Companies / Corky Mansfield
Gallery
Stats
Name; Corky Mansfield
Origin; USA
Owner; Corky Mansfield & Jason Tharp
Opened;
Website/s;
Official Site
-
Myspace
Shop;
Official Shop
Scenequeens that have modelled for this company; Hanna Beth
Information
While working a depressing, dead-end corporate job, lllustrator / Designer Jason Tharp was inspired by a journal entry that a co-worker (Corky Mansfield) shared with him. From there, Jason, Corky, and another business partner joined forces to use Corky's message in bringing new apparel and new thinking to the world. Like You Brands currently carries a full line of great tees and is already in the process of developing new product lines. For your enjoyment, and hopefully your inspiration as well, here's the journal entry that started it all:
Dear diary,
I'm writing to tell you about the most amazing dream I had today. I know, I know, usually I just write about the boring, trifling details of my menial life -- the morning trek to the java shop on the corner, the stop and go drive in to my brand new and already grueling job, falling asleep at my desk, flipping the TV on when I come home to the Hollywood Minute recaps of the reality shows that I just watched the night before, oh yeah, and pining over Susan in payroll who I'm too afraid to talk to and who I'm sure, by now, thinks that I have a hump seeing as how I go to the water cooler by her cube so many times in just one day. Yes, I know -- the boring doldrums of my daily meanderings. But not this time, today's different. Today I had an epiphany.
I was sitting in the cafeteria at lunch, doodling in my notepad as usual, staring blankly through the passers by as I contemplated my next sketch. So many faceless people walking past me, barely acknowledging me, floating through my periphery, when I decided to stop and focus on each one. It was then that I realized that each one had something in common with the one before and the one after, as long as I looked close enough. Each one had something in common with me too if I was only willing to work at finding that common bond. I was just like them all. This may not sound ground-breaking, but I wonder how many of us realize this or even care. It gives us the commonality that we need to coexist, to establish a community where all are welcome and all are appreciated, where similarities bind and differences are treasured distinctions that add just the right amount of spice necessary to flavor the homogenized broth that is simmering to perfection in this great melting pot of ours. (C'mon, can I at least get an "Amen" after that one?)
This is my new mission in life, to bring people together, to get them to see the underlying cohesion that harmonizes us all, to get people to wake up and realize that you are just like me, him, and her, that Corky, too, is just like you.?? As I dozed off later that afternoon while staring at my screen and pretending to foot the payables, one hand on the mouse, the other preventing me from face-planting on my keyboard, I had a dream. Yeah, I know, I'm not the first, MLK had one too, but while his dream was to bring equality using a method of passive resistance to show the injustice of ignorance and violence, my dream involves bringing people together through passionate designs, resilient fabrics, ingenious graphics, (somewhat) ignoble phrases, and vibrant colors. No, not sock puppets (but let me put that one on the list).
Today, here, at this very moment, right before you, is the birthplace of Corky Mansfield brand apparel. I've been doodling designs and characters in my notebook for as long as I can remember. It's time to share them with you all, to find out what we have in common. It's time to for us to realize that we're all alike, time for us all to wear clothing that expresses both our uniqueness and our unity, clothing that's made for the common man and woman, for everyday and everybody, not just catwalks and celebrities, time for me to show you all that Corky is just like you . . .
-Corky Mansfield
from corkymansfield.com
Interview
How did you come up with the name for your company?
Corky was my cat growing up on Mansfield Avenue. I put the two together, as
I hear you're supposed to, and people laughed and remembered the name. :)
So "Corky Mansfield" it was. I think it has a catchy ring to it.
How long did it take you to organise the first initial base of your
company?
To be honest, we're still working on it. It's an ever-evolving process.
We're always coming up with new concepts and ideas and still tweaking old
ones. Before Corky was offically "born" though, it took about a year or so
to organize the ideas into a coherent concept, develop the business plan,
and officially organize the company.
What are you inspired by?
Laughter, love, and living life to the fullest. Inspiration comes from
everywhere for me. It may be overhearing a conversation at the grocery
store, seeing a billboard, a funny thing your pet or kid does, etc. A
great source of inspiration for Corky came from my childhood. I have a very
active imagination. I love thinking about inanimate objects coming to
life, and picturing what they would say and how they would act if they did.
Are you influenced by other companies?
No. We strive to make Corky original. It's our voice, our expression.
There's so many unique stories and views out there, this is ours. There are
other companies out there who's work we respect and admire, but we try to
just let Corky be Corky.
What is your lines target audience?
We are targeting girls, tweens, and juniors, but have plans to branch out
into other demographics.
Does your line have a certain theme? or is it forever changing?
Our line is literally whatever pops into our heads that we think is fun
and/or funny. Other than that, we try not to place any constraints upon
it. Our goal is to create apparel that everyone can connect with and
appreciate. Everyone has their own unique voice, but we all like to have
fun, to laugh. If we can create something which one person identifies with
and one for another that does the same thing, we hope that Corky will bring
them together in laughter, a pretty cool thing if you ask me.
Why did you choose certain scenequeens to model for you?
Happenstance I guess would be the best way to explain it. Throughout the
growth of our company, we've been blessed enough to meet many interesting
people. We've been lucky to meet a few who loved our stuff and were willing
to model them for us.
What are they like to work with?
Well, we don't run the shoots, but talking with them, they all seemed really
down to earth, really cool.
When your company first started out and you saw someone wearing one of
your designs how did you feel?
Like a proud parent. We've always said that the first person we see out on
the street that's a random stranger and is wearing one of our designs, we'll
probably run up to them, hug them, and ask if we could take a picture with
them.
Do you enjoy work?
I didn't enjoy the corporate job I used to have. What I do now though, I
don't really consider work. I would encourage everyone to try to think
about what they would have fun doing in life, that they're good at, and then
try to make that their career. For me, it's hard now to tell when my work
ends and when the fun begins.
Is it an everyday process, keeping your company going?
It's an every minute process. Every moment I'm thinking about Corky. Our entire lives are conveyed through Corky, so of course, Corky permeates our
entire lives too. In the back of our minds, we're always thinking about it.
Have you studied fashion design at all?
I studied illustration and design in college and I worked at a major fashion
retailer for years working on apparel design.
Do you take anyone to model? Or do YOU pick them?
Corky is about tolerance and acceptance. Being able to laugh with someone
connects you with them. If we can laugh with someone, if we feel someone
represents Corky, we'd use them as a Corky model. Up until now, we've
worked people we've been lucky enough to met or who have been suggested to
us by photographers, agents, etc. because they would help sell our product,
but we'd be open to using anyone we find to be Corky.
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