Jamie Marx Co.

By Ryan

Jamie Marx Co. is an independent clothing and style maker based out of Atlanta, Georgia. The man behind the curtain is Matt Senna, a growing silhouette on the horizon of the apparel industry. Amidst the clambering and pandering of the street wear scene, Jamie Marx stands apart. When many companies are producing apparel with nearly unintelligible messages or obfuscated inside jokes, the clarity and punch of Marx cuts to the bone.
Social and global awareness is the prime message at the core of Jamie Marx Co. With a line of clothing made from bamboo, sustainability becomes a canvas for a message instead of the message itself. That’s not to say that the message is neglected. Every object is fueled by an idea. Style exists to reinforce the message, not the other way around. The resulting combination makes for a holistic experience of positive human energy.

ASK: When did you first get the idea for the Jamie Marx line?
Matt: Jamie Marx was originated in 2004. I had been doing a skate line for a bit throughout high school, but in ’04 I decided to re-brand the whole thing and wanted to take it in a direction that could reach more people and make a bigger impact on the grand scheme of things.

ASK: What’s the most important thing for Jamie Marx to accomplish?
Matt: When I started it and to this day its about making people think for themselves, open their eyes to the issues around them, make changes, and get back to being human. It was right after Bush got re-elected and all the re-count shit was going on, and tons of people were complaining about what was going on. Yet when I’d ask people they would say they didn’t vote. So coming from a family where my father is a union worker, my grand fathers were in the military, I always saw people around me appreciating and supporting our freedoms. So I wanted to create a brand that got back to the essence of freedom and people making a change, because it felt like a lot of folks were taking advantage of what we have here rather than making the most of it. So after looking at the area I wanted to take the brand I felt there was an avenue that was wide open for something with substance.

ASK: What’s your elevator pitch?
Matt: Oh man, I don’t really have one. I’m actually really shy when it comes to yapping about my brand to people randomly. I’ve been in some elevators with some interesting people but don’t even know where to start. The one good thing is that because the shirts are pretty much in your face, when I wear them I get a lot of people that make comments or ask about them so that helps to start conversations. I’ve heard some interesting stories from people when they wear the shirts.
ASK: That’s probably the best elevator pitch you could ever have.
Matt: Hopefully I remember to wear one of my shirts that day haha.
ASK: Do you ever find people to be offended or react negatively to the shirts?
Matt: Nah I’ve been really surprised about that end of things. I thought I would get more heat about a few of the shirts, but the response has been overwhelmingly positive. There not meant to be negative or attack people. All the designs are made to raise thought. Some times using a cynical undertone but ultimately somehow has a positive message behind it. Basically I’m using the shirts as a modern format of posters. I think t-shirts have become the new posters.

ASK: What drove you to feel so strongly about the need for greater social awareness and responsibility?
Matt: I have no clue. haha. Like I said before, growing up my dad was always a union man but my parents never really pushed anything on me. I think them giving me the freedom of thought and letting me make decisions on my own really molded me as the person I am today. And then also, my art teacher in high school was probably my biggest influence on me becoming a designer; she first had me take classes on Saturday mornings in graphic design at FIT in NYC when I was a freshman. Then after 9/11 I created a mixed media piece in her class that I think ultimately really showed me that I wanted to make sure I always made a statement with my work.
That’s the painting I spoke about I did in her class.

ASK: Oh nice. I can see the makings of the Jamie Marx visual style there also.
Matt: Yea I think that was the start of it.

ASK: You have a very American voice in your work. It’s refreshing to see stuff that is American without being kitschy or cliché.
Matt: Yea that’s one reason I did it. because I was looking at American designers like damn man. I want to be that American designer that people appreciate everywhere. its not about being AMERICA AMERICA AMERICA! It’s just about thinking freely. People anywhere can do that but sometimes when you’re brought up whether here or somewhere else you don’t realize that.
ASK: How does it feel to be an advocate of human values when things seem to be so material and shallow?
Matt: I don’t really look at myself as an advocate. I just started making shirts and people seemed to appreciate them so I continued to do it. I always thought the process was great. I loved to print my own shirts, and then to see people in them was a rush. So I began to naturally make a statement with them as well, looking at people around me being so into material things, music talking bout throwing some D’s on it. Its like damn man there’s more to life then some rims or a Louie bag. Don’t get me wrong I love material things just as much as other people. I love Kaws, Marc Jacobs, Apple products, and techy stuff but I don’t let it consume my life, and that’s the point. It’s like food. Its always good to eat some candy, but you don’t gotta eat the whole bag or sit and think about candy all day.

ASK: I read on The Takeover blog that The Shoe Gallery in Miami just picked up Jamie Marx Co. What does it take to get your gear into a shop like that? It must be a great boost to the brand.
Matt: Shoe Gallery and most of the stores that have picked us up have been more than supportive. I went through the whole showroom thing on the west coast but I felt like I wasn’t connected to the stores I was in personally. I didn’t know anyone at the stores, stuff like that, so my brother actually was like, go on a road trip. So I planned a trip out, hopped in the car and went to stores personally. The response was overwhelming. Shoe gallery was the first on the trip to pick it up and after that it was like a snow ball, every store I visited on the trip showed interest in buying or supporting the line (not that all of them had budget with this economy). But we have some great colabos and stuff coming from some of them too. My advice is to make relationships. And have good products!
ASK: I’m curious about your Proper Villains collective. You mentioned that you are collaborating with Lars from kinkyform, as well as several others from various disciplines. Do you guys have a focused direction, or does the collaboration happen more naturally? I’d personally love to see some sick product/fashion pieces from it.
Matt: Yea we are currently getting the Proper Villains site coded, its been designed and everything, were just getting it coded now and been getting everyone together that is a part of it. As far as the colabos, Jason of Archetype (madebyarchetype.com) and I are working on some shirts together for Jamie Marx the first of which is the Luxury is overrated shirt, out now. And Lars of Kinkyform (http://www.kinkyform.com/) and I are working on some totally different independent projects. Right now were working on a watch and a table together. They all came from just talking and appreciating one another’s work and views which I think results in the best final product.

ASK: What do you enjoy the most about such a cross discipline type of project?
Matt: Oh man I love, just love to see things be created, that’s why I love these projects with Lars because the end result is going to be something so unique to me. I’m working on some video projects with a friend here in Atlanta as well and its just inspiring seeing the work he’s doing and talking about ideas and how to approach the videos. I’m more into just creating things than any thing else. That’s what keeps me going. It’s just about keeping things new. I said I love a few too many times haha.

ASK: Never too many! So what type of role are you playing in this video? Direction? Art direction? Acting?
Matt: Okay for the video projects, man I’m really just trying to learn more from them than anything. One of my friends out here shoots videos and I was really close to going to school for video rather than design, so I’ve always had an urge to shoot videos. So when I met him I said man you gotta teach me some things. So right now I’m working on art direction with him, and he’s directing, shooting and editing. I’m just trying to get my foot in the door because we seem to respect each others work. I’ve done a few design projects for him and might be doing some green screen design work with him soon so it should be cool, but right now its more about just trying to help and way I can. He’s letting me throw some ideas for treatments and stuff, and we are going to be shooting some videos for Jamie Marx. That’s really how we met, a stylist was placing the clothes in some videos, and he had a Jack Russell as well. So anyone that’s got a Jack Russell is cool with me right off the bat haha.

ASK: Sounds like you’re pretty in to your dog. What does Mr. Marx enjoy the most, and what have you learned from him?
Matt: Haha yea man, he’s my sidekick. As far as the brand goes a Jack is perfect breed to represent it, because there smart. Almost to smart where as they don’t fall for tricks. They got little attitudes, they don’t back down from anything and are loyal. I’ve seen my dog straight up go after a pit bull. I was like what are thinking! Mr. Marx chills a lot though, he just likes to be with people that he likes, kinda similar to me, he approves of people at the house by either biting them or not! (if anyone knows the dog whisperer hook it up) As far as learning anything from him, it’s probably the same with any dog, but the loyalty and unconditional love that dogs have are something everyone can learn from them. And if your stomach hurts to eat grass so you can throw up all over the house.
ASK: That’s good beta. If you had to start all over, what would you do different?
Matt: Shit, not much. Wish I wasn’t so shy, think that would have helped the brand get more recognition early on. And besides that I would say these are more goals I wish I had done earlier in my life, learn another language or 2 and learn an instrument. Besides that I’m happy with the way things have gone.
Yea man I feel like if you know yourself as a person and have some self understanding you won’t need to regret things. I’ve been lucky enough to always have a certain understanding of what I want and who I am.

ASK: If you had to describe Jamie Marx as a force of nature, what would it be and why?
Matt: Force of nature huh? I think Jamie Marx would be an earthquake at night. Here to wake up all those that are sleeping.
ASK: Great answer. What have you learned about people in your experience, and what have you learned about yourself?
Matt: Man that’s kinda a funny question. I’ve found that a lot of people are unhappy. They don’t allow themselves to be happy for whatever reason and others hold themselves to the standards of others or what they see on TV. Kinda gets back to the self knowledge thing. I’m still learning a ton about myself. First time I’ve lived alone so I’m learning plenty.
But in this industry and arts in general I meet a whole lot of people that are great and good spirited because they are doing what they love and allowing themselves to be happy. That’s one thing I learned from my dad. That you have to do something you enjoy. That’s why I’ve always had to work for myself. I know that I would go crazy working for someone else!
ASK: You mentioned that you would soon be splitting the brand into two parts. Mr. Marx Militia, and Jamie Marx Standard Label. Is this in reaction to a need in the market, or is it just a decision of personal vision? It seems like a good move to build a bit more flexibility into the brand. Tell me what the what you hope to accomplish with the split lines.
Matt: Yea its a combination of both the way we saw the industry going, but mostly due to the reaction I was getting to the brand from different markets. We had stores like Fred Segal and Bill Hallman which are high-end contemporary stores showing interest, then we had street wear boutiques showing a lot of interest. The thing is I shop at all of these places, so I wanted to create a brand that somehow worked in all sorts of different stores, because the messages aren’t strictly for one genre or the other. I created the Mr. Marx Militia to allow us to have a little more fun, to hit a lower price point with the cotton garments and allow it to be a more accessible side of the brand. Which in turn is going to allow me to do what I want with the Standard Issue continue to work with the bamboo textiles, and be more exclusive with this side of things (100 pieces produced of each style) and expand into other means of expression as well with it. We are currently working on getting the store list which we will be offering that side of things to and will drop some of the first pieces in fall, all the while keeping everything going with the Militia.








Thanks for the interview Matt. Best of luck!
Check out Matt’s Jamie Marx title clothing line at www.jamiemarx.com