The Queen of airbrush designs, a title many want, but only a few can even think to deserve. Urb1
thought it would be good to get an interview on a clothing line that's putting it down for the
ladies proper-like! Custom, original, creative, all words that can describe this clothing line.
Super Sexy Clothing's designer and owner, Anna gives Urb1 the scoop on everything...
( URB1 )
HEY, WHAT'S UP SUPER SEXY CLOTHING? TO WHOM AM I CONVERSATING WITH AND PLEASE GIVE THE HISTORY
OF SUPER SEXY CLOTHING ALSO!
(SUPER SEXY CLOTHING)
Hi Rod! My name is Anna Pereira, sole owner, artist and designer of the Super Sexy brand
Couture Custom Tees located in NJ. To give your a brief history on my line I'll tell you why I
started it. As you go into stores, high end specialty or more moderately priced junior's
stores, you see racks of the same garment. I was in search of something different and unique
but cute, trendy, casual and more personalized thus the line Super Sexy started to evolve - a
highly customizable airbrushed and embellished clothing line using only the finest materials
available introduced to the world in spring of 2003.
My background is an artist, I've done everything from faux finishing and wall murals via hand
painting to airbrushing since my early teens. I've painted children's clothing for Norstrom out
here in Jersey, received awards for my talents, yadda yadda.... I apply the airbrush technique
to my shirts so they have a professionally 'printed' look, but being airbrushed, the design
stretches. I was looking for something sexy, fun, glitzy and expressive. When I put a screen
printed shirt on, that was fitted, you would get puckering and after a few washes peeling and
that was something I was trying to 'fix with my line, Super Sexy. Coupled with the highest
quality embellishing like Swarovski crystals applied by hand, my customer can make their own
design as custom or basic as they want.
( URB1 )
AITE, LETS GET DOWN TO THE BEEF OFF TOP. I MEAN, EVERYONE CAN LOOK AND SEE SIMILARITIES
BETWEEN PINK COOKIES AND SUPER SEXY. WHAT'S UP WITH THE UNCANNY SIMILARITIES?
(SUPER SEXY CLOTHING)
OK, At first glance, just seeing 'airbrush shirts' and girls makin' em, you may think we
are the same...but we are completely different. When I began Super Sexy, I had no idea who
they were and in research found them. Funny, but their website used to be pink, black and
white, now they represent Super Sexy pink and blue? That's the only similarity you will see
once you go into the sites and compare. They offer freehand throwback styling - which is
cool. They didn't offer glitter enhanced text - until recently I noticed one design. They do
not offer the high end embellishment options Super Sexy offers ... and so on. A car is a
car - 4 wheels, brake, gas pedal...right? NOPE. Tell that to the owner of a Bentley! That's
what I'm sayin bout me and them. They're cool, I like their stuff, everything has it's
place - you wouldn't wear an evening gown/tux to McDonald's would you? Super Sexy is about
upscale casual, custom shirts and accessories with a professional look.
( URB1 )
I NOTICE YOU DO ALL KINDS OF CUSTOM CLOTHING FROM AIR BRUSHING INTO RHINE STONING. CAN YOU
GIVE URB1'S FEMALE VISITORS A DETAILED LIST OF WHAT YOU CAN DO AND HOW LONG IT TAKES? ALSO
WHAT KIND OF QUALITY GUARANTEES ARE YOU GIVING?
(SUPER SEXY CLOTHING)
All of my garments are guaranteed as noted on the 'terms' page of my website
www.SuperSexyClothing.com. They are hand wash or machine wash delicate, flat or hang dry; you
can even add a little bit of bleach to the whites cycle and throw in a white Super Sexy shirt.
I produce all the designs myself and make them as customizable as possible - not just 'Pink or
blue? Which do ya want?' Fashion is nothing but a revisit of styles form the past but how you
do it makes it your own - like pants will always have 2 legs, but the styles are ever
changing - ya know?
I try to stay as innovative as possible yet be casual-sexy enough that
anyone can wear my work. My focus is confident females - all ages - and letting people around
them know that they are filled with positiveness, playfulness, self-esteem, and a non-trashy
sexy appeal! 95% of my designs are completely customizable - you can choose the shirt style,
color, airbrush paint color, glitter, crystal color, layout of the rhinestones, fun shapes like
hearts or kisses to add to your Couture Custom Shirt or choose one of many designs available -
like my Bling! Bling! design with crystal carets adding up to over 100 diamond carets! - and
make it your own. Super Sexy offers cute trendy designs that you can make your own by picking
all of the options listed above, ensuring you that you won't be goin' out, lookin all cute and
see what you got on, on someone else.
Super Sexy shirts take time - as one may go through many
stages- it all depends on how much work is involved. Honestly, a shirt can take from 15
minutes start to finish for a 'Plain Jane' initial shirt to something totally blinged out
taking hours. The airbrushed part is the quickest step though. Meticulous hand embellishment
takes the longest; all of the rhinestone work is done with an industrial adhesive - no iron
ons, no tiffany settings (those prongs around the rhinestones - I HATE them!!! They take away
from the beauty of the crystal rhinestones as well as cause 'pulls' in garments that brush
against them). A single shirt can take hours and hundreds of crystals.
( URB1 )
AND OF COURSE, ME BEING THE EQUAL RIGHTS GUY I AM, I MUST ASK. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO START
DOING THINGS FOR GUYS? *HAHA* NAH, I'M JUST PLAYING... BUT WHAT'S GOOD WITH THE PUBLICITY?
WHERE ALL HAVE PEOPLE POSSIBLY SEEN YOUR WORK IN THE MEDIA?
(SUPER SEXY CLOTHING)
As, for Guys stuff - well, I don't know too many men that would wear 'Super Sexy' *chuckle* the
clothing label, so I'll have to come up with something a little more masculine! As for media,
I am featured in 'Us Weekly' in their shop-a-thon section about every 2-3 weeks. Currently, I
capitalize myself, and don't work with publicists. I rather spend my $$ on advertising rather
than try to get a shirt on celebrities, spending thousands of dollars in the process without
knowing if they will give you props or not. Of course, I'd love to have celebrity
endorsements, but, the bottom line is about making sales, making individual people happy and
filling the gap for my customers who seek my items at reasonable prices for the value of my
work.
( URB1 )
I KNOW YOU'VE DEALT WITH SOME MEMORABLE IDEAS IN YOUR TIME AS YOUR CLOTHING IS ALL ABOUT
EXPRESSION. WHAT'S SOME OF THE MOST MEMORABLE MESSAGES SOMEONE HAS ASKED FOR ON CLOTHING?
(SUPER SEXY CLOTHING)
'Silicone' was a funny one; 'Turn up the Valium' - I don't advocate drugs, but I can relate!
'You'll do for now'...and some common designs that people have seen but want a more flashy
version of - 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.' Some real good ones have come through
here - some I'd choose not to mention - but as I said custom means custom. I never will do
anything that promotes violence or recreational/street drugs, completely vulgar, promotes any
race religion or creed as #1, or bashes any race, religion or creed. There are enough 'trash
tees' out there - and those are not the kinds of messages Super Sexy conveys.
( URB1 )
IN READING YOUR SITE, I SEE YOU SAY AIRBRUSHING HAS AN ADVANTAGE OVER SCREEN PRINTING. BEING
AN ART MAJOR I ALREADY KNOW SOME THE MINOR DIFFERENCES, BUT WHAT'S SO DIFFERENT ABOUT IT THAT
MADE YOU WANT TO GIVE NOTICE ABOUT IT?
(SUPER SEXY CLOTHING)
I touched on it earlier, but the difference is: Women have curves and garments can conform to
these curves - but inexpensive methods of screen printing cannot conform to her curves without
'puckering' and/or wear well. In essence you cannot create a CUSTOM screen printed line with
out major, major expense - and still you will have limitations. Airbrushing goes right into
the fabric and becomes part of it; when your shirt conforms to you, so does your design. Cheap
screen printing puckers and cracks and peels after washing; Super Sexy airbrushed garments are
soft, and the color stays vibrant wash after wash. Airbrushed shirts make a great canvas to
design on ...period. You can achieve looks with airbrushing that you can't with inexpensive
screen printing. Also, each shirt is completely unique yet, with the Super Sexy method, you
get exactly what you ordered since our text is not freehand written. Industrial screen
printing is a whole other thing - which again, would cost you around $200 just to get one
letter on one shirt because of the process and not what I'm referring to when it comes to the
'custom game.'
( URB1 )
IS THERE ANY PRODUCTS YOU HAVEN'T CUSTOMIZED THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO?
(SUPER SEXY CLOTHING)
I haven't worked on bags yet. I would love to get into hand bags. I do embellish bags for
Luxeorama custom photo handbags, but I don't airbrush them. I've hand painted and airbrushed
denim, rhinestone embellished you - name - it, even rhinestoned my car.
( URB1 )
WHAT DESIGN IDEAS DO YOU HAVE COMING UP? DO YOU PLAN ON EVER GETTING INTO A FULL FLEDGED
CLOTHING LINE THAT IS PRODUCED IN THE MASSES?
(SUPER SEXY CLOTHING)
I have been working on that recently - What fabulous female wouldn't slip on a pair of 'Super
Sexy' jeans?
( URB1 )
A LOT OF PEOPLE READING THIS MIGHT BE LIKE SUPER SEXY KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT HIPHOP. BEING THIS
IS A HIPHOP FASHION SITE, I WOULD LIKE TO GET INSIGHT ON WHAT HIPHOP ARTISTS HAVE INSPIRED SOME
OF YOUR DESIGNS. WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE EMCEE TO TOUCH THE MIC? WHO DO YOU LIKE TO LISTEN TO
WHEN COMPLETING DESIGNS?
(SUPER SEXY CLOTHING)
Let me tell you, I may come across as 'Jane Suburb', that's cool. But, I have been into hiphop
since they used to be played on stations you had to bend your antenna on your 'boom box' to
catch. Back in the day when on some random radio station during a one hour show it'd be
nothin' but HipHpop!
Back around ... 82? I didn't know who I was listening too I was so
young - Grandmaster Flash, UTFO, Sugarhill Gang, Melly Mel, Curtis Blow, .... Then came
Run-DMC, LL, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, BDP, EPMD, Public Enemy, Erid B and Rakim, Rob Base,
Roxanne Shante, Ice-T, who could forget Sir Mix-a-Lot?, 3rd Bass, Salt & Peppa, De La Soul,
Mc Lyte, Q-Tip, Biz, Queen Latifa, NBN - Naughty By Nature (Take it to ya face), Nas, Redman,
Gravediggaz, Black Moon, Wu-Tang and Meth steppin it up to Biggie, Big Pun, Mase, Camron, Fat
Joe, P Diddy, Jay-Z, Luda, Outkast, Nelly, Fabulos, Ja, to 50 Cent and other present day
artists.
Currently the CD in my 'miracle whip' is Kanye West - I love 'Jesus Walks'. I'm very
spiritual and when I heard that - I ran out and got his CD. That's a pretty accurate timeline
from what I can remember.
I like all kinds of music from HipHop to Sarah Brightman, Ella
Fitzgerald and Sinatra (clasical and jazz) to Maroon 5 and Switchfoot (rock). As an artist, an
appreciation for a scope of things music/environments/hobbies/men (lol) broadens your
influences - mixing little bits of each to make something totally new will be the result. So,
as far as influencing my designs - I don't know who or what my influence comes from! As for
what do I listen to when I work, I usually work in silence - I don't know why. But if I have
the stereo on, just a top 40 station like z100 here in NJ, so I hear a little bit of everything.
( URB1 )
BROWSING YOUR SITE, I SEE A LOT OF YOUR DESIGNS ARE LEVELS ABOVE THE COMPETITION. WORKS SUCH
AS THE "FANTASY FLOWER" ARE HOT TO DEF! WHAT ITEM IS BEING FELT THE MOST YOU WOULD SAY RIGHT
NOW?
(SUPER SEXY CLOTHING)
Thanks Rod! The Couture Custom and Couture Custom Blinged Out Shirt styles fo' sho'! Coming
in next would be Bling! Bling! Ladies who want something totally unique LOVE the Couture Custom
Shirts. I can honestly say - they are truly unique and you simply cannot find this caliber of
custom shirt with as many options as Super Sexy offers anywhere!
( URB1 )
WELL, THAT'S ALL THE SPACE WE HAVE FOR THE URB1 I-VIEW. ANY REMAINING COMMENTS YOU WANTED TO
GET OFF YOUR CHEST? ANY SHOUT OUTS? DON'T FORGET TO SHOUT OUT YOUR TOP CUSTOMERS... YOU KNOW
THEY BE BUYING YOUR STUFF SO THEY CAN STROLL HOLLYWOOD LOOKING FAMOUS. WHY NOT MAKE THEM
FAMOUS TO URB1?
(SUPER SEXY CLOTHING)
The one comment I'd like to make is since Super Sexy is a 'Couture Custom' clothing line,
indicating 'a cut above', I adhere to a 'classy business practice. I just want people to
know I would never, ever capitalize off of one of my customers ideas or designs without
permission and compensation. So THEY know their custom shirt is truly owned by them.
Actually, to this day I still have never taken an idea from any of my customers or from
competition - I can't tell you how many times I've seen my ideas and concepts stolen - but
that's the biz!
Shout outs go to: Ronnie my art teacher from SPFHS - without her influence I would never have
gotten here. Laura my best friend and advisor in Florida. Jeanne, my best friend and
customer in NJ. Coco a totally Super Sexy chick from NY. Patzi in NY - just opened a 'Brazil
Bronze' airbrush tanning salon in Great Neck - huge fan of Super Sexy. And to all of my Super
Sexy customers around the Globe! Every customer is a top customer, every one is special to
me - or I wouldn't be making such special custom shirts. And last, but certainly not least, I
thank God and my angels for watching over me every day and blessing me with opportunities and
talents that I am grateful to receive..
|