Our president, Hunt, had some time with a Colorado OG, Josh Schmitz. Josh started Ruckus Apparel and has been making moves all over the fashion scene since the first run in 2009. We have seen his gear at the MMA fights and on hot women and the "who's who" of Denver when we are out and about. JET Hotel is a hot spot for the Death Crew and usually boasts a line out the door to enter (real Gatsby). Hunt took a second to write an intro for the piece.....Please enjoy some Ruckus & Grime:
"I met Josh not to long ago through our passion for fashion and entertainment. We have had some very interesting talks, ideas, and interests that have come up over the duration of the relationship. Most of all, branding comes to mind....which I have met very few that come close to the platform that Josh developed for his brand. Steeped in street culture and a true student of the game, he has continued to consistently use great fabrics, crisp original designs, and a great arsenal of trend setters in his midst. This has now transcended the brand into the lifestyle. I have seen the Death Crew at events and they roll 'thick'. Ruckus Apparel is not a brand or a lifestyle...it's an Army. I'm happy to be a part of it. Bear arms, raise awareness, and keep it gully! If you don't know Death Crew then you don't know how to live life to the fullest. Allow us to introduce you...." - Hunt, President of Grimey Gatsby
Ruckus Apparel, how did you come up with the brand?
- I started making t shirts for myself, and then my friends started wanting them, then friends of friends, then friends of friends of friends, etc. So at that point I took $600.00, got a copyright, made my first batch of bulk Ts and
RUCKUS was born.
How long has Ruckus been around?
- We have been around since approx. November of 2009.
Where is Ruckus sold across the country?
- We are sold at select Urban Outfitters, I do not know which stores specifically, when they made the bulk order I'm not sure what regions they chose to sell at. Outside of them, we are only sold at independent boutiques and independently run snow and skate shops across the nation. Locally in CO you can find us at MegaFauna, Community Service, Inspyre Boutique, Stay Local, and many more coming soon.
Who / What is Death Crew?
- You see it everywhere associated with Ruckus, and I get asked this question all the time. So this is my attempt to shortly explain what DEATHCREW is as unaggressively and as simply as I can.
Life has billions of specific kinds of people, but I believe that when its truly dissected, life boils down to only a few key elements, and its outside morality, religion, race, or creed; I think it comes down to what you value at your core; simply put - time management. Time Management is THE absolute most defining characteristic that we as human beings have. TIME is the most precious commodity that we own; it’s more precious than gold, and oil, and water, or any other thing we possess. TIME. It’s the one thing that money can’t buy, and the one thing we can never get back. It’s the driving factor behind every decision we make, every emotion we feel, and any belief system we adhere to. TIME.
You see a lot of people in this world search endlessly for some complex magical formula, to understand why some people are successful, and why others are not. It’s not complex - it boils down to the concept of productivity, the concept behind DEATHCREW. The amount of productivity can be simply measured by when you apply (the most amount of effort) x (the best of your abilities) x (the allotted time that you have). Successful people realize that time is the most precious commodity out there. And just going through the motions is the most disadvantageous thing that you could do. You have to give it your all, and you have to pour your heart and soul into each and every task no matter how big it is or how small it is. And on top of all that, you need to be the best person you can be while you’re doing it. You need to make a commitment to yourself that your going to do it right. You’re going to live life, right.
You see DEATHCREW is not a gang, it’s a simple belief system based on time. It’s a belief system that says, if my time here is limited, I need to live my life in a way where not a single breath is wasted. It’s about investing your heartbeats wisely, about spending your time the right way. DEATHCREW is about not being afraid when Death is at your front door, because you have lived with no regrets, knowing you were performing this life to the best of your abilities.
I listen to people all the time talk about successful people, athletes, musicians, business men, etc – and they all talk about the same thing – oh, they’re successful because of their trust fund, or genetics, or steroids, or luck etc. They fail to realize that those successful people, those die-hards, those “crazies” those “obsessed” – those guys live within the same time constraints as everyone else – they just know the value of their limited time here, and they want to do everything in their power to not squander it.
People fail to realize that how they spend their time is more important that anything else. A lot of people trick themselves into thinking that what they do in life is beneficial, but then they get so frustrated when they don’t see the results that they want. You know you can say – “oh, I went to they gym today, and I'm better off because of it”, but the real question you have to ask yourself is – What did I actually do in the gym today? What did I really do, and how did I do it? Honestly it doesn’t matter that you were there, there is NO credit for just showing up. It’s about your effort, its about doing the activity right. And this applies to all areas of you life, school, your job, your family. Being there isn’t enough, showing up isn’t enough. It’s about taking pride and doing things right, even down to the small things like – cleaning the dishes – or cleaning the house. Because… if you can’t clean the house right – how can you expected to run a fortune 500 company right? All DEATHCREW members understand that. We are going to give it our all in every single task we do – because time is so precious.
I hope this clears up the DEATHCREW concept a little bit better. Just ask yourself – what are you going to do today? More importantly, how are you going to do it? And in the end when Death is calling your name, it’s a victory, and it was a life well spent. Because, if Death is the victory, how afraid of life can we be?
DEATHCREW is about leaving a legacy, a legacy that says I wasn’t perfect… I wasn’t even close… but at least I tried.
How has the street culture world changed in Denver over the past 10 years? - I don’t know man… Street Culture, Fashion, “rights and wrongs”, they are always changing, adapting, and evolving. No one can argue that the line between fashion and streetwear is disappearing day by day. Fashion is such an interesting phenomenon because it means something different to each individual person. Fashion and Street Culture taste-makers are both built on struggle, and empowerment. Built on the ideas of individuality, and being an innovator, not an imitator. Whether it’s a pair of Air Max Sneaks, or a 400 dollar D&G pocket square, those items co-exist in different universes, but for the same purpose- to make the wearer feel like a million bucks. I love that. I love that the simple things such as changing how you rock your shoe laces can out of nowhere give you a whole new outlook and potentially even the confidence boost to go out into the world on fire as opposed to feeling hidden. So as far as how its changed, the fads have changed and evolved for sure, but the principles at their core haven’t. But that’s fashion man – regardless of price – Fashion is about walking out your door feeling sexy regardless of when / what / where / or how much your outfit costs.
What are you favorite accomplishments of Ruckus thus far?
- I’ve been able to meet a ton of cool people through doing RUCKUS. Having some of my favorite musicians rocking and supporting RUCKUS is always awesome. But honestly man, I get stoked when I see random kids in my neighborhood wearing our stuff too. I’m just happy that people like what RUCKUS has to offer.
Tattoos, Parties, Fun Times, Quality Products, and Real People is how we would describe the Ruckus Family…..is that correct in your thoughts?
- Haha, yeah that sounds about right. The RUCKUS Fam is made up of all types of people. Honestly I don’t care if you’re a skater, rapper, pastor, gangster, graff kid, punk, hard core kid, or banker. As long as you’re not a cop or a judgmental dbag – you’re welcome into the Army.
How is the Fall line looking for 2013?
- Its our best release to date. 19+ pieces spanning men’s and women’s wear, with everything from Ts, Vs, crop tops, pea coats, henleys, and lightweight jackets. I honestly couldn’t be more stoked on how everything turned out.
Events, parties, or Fashion Shows coming up?
- Everything now is a bit more exclusive, but we have some stuff coming up for Halloween that’s going to be awesome, but I cant release details until mid-October.
Musicians, bands, and DJ's that are Death Crew?
- Too many to count. The newest additions to the Fam though are my homies in Oh, Sleeper – they are an amazing melodic hardcore band out of Texas. If you haven’t heard of them, you need to check them out ASAP!
3 words that touch on the future for Ruckus Apparel?
- Classic, Sexy, Tough.
Does the Vulture that you use in your designs have a name?
- Na, the Vulture is just a representation or a “mascot” if you will for the crew. We should probably name him soon though.
Are you GGFam?
