Interview first appeared on Y-Not Culture’s 4th Issue

Interview with Julian Kubel, the designer and owner of local streetwear brand, Butan Wear. Julian Kubel talks about how he got involved in the streetwear industry and the challenges of running a clothing brand. He also addresses the controversy surrounding allegations of copyright infringement and the success of his new collaborative range.

1. How did an engineering student or graduate get involved in street wear?

During my engineering studies, I realised more and more that I wanted to work in a creative field. I enjoyed certain aspects of engineering, but I didn’t at all feel creatively challenged. Furthermore, I began to despise the idea of having a boss, so I chose to start my own business and work for myself instead.

2. The name Butan is a re-arrangement of letters of the word B-A-N-T-U; can you please elaborate on the name choice and what the brand stands for?

The brand name pays homage to our roots and heritage, while the re-arrangement of the letters signifies a changed, entirely new mindset and outlook on life in contemporary South Africa.

It is this fusion between cultural heritage and the present-day experience that creates the unique look and feel of the brand.

3. When you were sketching designs back in high school, and when Butan Wear was officially founded in 2006, did you know that the brand would be this big, and what was the 5-year plan then?

No, back then, when I first started sketching up some designs, I never knew that we would manage to build the brand into what it is today. When the brand finally went into stores in 2006, there were so many challenges that we were facing that it seemed close to impossible to even grow the brand beyond the borders of Cape Town. To be honest, I didn’t even have a 5-year plan then, and there was very little structure. I was just designing t-shirts and selling them in order to make more t-shirts. This love for designing new garments is still the core driving force behind the brand. We aren’t all about hype and telling people how amazing we are and that they should buy our products. We simply make sure that we consistently keep bringing out fresh items; it’s that simple.

4. Let’s talk, SAHHA. What does it mean for the brand to be the Best Local Brand of 2012?

We were very humbled to receive such an award, and it was overwhelming to realise that we had made such an impact in order to have been recognised in this way. What it means for us is that people are watching us closely now, and that pushes us to work even harder. There is no resting on our laurels.

5. Copyright infringement is a big issue in the streetwear industry. Butan Wear itself is not new to such an issue; last year, another clothing designer accused Butan Wear of making an identical hoodie to the OBEY hoodie and also an identical snapback to the Bulls snapback. How did you handle such allegations?

Yes, we were falsely accused of biting by a fellow designer on Twitter. Thankfully, we saw the tweet quite early and were able to counter the allegations. A fellow South African designer decided to call us out for what he believed to be copyright infringement. The one was a print by Obey, and the other was an iconic NBA cap.

We couldn’t deny that there was a vague similarity between the print on an Obey garment and one of our hoodies. However, we had never even seen this garment, and neither did we steal or bite the print. The only way we could explain this is that we had similar sources of inspiration. This happens in the arts all the time due to the nature of trends.

The second item was a cap design, which was an appropriation of an iconic NBA cap design. Had the designer who accused us of biting done his research, he would have immediately understood that he was dealing with a deliberate appropriation. Let me explain this in more detail: Appropriation happens in street wear all the time; many brands use certain iconographic elements and “remix” them. Examples of that include Mishka ripping off the New York Knicks and Lakers logos. Many brands across the globe have ripped off the Oakland Raiders logo. The examples are endless. We have also done this numerous times in past ranges. We ripped off Sesame Street and were even bold enough to do a blatant rip of Walt Disney’s Scrooge McDuck.

The basketball cap design that we appropriated by integrating our Zulu Shield design as the sports emblem was an iconic reference that streetwear enthusiasts would immediately recognise and appreciate. We even deliberately made this cap in the Bulls and Lakers colorways.

I need to add that most appropriations are actually aimed at paying homage to certain brands, musicians, artists, etc.

Our recently launched “Licenced To Ill” crew necks and vests are paying homage to the Beastie Boys, and more specifically, MCA, aka Adam Yauch, one of the founding members of the Beastie Boys who passed away in 2012.

6. On the lighter side of things, Butan has enjoyed support from notable local rappers and the public at large. What is the secret of all that?

We have been incredibly blessed with support from the hip-hop and street scene and the public at large. I don’t think there is a secret to this. People like what we do, and they relate to our hustle and the passion that we put into every garment.

7. Tell us about your new range.

We recently dropped an exciting collaborative range called the B5 collab. We teamed up with Kronk, one of SA’s most talented illustrators and designers, to design a range honouring the Big Five. In a nutshell, we turned each of the Big Five into imaginary basketball teams and created five team outfits. The range consists of vests, 3/4 raglan tees, snapbacks, a baseball jacket, and crew necks. So far, we have dropped the lion and buffalo snapbacks and matching vests. Look out for the rest of the items dropping in March and April.

8. Where can we find Butan Wear clothing?

See a list of retailers below:

JHB:

Shesha-The Zone

Shesha-The Glen

Shesha-Eastgate

Shesha-Sandton

Dope Store, Commissioner Str. Central

Mafia Soul Clothing: Milpark

Mafia Sould Clothing: Campus Square

Revolution: Cresta

Revolution: Festival Mall

PTA:

Shesha-Menlyn

Revolution: Menlyn

CPT:

Shesha: Canal Walk

Revolution: Long Street

PE:

Black Concepts: Parliament Str.

EL:

Johno’s Skateshop, Frere Road, Vincent

Online:

www.butanstore.com