Streetwear Spotlight: Boston Knucklehead

Article written by: Asmara Wreksono
Posted on: December 7, 2009

Introducing Boston Knucklehead, an urban streetwear label started by Maciej Fita, a Boston native who wants to give the world a taste of his beloved city.  Maciej shares his passion with SoJones.com:

Introduce yourself and describe how your brand was started?
My name is Maciej (ma-chi) and I have been riding a skateboard ever since I could remember. Growing up I watched firsthand the urban street wear industry spawn into what it is today. When I was about 12 years old I attempted to start a skateboard clothing brand with my friends and I guess I sort of feel like I am picking up where I left off.

I see big cities like LA and NYC just loaded with clothing brands that represent their way of life and culture and I knew Boston needed something. We have a few a boutiques in the city doing their thing but Boston still has a great deal of room to grow on the clothing brand front. The knucklehead portion came out one day when I was driving and I was thinking about a t-shirt with “Boston Knucklehead” on it. I also got to thinking about how that one t-shirt could potentially spawn into a brand if done right. I am one of the biggest knuckleheads I know and by no way do I try to play it off like it’s a negative thing. Being a “Boston Knucklehead” is something you can be proud of, I know I am.

Describe this season and next season’s looks. Include any sources of inspiration.
We are definitely just getting started with our brand. Being a young clothing line we have many of the challenges that a young business often runs into, money, money and more money. The business ideas are flowing plenty but it is funding the ideas to make them happen can often times be a challenge. We do what we can with the resources we have available and I think we have done a pretty good job up to this point. We are all very passionate about what we are doing here and we know that it takes time grow anything so we are patient, heads up high and just pushing through this thing we call life.

We are working on some new promo videos right now and scheming new hot tee ideas along with handful of other BKH branded products that we have on the back burner right now that really tie in Boston culture and history while having strong street undertones that many people can relate to. We recently relaunched a new website that really rebranded us and allowed us to really target our target audience. Our inspiration is really the Boston way of life and adding a new type of spin on it that people will really like.

What celeb or well-known figure(s) exemplify the brand?
If I had to put our brand on someone in any industry I think you might see someone like Mark Wahlberg or a Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics rocking our gear. It could really be for anyone though. Boston based figures will probably gravitate towards a bit more than others.

Any product placements on celebs, in movies or videos to keep an eye out for?
We haven’t had any celebrities yet but we are in the process of sponsoring some skateboarders and we have some bands that are up and coming that are starting to really rock our gear so I think we are on the right path.

Any expansion plans?
Yeah we have more ideas than you can imagine. Always scouting out shop locations and really thinking outside the box to get the word out. I think we have made some good progress in the short time we have been around. Expansion plans are always in effect even if it just means dropping new products into the line.

Looking ahead over the next year or two, what themes/looks/styles do you see your brand gravitating to?
Our new clothing ideas really have strong messaging in place. We are always trying to come up with ideas that might appeal to a broad audience while really hitting the hearts of our local audience because at the end of the day our local audience is who we want to keep smiling. If we can make someone across the other side of the country who might have visited Boston like our clothing that we have succeeded tenfold.

What themes/looks/styles do you see your brand moving away from?
We really don’t want to be cornered as a townie t-shirt line. We make sure to do everything we can to not fall into that category. There are lots of t-shirt shops around here that have Boston clothing and we don’t want people to think we are just another one of those caught up in the mix. I think between our designs and photography and overall design ideas it keeps us a clear distance from that angle.

What has been a surprise fashion hit over the last year? (a particular piece, a look or even another brand)
Honestly nothing surprises me anymore. If you told me last year that right now people would be rocking cardigans again I would maybe raise a brow but now that cardigan is back in full effect so nothing really surprises me.

Here are some of the stuff from Boston Knucklehead and you can get them at their official website: www.bostonknucklehead.com for a price range of $29.00 up to $39.00.