Episdoe 240: “Never Not Creating” with Gavin Mathieu, Supervsn Studios

Welcome to Skucast, the podcast for entrepreneurs in the promotional products industry. Skucast shines a light on our industry's best work, features maverick personalities, and discusses what's really involved in running a modern promotional products business. Skucast is the official podcast of Common Skew. Microsoft dropped their first capsule collection called Hardware, and to create their branded clothing line, they partnered with Gavin Matthew, creative director and CEO of Supervision Studios. The L.A. Times called Supervision L.A.'s premier streetwear energy brand. Gavin has helped redefine culture and build a prospering community through his dynamic work to bring purpose into the music and the fashion industry. Gavin's unique vision led him to start the Just Be Cool movement with Dom Kennedy in 2007, which served as a platform to amplify Black creativity and honor what are some of Los Angeles' most beloved artists, including the late, great Nipsey Hussle, Kendrick Lamar, YG, and Mustard. Today, Matthew's Supervision Studios is focused on creating thought-provoking products content, and experiences that inspire creativity. Gavin has collaborated with the likes of Union, Michelle Obama, Microsoft, PacSun, Coachella, and he's gearing up to further showcase his creative vision by growing the Supervision universe and engaging in even more powerful collaborations. Today we talk with Gavin about the Microsoft collaboration, his advice to us as we engage designers to create our best work together, and how merch has become a catalyst for community and storytelling and a whole lot more. But before we get to the article, I want to make a quick mention. We opened registration for SKUCON. SKUCON 2023 is the industry's most radical and inspirational experience. It's built for distributors and suppliers in the branded merch industry who want to connect, learn, and reenergize alongside other progressive, like-minded pros. It's not just another business conference. SKUCON sits at the cutting edge of merch life, featuring talks by tomorrow's leaders, stories from pros in the trenches, and radical thinkers who will push you and your team to dream and grow. SKUCON will be held on Sunday, January 8th at the Keep Memory Alive Center in Las Vegas. But this year we also have a bit of a surprise for those that can't make it to the in-person event in Las Vegas. You can still join us virtually on January 19th. That means if you go to SKUCon in person and are only able to take a few colleagues, now you can invite the entire team to join in on the experience. Join us to hear Michael Bungay Stanier, whose book The Coaching Habit has sold over a million copies. Also, Ali Delgado, CEO of Merchology, Nick Sassaris with PolyantX, who will talk about Web3, Travis Veit and Caleb Gilbertson, the founders of Imprint Engine, Jeff Becker with Kodas Design, and more. You can check out the full lineup and register you and your team at skewcon.com. Now here's my inspiring and incredible conversation with Gavin. Gavin, it's an honor to have you here. Thanks for joining us.

It's a pleasure to be here. Thanks for having me, man.

I listened to your recording with Bima on Claima Stories, and you started at an early age printing t-shirts, and you would dry your t-shirt in the oven on a cookie sheet?

Yeah. Yeah.

How old were you?

I was about 15, 16 years old. I think I might have just got my like permit or driver's license, you know? So took the car downtown.

How did you first, how did that cross your mind that you first saw something in merch that you said, I'm going to follow this? Like what made that you curious? About that?

Oh man, I think that growing up, you know, sort of the figures that I saw were the Jay-Zs, you know, the Fat Farms. I was always into clothes. I was always attracted to the Aniche, those early like streetwear brands. And it was, and it's interesting because now, you know, this, this conversation around representation is coming up. And I think for me, being a young African-American kid growing up, I saw representation in hip-hop, fashion, streetwear, you know, like I connected to that, you know. And so I was like, where, where in this world do I relate and do I want to like contribute to? And it was, it was on the fashion side of things, you know, on the design side.

You launched Supervision in 2015, and let me quote from your website because the writer in me loves this. Quote: Supervision Studios is a Los Angeles-based collective that is focused on creating thought-provoking products, content, and experiences that inspire creativity, defined by the intersection between creativity and reality— when energy becomes an idea and an idea becomes a reality. I love that. I love the movement behind that. Supervision is not an agency but a collective. How do you explain Supervision?

So When I started Supervision, I made a hat and I went and I gave the hat out to all of my favorite creatives, all of my favorite designers, photographers. And I did that because I realized that if you think of a collective and you think of the studio and this idea of collaboration, we're all a part of the same collective., right? And our slogan is the world is our studio. So we're all a part of this studio, you know, like, and so we can, if we create that, you know, openness and willingness to collaborate, the person on the street, I can, you know, we can at least make each other feel good, you know what I mean? Let's create something. Let's create a hug. Let's create a moment of love. Let's create a cool shirt, you know, let's see where it goes from there. And so supervision and this idea of studio is like, we're all a part of this. You know, if you believe in that, if you're a creator and you've tapped into the creator inside of you, then you're a part of the same collective.

Yeah, you can feel the energy and the open arms in that. In an interview on Sweet Life Pod, you said that your connection with fashion is to people and storytelling. That really got my attention. Quote, you said, "I like making products, but more than that, I like telling stories and connecting to people, building things people can relate to." How does apparel and fashion and streetwear and product do this, tell stories and connect?

Well, so I mean, fashion and your outfit is really like your first impression, right? So you're walking down the street and you see somebody wearing a, you know, Lauryn Hill t-shirt, you can be like, oh man, they like what I like, you know, they, oh, when is this t-shirt from? Oh, so they must, they maybe they're this old. I wonder how old this person is. They were born in this generation. Okay, let me, it's an opportunity to connect, right? And so, and for me, it's the messaging, you know, like I'm really big into messaging and I'll just be walking down the street and this thought and quote will come into my mind. And so, and I put it on a t-shirt and, you know, I think that I love that about clothes because they speak for you before you even have to open your mouth.

Yeah. Very, very democratized process too. Anybody can do it. In the LA Times, you talked about your creative process and talked about the tactile process of what you create and also color symmetry, simplicity, messaging, which you mentioned, people's senses. You also stated that Supervision's clothes are designed with high-frequency vibrational energy. It feels like your mission is like inherently this force that needs to be unleashed, which is what I love about the language behind that. How does tapping into these frequencies of like movement and vibrancy build a better product and a better company?

Yeah, you know, I think that We are, as people, more similar than we are different. Whatever you see on the outside is on the outside, but internally, you know, we all want love. You know, we all want to feel good. We all want joy and happiness. And so, you know, subconsciously, when we see a sunflower, we think happiness, we think joy. Subconsciously, when we see a kid, we smile, you know, child. And, and so subconsciously, those things are energy, right? The, the color yellow, when you see that, you think of happiness. And so for me, I'm, you know, I'm creating products and experiences and things to, to make my customer feel better. You know, I'm creating things that, that can connect to them and make them do— feel better and do better. Um, and so, and I think as a— as we ask the question of of just a better product and a better company. I believe products and companies should create solutions or should make the world better, you know, and because then at that point you have this mutually beneficial relationship, right? And from a business standpoint, that's great because it's sustainable, right? It just keeps returning and wants to feel better. And so that's super, and I think that's the future of, all business and companies, you know.

You stated that supervision is creating from one's highest self, and E.B. White talks about writers writing to the aspirational self. Is this what you mean, creating from the aspiration within you? And I'm thinking of the young Gavin playing around with Microsoft Paint and first trying to figure out his lane.

You know, yeah, you know, that is It's funny because like I'm making clothes, but this shit is deep, you know what I mean? It's really deep for me. But I think when you think about it, like just to try to break this down for people, like, you know, we all have good and bad days and just to dive even deeper into that, it's really, I believe in the science of that, right? The mind, body, and spirit and just the balance of those three pillars in our makeup as humans, right? So when, you know, if you do or don't take care of those things, you can feel it, right? You can feel when you just have not taken a break from work and your mental health is just off. You know, you can feel when you haven't exercised in a long time and you're eating terrible food. And so when I talk about creating for one's highest self, it's taking care of your mental health, it's taking care of your physical health, it's taking care of your spiritual health by disconnecting from social media. And then you wake up and you feel good and you and you look up and all of a sudden these ideas start flowing, right? And the ideas are flowing from a place of love and abundance and not lack of, you know, they're flowing from a place of like, I'm not trying to sell you a gimmick here. I'm trying to give you something. This is a gift. This is an offering to the world. And so it's deep and it's spiritual. And I believe that, you know, again, like I said, I think that's the future.

Yeah, it's an outflow from a steady stream for sure. Um, a month ago you dropped a seasonal capsule collection collaboration with PacSun called Studio, a brand that will also benefit mentorship programs including Round 2 and 10 Summers. And in Hypebeast you said, from the moment I shared my vision with PacSun, they understood the importance of social equity for underserved communities and how we can partner to utilize the platform to make an impact. Um, How do you think merch and collections like these empower underheard voices?

A couple ways. I mean, I think for one, you know, we've seen these social equity, like, business models, right? Like the give-back model. But I think for a studio, there's a couple ways. And one, you know, we've— it's important not to just give money back. Right, but to identify people in these communities that are actually, that understand the problems and that have created solutions, right? So for starting point, we chose to partner with a nonprofit called Our Own, and Our Own is in the schools and they're in, you know, they're South Central Inglewood-based company, and they're in the schools and they're creating like these beautiful innovative ways to create wellness for the community, right? So they have these— they have— they're building like wellness centers in high schools where kids can go there and like touch soil and just garden for 30 minutes and take a break, you know what I mean? They can meditate in this section and take a 15-minute meditation break if they're having a tough time in class or something, you know? It's like— and I love our own because they're young, you know, and they're, they're, they're, they're thinking outside the box on how we create solutions. And so that's one way. And then in addition to that, I think studio creates a sense of belonging and an acknowledgement, right? I think that again, like you can't sort of like just forget and not be aware of what's going on in the world or, you know, sort of like sell to a customer, but you don't make them feel like they, they can be a part of this, right? You've seen that from a lot of high fashion companies. It's kind of like, you need to buy this because you can't have this. You need to buy this because you're not a part of this, you know? And I think that's really damaging to people's self-confidence. And then on the third side of that, and it's funny because I talk with my team about this all the time, like, you know, I don't— I'm more of an introverted guy in a way, you know? I can do the whole, like, socializing thing, but my team's always like, yo, people need to see you, you know, they need to talk to you, you know. And so I've been more willing and open to do that because it's important for my community to see that a young Black man from South Central has built this company. He's partnered with these larger companies. He's, you know, well-respected and he's created a good partnership. And then he's also doing this with his younger self in mind, you know, with his community in mind., right? So I think that's the third thing I would just say is important, is like me showing myself and showing the people behind it. And my team is all people of color, majority, and all just people from the community, you know. So it's important for that, for us to show ourselves and to show that you can do this in an organic way, an authentic way.

Yeah, I'm sort of fascinated by what's happening in the world of merch and what you're doing in particular, because you see it as a medium that has far more depth to it, I think, than some people do. So, but this merch is like this democratization or elevation of underheard voices. It allows, I don't, um, a sort of opportunity, if you will. And in many ways, merch has become a vehicle for voices that resemble underground zines from the '60s or the '70s, or maybe a comparison is graffiti, um, something that maybe people saw as a blight before, but now they see as an art form. Do you see similarities happening in the world of fashion, streetwear, and merch?

Yeah, and I think that that's where the connectivity thing comes in, right? It's like, okay, t-shirt with a regular logo, Adidas logo, right? Adidas logo, you're gonna see that, you're like, okay, cool. Cool shirt. But you see a Supervision logo and you see, you know, one of the early logos that I was making when I was printing in my grandmother's backyard, the Just Be Cool logo, you know that that represents something, you know what I mean? You know that that company stands for something. And so I think that it's important for these companies to not just create merch, but to create things that, that make statements for people to relate to because there's a quote I like to follow. It's like, stand for something or fall for anything, you know. And you need to be vocal and say, hey, listen, I'm about positivity and love, you know. I'm about empowering the world and communities, you know. So I love t-shirts for that, you know. And I think it's just the connective, you know, it's the connection. People want to connect. And so I think that's why companies like Microsoft, and you're seeing a lot of other companies, just want to make a t-shirt so that if you can't buy the computer, if you can't afford the computer, at least you can buy into our ideals as a company, and one day you can.

Yeah. Speaking of, you partnered with Microsoft. Hugo Mosie partnered with UPS. Why do you think big brands are now partnering with designers to specifically create merch collections? I mean, big brands have done merch for years. They have designers in-house. Are they choosing to partner with outside designers because of perspective? Is it different point of view? What do you think?

I think they're connecting with designers for a specific reason, right? Like they're connecting with people that have already reached a demo that they want to reach. And I think that there's a, I think we've kind of like there's a, there's kind of a, it's, it's, there's a friction when it comes to that, right? It's like, oh, you want to reach my demo, right? So I think that it's, it's, it's important to really, when you're approaching these designers, it's important to understand why you want to reach this demo. You know, it's important to understand even like this idea of like design thinking, right? It's like, it's first understand who you're going and speaking to, right? And I like this quote, it's seek first to understand, then to be understood, you know? And so, you know, I think as a designer, when people are approaching me to do collaborations, I'm listening to hear like the where's the connective tissue here? Um, and then as a designer, you know, I think part of designing is designing solutions, you know, and designing new things. And so, um, I never just make merch, you know what I mean? It's never just about that. It's— the merch is like, when you think of merchandise, you go to the concert, it's an afterthought, you know what I mean? It's an afterthought to what the concert— how it made you feel. You know, and so I don't listen for like, are we doing a t-shirt today? Like, that's not what I need help with, you know. I'm looking for partnerships and people that want to collaborate to really make an impact and make a change in the world. And I'm looking for people that want to collaborate to, to inspire, you know, and make something new and cool.

Yeah. Speaking of the Microsoft Collection, two slogans I love that you created for this: Never Not Creating.

Slogan.

The other slogan, "It's in you, not on you," which is my personal fave. And in Hypebeast, you said these pieces were designed for the person who cares less about what we wear and more about what we create. Can you speak to that more?

What do you mean? Yeah, I mean, I think that the "It's in you, not on you" is the shirt that really speaks to that. That was a quote actually from my grandfather. My grandfather was an entrepreneur and probably the least like flashy guy you would ever know, but really a figure in the community and actually built, you know, was very successful as an entrepreneur. And so he would always tell me that, and what he was trying to say was like, be the person. Don't just try to dress the person, you know, the part. Be the part, play the role, do what you're supposed to do, you know. And don't— it's not about dressing up and looking like an artist, you know, it's like, are you actually going and making art today? You know, are you actually going and like, there's no uniform sort of to these things, you know? And so it's in you, not on you is just, it's a slogan and it's an empowering thing because it's like tap into your inner self, you know, and it's about your confidence, you know, it's not really, it's not about your Gucci hat. You know, or whatever, you know, it's like, it's about your confidence. And then the Never Not Creating thing was one of my favorites. It's just like I said, it's that like we're creating communities, we're creating relationships, we're creating— right now, like, I hope to one day just hang out with you and have a drink, you know what I mean? We're creating a relationship here that maybe it leads to something we do. But at the end of the day, the very least, we've created a piece of content that people can, you know, use to apply to their lives, you know. And so, um, never not creating is just like, man, every day when you walk down the street, give somebody a compliment, you know what I mean? Like, clean— pick up a piece of trash on the floor, you know. Um, open the door for a young lady, or for anybody. Open the door for somebody, you know. Um, that's, that's never not creating.

Um, Why do you think, why do you think Microsoft and UPS, do you think we're entering a new era where individual expression has become such a staple of modern life that brands are realizing that in order for their brand to be relevant, they have to be relevant to the individual? They need to first think message like what you're thinking and the way you're thinking versus forcing the individual to conform to an identity.

Do I think we're heading in that direction? Absolutely. I mean, I think that's— again, you know, um, the root word of relationship is relate. And, and when I'm engaging with a company, that's a bit— that's a relationship. I'm an investor, you know. When I, when I purchase something, I'm an investor. And so that's a relationship, you know. That's, that's Are you, are you, are you cool? Are you giving me good energy? Like, not, not the cool, but like, are we vibing? Are we, you know, are you, uh, is there some sort of benefit here? Are you using me? You know, are you, um, do you care about the things that I care about? Um, these are the things that, you know, when I talk about that's the future, I think that people are just becoming more aware and conscious about where they spend their dollar. You know, where they invest their money. And so absolutely, they have to— companies have to, because there's people like myself who are creating new companies that are doing it with good intentions and from the beginning, you know.

So absolutely. Let's talk a little bit about just designers. I mean, you're a self-taught designer. And you're talking with an audience who works with designers, and at Supervision, you work with designers either in-house or collaboration. You can let me know if I'm wrong on any of that, but as a designer yourself, how can we best partner with talented designers to create the best collaborative relationships? You've got a lot of experience in this.

Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, I think as a designer or just to create a partnership, I think that When I get the call, the companies that I align with are the ones that don't just come to me with this cookie-cutter opportunity and say, fit in this box or fit in this, you know, sort of play that we've already set up for you. We just need you to stand there, you know, stand there and just stand, you know, or make us a t-shirt. It's like, I think the companies that call and want to understand, you know, like I said earlier, seek first to understand, then to be understood, you know. They want to understand what's my process, you know, what's my creative process like. They want to understand what are my goals, you know. Um, I also love there's companies that I've collaborated with that don't even need this like big sort of brand placement, you know what I mean, opportunity. It's like, it's more about, hey, how can we help what you're working on? You know, it's not, it's not necessarily an advertising opportunity. It's just an opportunity for us to, you know, sort of move or empower creatives and entrepreneurs, you know. And I understand business, right? Everybody needs an ROI, right? It's great. That's cool. And we can do that. But that's done best when there's a real understanding and respect for somebody's process or what their craft is. And so that's what companies, you know, I love that.

The reason I love that is because there's so many, I think there's so many that we move so fast and folks come in with their agenda. This is what we got to do. This is what we got to move, move, move. And what you just said was really enlightening because designers typically have developed this muscle that they've created in their life. That's a very important part of their skill and their craft and their passion. And we don't think in terms of pausing and saying, What is your process like? Here's our process. Let's compare the two and see how we can learn from each other and then fit that together, as opposed to maybe a client comes in and just wants to railroad whatever, whatever's happening.

Instead, that's where you get that real collaboration, right? Absolutely. Absolutely. And oftentimes, and I'll just say this for whoever's listening out there, don't, you know, you can't lean too hard on those agencies. You know what I mean? Sometimes they can, like, throw it off a little bit, you know, because they're just so agency-focused. But it's like, there's— it's just relationships, you know what I mean? We're all human, you know?

Yeah, yeah. Let's pause and be people for a minute and respect that. Yeah. Regarding your inspiration, the Microsoft Collection was inspired by your youth growing up and playing around with MS Paint. And I love how you were able to dig into that personal experience for that project, that inspiration. Where else do you go for inspiration? Who else inspires you? Um, if you can limit that, it's, it's like asking what your favorite food is, but go ahead.

Yeah, well, first of all, I follow, I follow a, a motto and it's called live in love. I go where I'm loved and where I love people. Um, I eat at my favorite restaurants that I love. You know, I listen to the music that I love. And so that's a feeling and an energy that I connect to. And that's where I get my inspiration. If I had to point out somewhere that's probably like, you may not think, but my kids, you know, I have two children. I think that we're all children inside. And so hanging out with them and just listening to them talk and how they're, you know, just so genuine and true to themselves. Like, I love just spending time with them and they inspire me tremendously.

Yeah. So are there brands that you admire the most right now? People that are really, really inspire you and your craft?

There's a couple, you know what I mean? I think, I mean, I say there's one company that I really enjoy what they do and that's Ben Jerry's. I love their messaging. You know, I think that, I think the Patagonia move was pretty cool. You know, this like commitment to, you know, our world and climate change. Yeah. I love Mike Tyson. I think Mike Tyson is an incredible just figure. Like he's been able to like reinvent himself.

Yeah. What a brand story, right? You just look at a brand story. I hate to say it that way, but man, what a story.

He overcomes, you know, he's been kicked down and picks himself back up. He's made mistakes publicly and he's picked himself back up and just always been himself. And I think that's one of my favorite stories to watch right now.

That's great. Speak to a younger Gavin, Matthew. What word of encouragement would you give to that young designer who wants to follow in your footsteps? What would you say to young Gavin now that you know what you know?

I would tell younger Gavin, trust yourself, trust your vision. You know what I mean? Like, I think believe in your ideas. Take a risk. Try, you know, fail trying. Even though I started very early, I think I had these— some— a lot of those ideas even earlier than that. You know, and it just took me a little while to actually get the guts to do it, you know. But I think that fail trying, you know, I think trying and failing or trying and being successful, you can't lose. And so I would just tell myself like, just do it. Don't hesitate. Trust your vision. Trust your ideas, even if they're crazy, even if you haven't seen it done before. Trust it because, you know, that original quote I said is supervision is is the intersection between, you know, an idea and reality. It's that, it's that middle piece, right? That's like, do you trust yourself? Are you confident in your ideas? Are you willing to be— are you courageous? Are you willing to take a risk? Are you willing to do something outlandish and, you know, just let it be and see what happens? And so that's supervision, you know, are you— take care of yourself, take care of your mind, take care of your body and and create whatever you can dream up.

Gavin, thank you. It's inspiring. I loved spending time with you today and hearing more of your story. And you are inspiring to all of us.

We appreciate it. Thanks, brother.

I appreciate you too. Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of SKUcast. Be sure to keep up with our latest content by subscribing to SKUcast on iTunes or to our blog at community.commsku.com. Until next time, friends, thanks so much for listening.