>> This was a spur-of-the-moment arrangement. I'd known about Anthony and his bracelets for a while, so when he asked about an interview I had no problem. This is the shortest interview I've done to date, and it's also the first I've done with someone who isn't in a band. Regardless, Anthony still has some significant ties to the music scene.
Introduce yourself.
Hey, My name is Anthony Orlowski, I am 18 years old, and I own Blackout Apparel. Currently we are selling the thick silicone bracelets.
What made you decide to start a merch company?
My whole merch company came about when I realized all the friends I have in the music industry. And I came up with the idea for Score 24, and they loved it, so we went from there.
Is there any significance behind the name?
I was trying to think of something clever, but meaningful. So I debated through many names. But I decided on "Blackout Apparel" because of one of my favorite albums named "Blackout" by a band called Valet Parking.
Tell us about the 2 bracelet collaborations you've done so far.
The first collab was with Score 24. I presented the idea to the guys of Score 24 and they loved it! The idea of "Good Girl" came from their popular song "She's A Good Girl". I started talking to Rob Michelsen (@robstereo) about making "It's Not You, It's Rob" bracelets in May. Rob is a good friend of mine through people in the Long Island Music Scene. The inspiration is through his blog www.itsnotyouitsrob.com. I Love the way both collabs came out. I'm very proud! haha
How have the fans been responding to these collabs?
The fans have been actually really great! I constantly get IMs/Tweets/Emails from fans telling me they love the bracelets and want one so bad. The Skyliners are nuts! haha. When Rob officially announced our collab he told he 14,000 followers to follow @anthonyblackout. For the next couple of hours, my phone was getting constant emails from twitter saying that they are following me on twitter. But for the first ten minutes I got like 150 text messages from twitter. My phone was constantly ringing. Finally I just shut it off lol.
How would you like to see your merch company expand in the future?
Everyone's been asking me how come I don't sell my bracelets in Hot Topic. Unfortunately, at the moment my company is not as big enough to sell in a store like that. I really wish I could, it's just impossible at the moment. Hopefully in the future, I can go on Warped and constantly be touring selling merch. That would be a dream, so stay tuned! :)
Do you have any goals you want to accomplish with the company?
Goalwise, yes they're are plenty of goals I'd like to accomplish. Follower wise, I'd love to have a couple of thousand followers. To me twitter is amazing, especially now that I have dedicated followers. I'd also love to tour and sell merch everyday.
Where can people buy your bracelets?
Fans can buy my bracelets at www.blackoutapparel.bigcartel.com OR if you see me at a show, just ask! :)
How can fans get in contact with you if they have any other questions?
I love talking to fans.
twitter.com/blackoutapparel
search me on facebook: anthonyorlowski@gmail.com
Anything else you'd like to mention?
First off thanks to TMO for doing this interview with me. Also, thanks to the fans who promote for me. Without you guys, this all would be nothing. Stay tuned for more collabs in the future! Love you guys! ♥
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