Martin OLoughlin of Feast or Famine

Introduction and Interview by Kelsea Kosko

Martin OLoughlin is your quintessential New Yorker- the type of individual who’s creative pursuits and personality benefit from and align perfectly with the city’s relentless grind. OLoughlin also resonates strongly with Hip-Hop Culture because of its battle-esque nature, and without spilling too much more, we invite you to soak up some of his generous words of wisdom for aspiring designers, and to learn about how Feast or Famine came to fruition.

Kelsea: Tell us a little bit about where you grew up and where you currently reside. In
what ways does your environment inspire you to create?

Martin: I grew up in a suburban town called Seekonk Mass. Right outside Providence, RI. I went
to art school in Boston, then immediately moved to NYC after graduation. I knew I
wanted to live in NYC since I was 16. New York City is the mecca for creativity. The
best of the best come here to try and make their mark. That’s my inspiration…to be
better than everyone else around me in my industry. The reason I love Hip-Hop Culture
is that everything is based on competition. Whether or not the other guys know it,
everything is a battle to me.

Kelsea: What year did you first start your brand, and how did your relationship with Gridlyne begin? 

Martin: Moe and I didn't know it but we have a mutual connection in the fashion industry. I was having lunch with my friend Frank and I was explaining to him how I make my samples in DTG to save on cost.

Once he heard this he went researching and found Gridlyne. Oddly enough, Moe and my friend Frank went to the same high School....Small world. Anyway, Frank told me about Moe and his operation and I was sold. 

I reached out to Moe and he invited me to stop by for a meet and greet. From there the rest is history. I really like how Moe is trying to bring like-minded creatives together to share ideas and discuss culture and business.

No other print house does this.. Most just want to take your money and spit you out. In my 20+ years of working in the clothing industry it's refreshing to finally see someone come with a fresh approach.

““If there’s a way to flip a dollar and make more money I’m all about it… everyone says they hustle but do they really???””

Kelsea: What are some of your other creative outlets besides designing, and how do you
manage to incorporate them into your clothing?

Martin: I don’t really have other creative outlets… I’m all about my hustle… I’m the dude who
looks forward to Mondays. I have a full-time job working as the Design Director of a
licensee company that makes fan apparel for the NBA. I also have a freelance gig
where I am the head designer for a brand called Elbowgrease. On top of that I really
enjoy day trading the Forex Market. I love investing in currency and stocks. I wish
younger people were more about this lifestyle. My son is turning 5 this year but by the
time he hits college his UTMA account should have significant funds that will help him
get a jump start in his adult years. I have also partnered with a friend of mine and we
are creating our own brand of cartridges for weed pens. We feel this is a new market
and NYC needs a better product. Basically, if there’s a way to flip a dollar and make
more money I’m all about it… everyone says they hustle but do they really???

Kelsea: Feast or Famine is bicoastal; in what ways do you enjoy tying the LA and NY
aesthetics together?

Martin: Everything for me is based around street culture and attitude. LA and NYC have the
most dominant presence in the United States. I look towards the sub-cultures of these
two great cities, listening and watching the people and the music and/or art that they
produce or use to inspire themselves and others.

““[Hunting Culture] aligns with our aesthetic of survival-of-the-fittest, but I’m forever intrigued by Wall Street and capitalism. I like the idea of merging these two ideas at the moment.””

Kelsea: Top 5 favorite hip hop albums?
Nas, Illmatic
Wu-Tang, Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers
A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders
Smif n’ Wessun, Dah Shinin’
Gangstarr, Hard to Earn

Kelsea: List one goal or dream you hope to achieve by the end of 2019. It can be
personal or professional, or both.

Martin: I need to get more eyes on the brand so if we can start getting more recognition for the designs we are pumping out that would be great. If Feast or Famine could find its way to
someone famous that would be cool. Definitely need to up them sales!
Ultimately, I just hope that all the decisions I make are the best for the company. To the
point where things just start to snowball and new and exciting opportunities start to
present themselves.

Kelsea: What is one piece of advice you’d like to give to aspiring designers?

Martin: If you want to start your own line understand that it is a long game. Design for you only. Do not chase trends. Be the trend. These larger fashion chains take from trends / emerging trends. If you try to keep up with an established brand that is owned by big money you will drown. This industry is very tough. I have been designing clothes for over 15 years. I have made a ton of contacts that range from factory owners, sales people, buyers, etc. At the end of the day all of these contacts are part of a larger system at work and will very rarely help out someone who is starting a new line. They want to work with companies that can move mass amounts of units. Do as much as you can without spending money. Get a name, start printing shirts by method of DTG. Set up an Instagram page. Websites are cheap. Stickers are cheap. Get out and try to pump your own brand as much as possible. Listen to the Rebel 8 podcast. They have been in the game for 16 years and the owner Josh is sharing his journey and it is so great to hear his humbling story. He drops a lot of gems that any up and comer should here. Limit your overhead. Do not create too much inventory that you cannot sell. Sell direct to consumer. Go knock on doors in your area that you think should
carry your brand. Seed product to influencers. But make sure you create enough of a rapport that
they honor your agreement and you get good quality posts that tag your brand.

Kelsea: If you could style one fictional character from a movie, TV show, or book, who
would you choose and why? What would they wear?

Martin: I like Harris Woods from Paid in Full. He plays Ace. I like his humble but Boss
demeanor. I would definitely dress him in the Sink Your Teeth t-shirt. Even though his
character doesn’t really wear too much flashy jewelry he wanted a taste of the game.
That was enough to lure him in. Also, he came to a point in his life where it was time to
make a decision. Either be broke or try to get a piece of the pie. It was Feast or Famine
time so that related to us big time!

Kelsea: Can you hint at (without revealing too much) one upcoming collaboration or product
you are excited to release in the near future?

Martin: Been in talks with thedrop.com to offer our products on their platform to expose us to a larger audience. Also, we have a couple more t-shirt drops for Spring/Summer 19 but
we’re really getting focused on Fall 19.

“I would definitely dress [Ace from Paid in Full] in the Sink Your Teeth t-shirt. Even though his 
character doesn’t really wear too much flashy jewelry he wanted a taste of the game.”

Kelsea: What are 3 places, people, or things that are inspiring you right now?

Martin: Animal Prints / Camouflage, Wall Street, & Hunting.
Right now I’m looking at hunting culture. The concept aligns with our aesthetic of
survival-of-the-fittest but I’m forever intrigued by Wall Street and capitalism. I like the
idea of merging these two ideas at the moment.

Kelsea: Can you list your social media handles and website below so our readers can
connect with you and purchase your clothing online? 

Website: Feastorfamineofficial.com
Instagram: @feastorfamineofficial

Starting a New Year at the Gridlyne.

First and foremost, I would like to wish everyone a happy and blessed New Year from all of us here at Gridlyne. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support.

For the new year, I wanted to include a personal anecdote on what starting at Gridlyne meant to me on a personal level and not just professionally. I wrote this as an introductory article a few weeks ago, but I thought sharing it on New Years Day was more appropriate. I would like to thank you personally for taking the time to read this little story:

As a new contributor for Gridlyne’s blog, Print or Dye, I thought I would reintroduce myself and the concept behind Gridlyne from a “new” perspective. I sat down with the founder/designer, Moe, to get the 411 on how Gridlyne came to be. As I was asking him questions, we were talking about something that no words can truly encapsulate.  But he said something I related to instantaneously, Gridlyne was his baby. As a father, I understood immediately all the answers to the questions asked and unasked.  The article changed in to something more personal to me, about what working at GridLyne meant on my journey, not just as a father but as one trying to build something for his son. A legacy.

I want to start by saying, I have been friends with Moe for a long time. In fact, I first met him in junior high school in Astoria, Queens, New York. Despite not being very close in those early days, there was a common bond that would follow us throughout, Art. After returning to his old school and I finishing up at I.S. 204, we found ourselves meeting again, through that bond, at the High School of Art and Design in 1997.

Upon graduation in 2001, I would go on to attend one year at the Joe Kubert School for Cartooning and Graphic Art and beginning in 2005-2008, I attended the illustration program at the Fashion Institute of Technology. I lost contact with most people, which I am prone to do, and began something of my own personal Hero’s Journey in 2008. Moe would begin the acquisition of skills and knowledge that would culminate in the incorporating of his own business in 2007, and Gridlyne was born.

Sometime in 2008, I began reading and writing extensively. I read hundreds of books and wrote hundreds of pages of material. What started as a coping mechanism for depression, ended up becoming something I would brazenly call my “Magnum Opus.” After the birth of my son 3 years later, in 2011, the story would finally have its hero. But a piece of the story, a part of the beginning, would not make sense without a very specific moment. Working with the Gridlyne Design Collective and utilizing Moe’s expertise in printing.

That’s right! 10 years before I became a writer for his blog, I had written working with him. In my story, a character creates a logo/brand but lacks the resources and knowledge to bring the logo from concept to reality. For this character, it would set off a chain of events that would change the course of his story. But I digress, I still needed to reconnect with an old friend.

In 2013, I attended an annual BBQ held by Moe, since our class graduated in 2001. I made a brief mention of my project but felt I had not earned his ear to listen to my grandiose plan. I enjoyed the company of old friends and made no mention of it again. Between the pendulum swings of emotions, from feeling on top of the world to the bottom of the barrel, I once again faded in to obscurity.

I let another 2 years go by before I started contacting Moe again in 2015. There was only one problem, I still only had a concept and the logo didn’t make its way in to my consciousness until 2016. It would take me another 2 years to finally reach out again, from a self-imposed exile so I may refine and re-imagine parts of the story once I designed the logo. And in 2018, I was finally ready to talk about my concept and utilize all the services Gridlyne has to offer.

• On-demand printing on any garment of clothing or merchandise that can be sublimated, printed or dyed,

• DTG or Direct to Garment printing services for immediate turnarounds,

• Screen Printing, and

• Branding Services

After years of writing and planning I finally found the place I could call “the Bat Cave.” Like Bruce Wayne falling in to the cave, I found my base of operations.

So, I am not only introducing myself as a contributor to GridLyne’s growing family, I am also a client. I truly appreciate you taking the time to read this deeply personal vignette and I can not wait to share the journey with you. In closing, I would like to disclose our mission statement:

We are trying to solve humanity’s problems, one t-shirt at a time.

H.S. of Art and Design

circa 2000

SpotLight on - Ansel J. from No Facades Brand

One of the first topics of discussion when we were determining what direction this blog would take, was how do we better showcase the work GridLyne does. As the conversation revolved around being of service to the artistic community, helping designers create their visual representation and bringing awareness to up-and-coming brands, a good friend of ours from high school walked through the door, Ansel James, founder and designer of No Facades. 2 years ago, No Facades was just an idea. Today, we print over 10 designs for his brand, and it all started at GridLyne.

Here is just a couple of the designs we print for No Facades.

Behind the Scenes