In any given week, we see hundreds of fitted caps for review; the good, the bad and the ugly. A select few we consider to be exceptional. These products excel in construction and concept, exceeding our expectations.

“Ready To Die”

It is hard to read or hear that line without referencing to the 1994 classic album and track by the late great NOTORIOUS B.I.G. But to quote another line from BIG POPPA, “…things ain’t always how it seems.” With a loaded statement like that, it was only fitting we go directly to the source and get some answers. Andrew of 3SIXTEEN gave us straight talk on the message and the inspiration behind the brand’s upcomming fitted baseball cap release.

THE INTERVIEW FOLLOWS AFTER THE JUMP >>

sFs: Was there a specific event or thing that inspired you to embroider “READY TO DIE” on a fitted ball cap?
3S: READY TO DIE was the theme for our Holiday season. The creative inspiration for the line came from the notion that life is fragile and temporary – while we all tend to plan our lives around what we hope to achieve tomorrow, next year and beyond, anything can happen and all that we’ve worked towards can be quickly taken away from us. Being faced with that reality causes us to evaluate our lives and why it is we do what we do, and how our work affects those around us. Many of the messages found within our line are very personal to us as they represent a sentiment or experience that we’re going through at that particular time, and we’ve found more often than not that these messages resonate well with others who might be at a similar place in life.

sFs: How did you decide on the material and color choices for this piece?
3S: The aesthetic of our Holiday collection was pretty dark and aggressive – we thought it’d be interesting to introduce a little bit of color to an otherwise stark colorscape. We did use the Purple/Teal combo on 2 other pieces (the Domepiece crewneck and the Knowledge tee) so it does tie into the line, but it’s a nice bold piece that can be worn with an otherwise understated outfit. We put the Purple, Teal and Cool Grey embroideries against a classic Grey and Black melton wool fabric for the hat and paired it with a Cool Grey underbill to pull it all together.

We recently posed this question to Mikol Stambaugh of AMONGST FRIENDS. It’s very appropriate for this piece. We’ve seen many designers use fashion as a platform to promote their own political beliefs, while others have been more reckless and playful with their content. There’s been a lot of media pressure on artists and industries to curb explicit or controversial material. What is your position on freedom of expression verses social responsibility?

We should all be able to appreciate art for what it is, no matter the message or implementation. Whether I personally choose to get behind a particular message is a different story. With regards to your question, the market needs to provide room for both playful content and serious matter – it provides the balance that I believe is necessary to any artistic arena. The consumer ultimately decides what works and what doesn’t, but it needs to have that choice – I believe that’s most socially responsible. We’re but one option in a large (some might say overcrowded) market. If our product has the combination of message and implementation that works, then we’ll succeed. If not, at least we had the freedom to produce something that was authentic to us. That might not count for much with everyone, but I hope it does for some.

sFs: We’ve seen a heavy use of symbolism and metaphor in 3SIXTEEN’s products. What is the meaning behind the name? Is it John 3:16?
3S: It is – the name references the Bible verse John 3:16. That’s the sign that people hold up when they go to sporting events, and is also the most easily recognized verse from the Bible. While we do believe there’s a whole lot more to Christianity than the 26 words that appear in that verse, it serves as a nice starting point for a topic of discussion with others and also encourages us to stay true to who we are and where we believe the company should go.

sFs: We’re in the midst of an election year. Many candidates have been questioned about the role of faith in their life. Some have expressed a great conviction about being lead by their beliefs while others believe equally strong in the separation of church and state. Using that as a parallel, how do your spiritual/religious ties relate to your work as a designer and business partner?
3S: My faith in God is what’s most important to me and is what defines me – thus, I don’t see there being a reason to separate identity from function. If there was, that’d make me a bit of a hypocrite. As a company we let our beliefs influence everything, from design work to the way we do business to the way we build relationships. We’re not perfect and we make plenty of mistakes, but at the end of the day our hope is that if nothing else, people will recognize that we try our best to be upfront and honest in everything we do.

sFs: How do you think this will be received? Any concerns with being misunderstood?
3S: There’s always a danger of being misunderstood I suppose – I think the first time an image of the hat was leaked online, someone posted up a comment saying “Uh, I’m not ready to die.” I guess the hat is not for everyone – it is a pretty bold piece. We’ll see how the reception goes, but as mentioned before, we design for ourselves with the knowledge that while some will be able to relate, others won’t. That’s ok with us.

sFs: What has the response been so far? Is that feedback even important to you at this stage of the game?
3S: The response has been great – people are have been really impressed with the clean embroidery work, especially on the front. This was not an easy or cheap hat to make. Feedback like that is indeed important, because it confirms that we are indeed trying new things and making product that is capturing the attention of the public.

sFs: Where and when will this fitted be available?
3S: There are 50 units of the black melton wool version which will only be available in the following shops on January 26th:

-Fitted Hawaii (Honolulu) www.fittedhawaii.com
-Bodega (Boston) http://bdgastore.com
-5 & A Dime (San Diego) www.5andadime.com
-El Mercado (Los Angeles) http://elmercadoonline.com
-The Reed Space (New York) www.thereedspace.com

The Grey Melton wool version of the RTD cap is a web exclusive, limited to 50 pieces. They will be released at noon EST on January 26th for purchase online at www.3sixteen.com.