Where does your interest in art and graphic design come from? Harrison: I grew up with a very artistic family, so I’ve always had art in my life somehow... I really got into graffiti, not necessarily tagging, but just all the type styles and letter forms, when I was like 14, so from then on my art interests have been very graphic design related.
What do you do to keep up with the latest trends?
Harrison: RSS feeds... Ha... I’m on the internet a lot, so check out the fashion forums and streetwear blogs as well as a bunch of design sites. I have a lot of friends who are into the same stuff and we are always talking about the things we are psyched on. My girlfriend is also really into fashion, so she keeps me up on a whole different level.
In what ways can you use that for MacNeil? Harrison: Knowing what is hot and what is played out. When I design the clothing, especially now that we are doing full cut and sew, it takes a long time for the clothing to come out. I am designing like 9 months ahead. I need to make sure what I’m working on now is going to be in style by the time it comes out.
Describe the MacNeil look that you're after.
Harrison: Simple and fresh. As far as graphics, I try to use a lot of hand drawn stuff because it gives the brand a real personal touch. There is this line I always try to ride... Somewhere between dirty and clean... Like mixing halftones and handwritten stuff with clean typography. I want to always keep pushing the brand graphically and I’m really happy with everything I’ve done. For the clothing, I wanted to go more in the simple side, focusing on all the details that usually get overlooked in BMX.
People design prints and then have that printed on various shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts. You went a different route with the new MacNeil clothing. How did you get to work? Harrison: I just looked at it like I was designing a line for my self. I worked with patterns and fabrics that I really liked and just took advantage of the options of doing a cut a sew line. Allover prints, hood and pocket liners, zipper pulls. I think the hardest thing for me was holding back. There are so many options that I had to make sure the garments weren't overkill. I’m really psyched on how the line turned out and It’s really dope to see how well they are selling already.
What is it like working up there with the MacNeil crew? Harrison: It’s great. I’ve been friends with all the guys up here for so long, so essentially I get to hang out with my friends all day working on fun projects. Everyone is real hard working and has a good idea where they want the brands to go. I love working with driven people, its really motivating and makes every day enjoyable and productive.
Do you get to ride the numerous Canadian parks? Harrison: Before I moved up here, I would visit my girlfriend every weekend and try to ride the parks as much as possible. But since I’ve moved up here the weather has been pretty wet, so I haven’t ridden park that much. I’ve just been riding street downtown around our place. I even sessioned a flat area with Travis Collier last Saturday. No curbs, nothin.. Just flat... So much fun.
What websites should people check out? -Macneilbmx.com
-Defgrip.com
-Hypebeast.com
-Newstoday.com
-Dorkmag.com
-Honeyee.com
-Cpluv.com
-Fontshop.com
-Beinghunted.com
-lounge72.com
Last words: Thanks so much for the interview and I just wanted to say thanks to all the people who have supported everything we’ve done with MacNeil.
Pics: Hirsch/Saccuci/Boyce
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.