I am sooooo happy that the old “East Coast West Coast beef” ended almost 20 years ago! If the petty coastal squabbling was still a factor, we may not have been able to rock out with another fly and creative Indie apparel company named……..
La Tribe (pronounced Lah-Tribe)!
Created by David Castaneda, Anthony Martinez and Michael Morales, La Tribe is truly a “family” business. These 3 brothers go back as far as elementary school and began their creative vision as a Graffiti crew, named TRK. Out of Richmond, California, these young guys attribute the art of graffiti as one of their greatest influences. Out of this movement, the idea to get into silk screening seemed to be the next logical step. Because a movement was brewing and La Tribe was on its way to becoming a brand, the need for a logo was identified. The “Tribal Face” was perfect for the vision. Though the brand is growing by leaps and bounds, the creators of the brand have vowed that they would remain the only individuals who would FULLY create items with the Tribal Face logo. Now THAT’S dedication to your products!
Because La Familia (The Family) was the goal, the word Tribe was the appropriate choice. La Tribe began creating clothing in the year of 2009 and have become a total “in-house” production. Artwork, silk screening, printing and sewing are completed by the brand creators. Without fail, every item produced is touched by each brand creator. THAT type of personal touch is what helps to instill love, dedication and pride into each item. The pride in team provides the greatest form of motivation and proves to be an umbrella, under which all La Tribe affiliates fall! All of these affiliates, family and friends are lifetime associates of Castaneda, Martinez and Morales. This helps the brand to maintain the love and dedication needed to remain successful and grow. This type of growth has landed them accounts in the cities of Fresno and Concord California.
Networking has been identified as the primary reason for growth, along with the push for family. This growth has been steady and has turned the owner’s heads toward other fashion endeavors. Futuristically, La Tribe would like to produce a shoe line but with so many upcoming seasons, and years ahead, the main focus is clothing. These upcoming seasons help to maintain a strong foundation and keep the creative processes fresh.
When questioned as to what companies would interest the La Tribe brand to work with, a great answer was given…Dirty Rotten Apple! The appreciation of the name of DRA and the recognition of the same type of work and grind were identified. The 100’s is another company that La Tribe would like to work with because of their ability to beautifully recycle ideas and remain fresh.
Musical influences of La Tribe would be…themselves! Because 2 of the creators are in the hip-hop game, the music that they create helps to motivate the creation of La Tribe items and apparel. Outside of themselves, the group Hieroglyphics came to mind.
Every great individual or entity wishes to be remembered for the great they have contributed in their chosen areas of interest. The area of interest that La Tribe would love to be remembered for is “Family” The last statement of La Tribe, if had to be made and recorded would be…”United We Fight, United We Stand!!!” This is an excellent sentiment but at this rate of growth and love, we don’t anticipate the brothers and sisters of La Tribe to be stating any last words for an extremely long period of time!
This is one of the many reasons that they are deserving of Independent Hype.
To get an up close and personal look at La Tribe styles, follow them on Instagram at La_Tribe.
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