Meet Dan Farrell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Farrell.

Hi Dan, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a 22 years old artist, designer, vintage collector, and digital entrepreneur from Vineland, New Jersey. Before I go any further, I would like to say none of this would be possible without God, the loving support of my parents, siblings, and closest friends.

Spending my early childhood in South Jersey, there wasn’t much to do other than skate and play video games. I was homeschooled until 6th grade and I remember spending many days in my driveway building sketchy skate ramps out of plywood with my buddy Noah Smith. We would obsess over learning new tricks and watching new part releases on YouTube (many of them being filmed here in LA). It’s important to note that this was around the time when YouTube really started to take off. Vlogging and public prank videos had just been “invented.” Things took a turn when Noah and I decided we would take a step back from YouTube consumption and flip the switch on production. We made dozens of videos. Topics varied from “SPONSOR ME VIDEO” to “MW2 Backyard Edition.” There might have even been a video where we reenacted the infamous George W. Bush shoe-throwing reporter incident in Noah’s living room. Nevertheless, this was my first experience in video production and editing.

I started my first business around the same time. I want to say I was around 12 years old. I went to summer camp and one of the counselors taught me how to make a bracelet out of soda can tabs. I really enjoyed it and started making them for my friends back home. It really caught on, especially during that time as energy drinks like Monster, Rockstar, and Red Bull joined the market with colorful tab designs. It eventually got to a point where I couldn’t source enough tabs to make bracelets and I turned toward eBay and our neighborhood alcoholic for materials sourcing. I remember making a video for my YouTube channel promoting the business using “Hey There Delilah” from the Plain White T’s.

Fast forward to senior year of high school, I started a clothing brand with another one of my best friends. Kevin Fareri and I had played soccer together for years and with a similar entrepreneurial mindset, we started Loyal Skateboards. Inspired by my passion for skateboarding and both of our interests in streetwear and reselling, we created the brand to make clothes for our community. We would spend nights at each other’s houses working on designs, crashing parties, and doing local deliveries. And after school, we would trap t-shirts out of the trunks of our cars. This continued on throughout the summer and into my freshman year of college.

I went to Drexel University which is located in West Philadelphia—an interesting school with a great co-op program. Kevin and I continued to run our business but I also picked up an internship at NBC10. This is where I was really able to play around with digital storytelling and social media marketing. I also met one of the best bosses and friends I’ve ever had, Sara Smith, who helped me as I process the recent loss of my grandfather, Michael Keyser (or KEMO as we called him). By this time, with the help of my friends and my girlfriend at the time, Josie Gonzalez (who is now a stylist in the fashion industry), I had built up a pretty sizable fashion and skate-focused following on Instagram. I started to work with brands like K-Swiss and PUMA. I started making TikToks when TikTok was considered corny but I didn’t care. It was fun and it was a way to market myself and my brand.

Eventually, I got another internship opportunity, this time on the West Coast at a boutique ad agency and graphic design firm. I cut ties with home and made my way out west to Los Angeles. I was depressed. It was hard moving across the country all by myself, not to mention I was living completely alone in the middle of a heatwave. (We don’t have those in NJ.)I was staying in an AirBnb, working crazy hours, smoking a ton of weed, and spending every free moment at the Venice Beach skatepark or thrift shopping. I started reselling clothes more frequently and using the money I made to help fund my other projects. Work was terrible. It made me realize a lot about myself and what I really wanted to do in life — the most important takeaways were that you could actually make a living in a creative field and that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life working for somebody else. Feeling disconnected from home and missing my grandfather, I started playing around with the idea of a clothing brand called KEMO! I wanted the brand to evoke somewhat of a nostalgic aesthetic but also create that closeness of “home,” whatever that feeling may be to an individual. Things with work went south and I started doing anything to make a dollar. I did DoorDash, I worked as a stylist assistant, I was reselling clothes, doing freelance graphic design, and even making TikToks for Cookies N Kicks on Melrose.

However, my main passion has always been in the clothes and so I kept designing pieces and eventually released a drop — then COVID happened. Kevin and I drove my car from Los Angeles to New Jersey. I spent that summer in the house: designing clothes, thrifting, and taking art classes. I really enjoyed painting and started incorporating new elements into my projects. Kevin and I decided to put Loyal Skateboards on the back burner to work on our own individual brands. He started Alonestar and I kept working on KEMO! I dropped a few t-shirts, a tote bag, and some jewelry last summer. I continued to use TikTok and Instagram to my advantage in marketing my products.

I should also note that during the course of the pandemic, I got absolutely filthy at Call of Duty Modern Warfare. They say men don’t go to therapy and it’s because Xbox exists. I spent countless hours playing online with Tanner Kesel, the CEO and Co-Founder of QuikPlace and Founder of WhenMoody. We had met through mutual friends while in LA and kept in touch over the summer. We spoke nearly every day and as restrictions eased up, Tanner graciously invited me to move in with him. I made the trek back across the US from California to NJ, living in Tennessee for a few weeks before eventually meeting up with my mom to finish the road trip, stopping at Zion and Moab along the way. Arriving in LA, Tanner and I quickly became best friends and were able to help each other on our various business endeavors. I continued to work on KEMO! and eventually decided to start another brand called BLADE. I felt as though I couldn’t do justice to both creative spheres of my influence if I was only designing pieces for a western, Americana-styled aesthetic — when I have close ties to skateboarding and punk rock. Since February of this year, I’ve been working on BLADE and have released a number of pieces such as hats, shirts, jewelry, and sneaker accessories. KEMO! has transitioned to being more of an art-focused cut and sew brand, whereas BLADE is a ready-to-wear luxury street fashion label.

Over the past few months, I have taught myself how to sew and screen print. I’ve turned my bedroom into a studio. In the process, I have been able to continue selling my pieces online as well as in-store at Cookies N Kicks. This past weekend I was able to start selling my work at outdoor events such as the Rose Bowl Flea Market.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s never been a particularly smooth road. Yes, I have a lot of support from my friends and family. But when it comes to making clothes, there are a lot of moving pieces before you’re able to deliver a finished product, let alone market it and also be financially successful. I think one of the biggest struggles has been finding reliable manufacturers. There aren’t a lot of options back home so coming to LA was like the floodgates were opened up. However, there’s still a lot of businesses that will play around with your money, fail to communicate, etc. It’s frustrating but it’s all part of the learning process.

In regard to freelance work and anything art-focused in general, monetization is difficult. There’s a huge need for creative work within any industry but unfortunately, most people do not understand the time, energy, or expertise it requires to deliver a finished piece. I’ve had issues with people stealing work, lowballing, failing to pay invoices, etc. I think it’s something that many artists experience. Working in this industry, I feel like money is a taboo subject because as artists, we’re more focused on creating a specific mood or emotion with our work. But in order to keep creating, we need to make money and we need to manage ourselves and our work like a business. It’s something that’s not taught much in school and probably why a lot of people have this “struggling artist” concept in their minds. It’s fully possible to make a sustainable income in a creative industry, you just have to run it as a business.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an artist who specializes in multimedia printmaking and clothing design as well as influencer and social media marketing. I believe what truly sets me apart from other brands and artists is that I have my ear to the ground. I grew up interested in fashion and street culture — I used to make stencils in middle school and tag my designs everywhere. I’ve been skating for years and I’m an absolute music junkie. I pull inspiration from a lot of cool people, places, and things. In a way, I consider my brand and what I create to be a curation of what’s going on in my mind. When it comes to designing a t-shirt, I’m already thinking about styling the outfit, the photo, and the marketing that goes along with it. There’s a lot of talented artists and brands, especially in LA. However, I feel like many of the smaller brands that have been popping up recently are just a quick cash grab. What people need to realize is that me and my friends actually do this shit. We care about it. I geek out over rap, graffiti, and single-stitch tees. I don’t claim to be an expert or a veteran by any means, but I think integrity is a big part of the game. I’ll be transparent with my struggles as an artist, in creating my brand, etc. but I’m also going to let you know it’s more than life to me.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Be self-sufficient. COVID-19 taught me how to manage my time and energy better. I got rid of a lot of my vices and just focused on what really made me happy. It was a good reset for me and honestly worked in my favor because without remote study, I’d probably still be stuck in Philly, smoking weed and playing Xbox. I thought I stepped outside my comfort zone when I moved out for school but I was naïve. If you really want something, you gotta make it happen for yourself. Sure you can have the support of other people but nobody is going to hold your hand and take you to where you want to go.

Pricing:

• Shirts — $20 to $45
• Hats — $45
• Pants — $60 to $120
• Necklaces — $50
• Rhinestone Shoelaces — $25

Contact Info:

• Website: www.blade.industries
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwfzx/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dwfzx/
• Other: www.kemo.supply