hold someone back, venturing into the unknown, and the ability to be yourself and accept who you are. Making the design I kind of went with an AI vibe, like an AI girl breaking free from her code or something. Just a small note to anyone reading but no this ISN’T SHELTER hahaha!
How do you go about with what anime series you want to work on? Is it dependent on what anime you’re currently watching?
My first and most important rule is to watch and be interested in the show associated with the design I’m working on. I think it’s good to appreciate and understand the context of the show at least before making a design, or it won’t seem genuine. Every design that I have made so far has stemmed from an interest in that show, or some funny idea that I came up with that I think would work. But yeah, I basically am a seasonal anime watcher, and from there I choose a show or character I like and make a design from it. I’ve also done designs from characters of video games I’m really into (Nier Automata, Persona 5, Overwatch).
What are your standpoint with lolis?
Oof, these are the REAL questions. All I gotta say is FLAT IS JUSTICE.
If you were able to collaborate with any brand or company out there (doesn’t have to be in the fashion industry), who would you love to work it?
What do you think of the current direction that this particular clothing industry is going at?
A very interesting question. I really don’t avidly follow the fashion industry myself, and just kind of do my own thing, but with regards to the anime/art clothing scene I’m pretty optimistic about where this particular niche is going and I don’t see it dying anytime soon. It’s basically a form of art but just shown on a different canvas; another form of expression that people can utilize. It’s also a relatively easy market to get into in comparison to other fashion areas that require more knowledge on fashion, materials, styling, etc. With that, I think there’s definitely room in this industry to foster growth and creativity, and just from the positive reception that I’ve seen of people in the community reacting to clothing designs from other vendors including my own, I think it’s in a good spot.
I see that you occasionally review anime on your Instagram. What anime would you give a 10/10 on? If not, what is the closest anime that would resemble that?
What are some of your favorite anime series?
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Code Geass, Clannad: After Story, Katanagatari, Made in Abyss, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, Fate/Zero, and the Monogatari series are some of my favorite anime series. I also have a pretty large bias for anything made by Kyoto Animation (Silent Voice, Hibike Euphonium, K-On).
Out of all your experiences with your customers, what do most customers buy? Does it sell better in LA or from your hometown? What area pulls more, or do they have a certain taste in certain areas?
GALLERY OF FRESH TANGO
*Click on the pictures to get directed to their website for the product
It was definitely a pleasure meeting them FINALLY, and if you guys would love to be up-to-date with their online shop and what products they plan on releasing, follow them down in their social media below and drop by their online shop too!!!
SOCIAL MEDIA
Online Shop: freshtango.us
Instagram: @freshtango
Facebook: facebook.com/freshtango
LOL: @FreshTango
