Have you heard of...De-Jé?

Hi all,


Hope everyone is doing well and in the mood for another edition of “Have you heard of..?” In this edition I want you all to meet Tiffany and her brand, De-Jé (pronounced “day-jay”), everyone say “Hi Tiffany!” (Hiiiiii Tiiiffaannnnyyy!) Now that we’re all friends, let’s share a Scooby-Doo push-up pop and get down to the specs. Inspired by significant cultural symbols like sugar skulls and Dia de los Muertos, De-Jé is a funky, up and coming brand, right out of the Big Apple that utilizes bright, bold colors, sharp graphics and youthful swag to display creativity, love of culture and most importantly, individuality. So without further delay…


LIVE! FROM NEW YORK! IT’S DE-JÉ!

First off, introduce yourself and tell me about your brand.
Hello! My name is Tiffany and I am the designer/owner of De-Jé.
De-Jé is an independent brand based in NYC. Heavily influenced by sugar skulls and Dia de los Muertos, De-Jé offers both, quality goods and solid designs, as well as custom made to order kicks. De-Jé provides a fresh new perspective in street wear by fusing different cultural aspects through its usage of bold colors and graphics. 

De-Jé (pronounced “day-jay”) is an interesting name, how did this come to be your brand name?
De-Jé is derived from my last name (De Jesús) and initially began as the domain to my design portfolio. (www.de-je.com) 


The retail industry is vast with several types of products, what made you decide to design and create a t-shirt brand?
Being a graphic designer, I naturally have a love for design in any form and enjoy taking on new projects. Street wear and urban based design has always been of much interest to me through its graphic styles to its representation in different mediums, all in all, reflecting my design aesthetic. Having acquired experience in the t-shirt industry, it was only a matter of time before I transitioned into creating my own line. 


In all honesty, I haven’t seen many Indie brands offer custom made to order kicks (btw super cool) like your brand does, what influenced your decision to include these as part of your product line?
De-Jé kicks first began as a personal project that later developed into becoming my first business venture offering custom made to order kicks for the unique individual. 


Sugar skulls and Dia de los Muertos are central themes visibly evident throughout your tees, explain the significance and how they inspired you to create your brand around them.
Dia de los muertos is a traditional Mexican holiday that celebrates the lives of those who have passed on. Graphically, I was fascinated by the intricate details and bold colors of the sugar skulls. It solely began as a logo for my design work and the idea triggered into creating more graphics based on the day of the dead theme. 


Being a young and relatively new brand, what types of challenges have you come up against?  How have you remained resilient despite them?
As of now, I am still a one person team and it is definitely a lot of hard work but you have to keep yourself motivated and remind yourself the reason why you began. 


What is the ultimate goal you have for your brand?
Ultimately, I would be fulfilled to know that people appreciate and continue to support De-Jé. But in the near future I would like to see De-Jé available in stores so everyone can be part of the sugar skull gang. 


What do you think separates De-Jé from other brands?
De-Jé embodies a positive lifestyle in the pursuit of creativity and most importantly, individuality. 'Only dead fish follow the stream' 


If you could trade places with ANY one person (celebrity or non) in the world, for 48 hours, who would it be and why?
Shepard Farley, simply because he is an amazing artist and his work, before seen as vandalism, was able to transition unto becoming a more mainstream and accepted form of street art. 


What is one thing you always have with you and feel naked without?
I always carry a sketchbook with me. Living in New York, you never know when a great idea will hit you. 


If you could choose, which three celebrities would you want to see sporting your brand?
I've had the great opportunity to have the Dylan Lauren, daughter of legendary fashion icon Ralph Lauren and CEO/Founder of Dylan's Candy Bar, sporting our gear! If given the chance, it would be awesome to see Rihanna, Justin Bieber, or Kanye West rocking with the sugar skull gang. 


If you just sold your last tee for a handful of magic beans, what would you hope would sprout after you planted them?
A screen printing studio so I can continue to create even more sugar skull mayhem!

What are some of your favorite indie brands?
I appreciate good design as well as a solid visual brand identity. The folks at Vicious History have a really cool story behind their products and their designs are dope!


Now for a round of “this” or “that,” ya ready?

Pancakes or Waffles  
PANCAKES


Mac or PC 
MAC 


Comic books or Sunday comics 
COMIC BOOKS


Chucks or Vans 
CHUCKS


Crew neck or V-neck 
CREW NECK


Coca-Cola or Pepsi 
PEPSI


Hip-Hop or Pop 
HIP HOP


Bare feet or Fluffy socks 
FLUFFY SOCKS 


Crunchy peanut butter or Creamy peanut butter 
CREAMY PB


Nathan’s or Gray’s Papaya 
NATHAN'S


Football or Futbol 
Not much of a fan of either but I guess I'll go with football.


Pen or Pencil
PENCIL

Any Shout outs?
Shout out to all supporting De-Jé & Uptown!

And there you have it, another edition of “Have you heard of…?” Make sure to head over to the De-Jé site and peep out all the great tees this brand has to offer!



“Like” them on Facebook, follow them @dejenyc and Tumblr and view their summer Look Book!