Rebel8

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  REBEL8 The Venom Wallet
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  REBEL8 The Stuck Up Tee
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  REBEL8 The Rest In Piss Tee
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  REBEL8 The 1980 Hat
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  REBEL8 The House Painters Tee
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  REBEL8 The Reapo Man Tee
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  REBEL8 The Reapo Man Tee
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  REBEL8 The Medicine For Melancholy Tee
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  REBEL8 The Broken Down Tee
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  REBEL8 The Bombed Snap Back Hat

Mike Giant – the artist behind Rebel8’s success.

An obsessive attention to detail and drawings of cute girls covered in tattoos, skulls and victorian lace are signature marks of Mike Giant’s artwork. Giant, along with friend Joshy D., are the masterminds of Rebel8 – a San Francisco streetwear label with deep roots in skateboard, graffiti and tattoo cultures.

Joshy D. and Mike Giant became friends in the late 1990’s. Both were part of the San Francisco’s graffiti scene. Josh ran the revolutionary HiFiArt website, which was the first and only online gallery site devoted entirely to San Francisco graffiti art. Mike Giant was one of the best and well-known graffiti artists around the city. Years later, in 2003, they teamed up and launched Rebel8 streetwear label. Joshy sold the first tees decorated with Mike Giant’s artwork out of a messenger bag around San Francisco. He writes some inspirational words about the beginnings of the brand on his Twitter page.  “I started Rebel8 in 2003 with $500. I’m serious. No investors ever – not a rich kid. You can do anything you put your mind to! Never defeat yourself!”

Today, Rebel8 has achieved world fame. The brand’s streetwear collections for men and women are sold and appreciated in United States, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and United Kingdom.

Both men run different aspects of the company. Joshy D. runs the business. His prior experience in clothing industry (Joshy owned Teamwolf clothing company from 2000 to 2002) helps him make smart marketing decisions. And the results are obvious for everyone – the company is booming with success. Mike Giant is the artful mind behind Rebel8. His unique designing style made the label recognizable worldwide. Although, the company is organically growing in many creative directions, it is still loyal to the communities from which it originated and struggles to remain true to its roots.

Travis Barker wearing a Rebel8 tee.

Rebel8 garments are unique in the world of streetwear, because every graphic design is hand-illustrated by Mike Giant. Other clothing brands are altering the original artwork by transforming it into vector format before printing it on the final product. Rebel8 graphics are accurate reproductions of Mike’s original art – no part of the ink design is altered in the production process.  Mike Giant’s creations are influenced by his passion for heavy metal, hip-hop, skateboarding and BMX bikes. Mike studied at the University of New Mexico where he majored in architecture. Then, he instantly became famous in San Francisco for his graffiti and precise tattoos. Giant’s designs are exhibited throughout the world with shows in New York, Paris, Tokyo, Barcelona, London and Melbourne.

The most recent event by Rebel8 was “There Goes the Neighborhood”. On 20th June 2009 Rebel8 teamed up with The Fast Life to launch a limited clothing edition. Travis Barker was there and Mike Giant showcased his art. Celebrities like Ashley Simpson, Big Boy from 105.9 and one of the guys from Fall Out Boy were also there.

You can get right now the hot stuff from Rebel8 online at Karmaloop, The Giant Peach, MooseShirts and 80’s Purple.