As we all know, The Hippy Hippy Shake Company doesn't just chuck a few bands on stage and call their events 'festivals'. We like to give all you clever people who have invested in tickets a little something extra, to make your spend EVEN MORE worthwhile. So, as at HippyHaze, Hippy Horror will be packed full of mouth-watering food vendors, activity stalls and local clothing and jewellery collections so that if you lose your T-shirt or need some extra nourishment, you can be sure to find a new (much cooler) one and grab a bite to eat.
At the Emilio Pinchi gig we recently attended, imagine our surprise when we bumped into Andy Gannon of Dirty Slut Clothing. If this names means nothing to you just yet, it will soon because Andy's clothing label is about to take Hippy Horror by storm... much like it did at HippyHaze in fact!
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Fancy seeing you here, Andy Gannon CEO and Head Honcho of Dirty Slut Clothing!
Well, what can I say, I'm a big Emilio Pinchi fan!
Got to love a bit of bromance! So tell us a little about what you'll be doing at Hippy Horror...
Like at HippyHaze, I've invested in a little store on which to sell my wares... Dirty Slut Clothing is an alternative clothing label which was started in Staffordshire in 2012, inspired by a combination of the unsigned band and skating scenes.
Well, I've always been into art and the music scene and skate clothes. So I started out designing logos for bands, but then a clothing company came to me and offered me some money to do a few designs for them and it all took off from there really.
Sounds exciting, so who buys your clothes then?
Well, we offer unisex items so both men and women tend to enjoy shopping at Dirty Slut. They are probably for the more casual person as at the moment our main items are T-shirts and vests and we're thinking of soon moving into jackets, hoodies and crew necks.
And your items are quite cheap too aren't they? So all ages and background can afford pieces from your collection.
Yes, I try to keep things as affordable as possible. My shirts are set at about £10 or £15 at the moment although I'm looking into a better quality option which will obviously be a bit more expensive. However, I wouldn't want to become inaccessible to people from less wealthy backgrounds so there will always be an option.
So tell me exactly what you do for Dirty Slut, since it is a one-man-band (so to speak) we expect you're often very busy?
I try to involve myself in the process as much as possible. I design the artwork, choose the products which they are printed onto, run the online shop and facebook account. It is really mad, being busy all the time but I like being involved in all areas because that way I can keep an eye on everything and make sure everything is going as it should. If you trust other people things can work out differently than you imagined them, and sometimes other people don't always have your best interests at heart.
Jeez. That sound like all your energy goes into the brand then?
Definitely. Pretty much any free time I have is spent on Dirty Slut Clothing. I'm always drawing designs even though I don't use them all because its nice having a band of work I can go to and choose what I like and don't like and keep improving.
Not that we'd understand how you find time, but do you have a day job as well as the label?
I actually go to Keele University. I'm in my second year in September and I study Philosophy and Music. I'm also in a band but we're mostly working on writing stuff at the moment.
Its good to know that you're into the music scene because obviously the whole HippyHaze and Hippy Horror thing is right up your alley!
It is!
And how has business been received since you first started out?
At first it didn't get off the ground at all. We only had two designs and it was hard to get people to look at them because people tend to prefer mainstream retailers. But since HippyHaze business has been amazing. After HippyHaze we went up to 600 likes on facebook which was incredible! I'm always getting bands calling me now asking to work with me which is really cool. I'm working with Emilio Pinchi and Moral Panics at the moment, but hopefully even more will hop on board soon!
We bet you'll meet loads of people who will be interested after Hippy Horror. Now, I've got to ask. What do you imagine a Dirty Slut shopper to look like?
*Laughs* I try not to pigeon-hole people because anyone that wants to wear my clothes is fine by me. I know at the moment there are some people who deliberately WON'T buy my clothes purely because they say 'Dirty Slut' all over them, so I'm adapting to that and working on some designs which aren't so clearly branded. Some people might like my designs but might not like the name so it is all about supply and demand. If they demand clothes without the word 'slut' on them, I'll consider supplying that.
Ok, we like that you're not super-stubborn about that! So just out of interest, why did you call the brand Dirty Slut?
Well, at the end of the day there are tonnes of clothing labels out there and the branding is going to be what stands out. Having something controversial works for the scene which I'm mostly selling to, so I called it Dirty Slut to catch people's eyes and show them that this is one label that doesn't mind breaking the rules. I did once get told I was going to hell by a Christian because of my label's name...
Hopefully not... Are you looking forward to Hippy Horror?
Of course! It will actually be my birthday on the Saturday so I'm very excited. I haven't decided what Halloween costume to wear just yet though...
Ahh we'll be sure to give you a shout-out on the Saturday and hopefully everyone will buy you a drink or ten!
That would be very cool.
Well thank you Andy, we look forward to seeing your designs at Halloween!
Thank you :)
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We can't wait to pick up a couple of Dirty Slut T-shirts at Hippy Horror, which design will you get? Are there any requests for stalls we should have? What are you looking forward to most at Hippy Horror apart from the music?
TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT FAST SO MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY, MUSIC MANIA, OR HARASS THE BANDS AND GET YOURS NOW. £6 FOR FRIDAY NIGHT INCLUDING CAMPING, £14 FOR SATURDAY OR SUNDAY DAY-PASS INCLUDING CAMPING AND JUST £26 FOR A THREE-DAY CAMPING TICKET.
Love and milkshakes
The Hippy Hippy Shake Company
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