Art of Craft – A New Brand to Celebrate Artisans and Their Craft
Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) November 04, 2013 -- Today marks the birth of a brand equally devoted to both style and substance, merging and celebrating artisans and their crafts from around the globe all through one constant medium – a t-shirt. This is Art of Craft; a brand that believes craft should be celebrated.
Art of Craft, the brainchild of three California-based friends and established entrepreneurs, Derek Galkin, Sal Masekela, and Tu Pham, who each possess rich and unique backgrounds in the industries of art, music, fashion and design, was created with the goal of giving artisans and craftsmen a platform to share their talents and stories with a greater audience.
Art of Craft finds the people behind passion projects and aims to celebrate them and their craft. These people may be a sculptor, an architect, a photographer, a winemaker, a musician, an actor – simply someone who does what they love and who is equally devoted and uniquely talented in what they do. Some of these selected artisans may be world renowned, and some may be only known within their field or community.
“With Sal, Tu and I all coming from very different backgrounds yet in similar art-based industries, we’ve had the good fortune to be exposed to so many talented and extraordinarily gifted individuals over the years, who are at the very top of their crafts,” said Derek Galkin, Co-founder of Art of Craft and creative contributor behind brands like SeaVees, Sperry Top-Sider, Pantone, James Perse and more. “While many of these crafts are not typically celebrated or even seen by the masses, our goal with Art of Craft is to not just identify these individuals, but raise awareness around them and their crafts by sharing their talents with the world and in turn, raising money for more to follow in their footsteps. And of course, producing and offering a very special wearable piece of art in the process.”
How It Works: Every two weeks, a limited edition Art of Craft product will be exclusively released for purchase at http://www.ArtofCraft.com and select Fred Segal locations. Each limited-edition Art of Craft item, ranging from apparel to accessories, will be a collaboration with a selected artist to celebrate their craft and accomplishments while sharing their story, history and venture - $6 from each item sold will then go to the select artist’s cause or non-profit of choice.
The cause must reflect the artist’s craft in some way – perhaps it’s the photography school they attended, or the bakery where they first worked before opening their own. With each collaboration, the funds raised will be allocated to a specific project or rather goal, within that cause so consumers will have one-hundred-percent transparency in where their money is going and what it is being used towards. This goal will be clearly laid out for consumers to see and learn about when each project is announced on the website.
Product Launch: Art of Craft’s debut project features founding partner Sal Masekela and his chosen craft: music. The first project is unique in that it features Sal’s father, Hugh Masekela, an inspiring musician who impacted apartheid in Africa through music. The charity of choice is Sal’s own charity, Stoked, a mentoring program that uses action sports culture to help develop and educate inner-city youth. The funds raised from this t-shirt will be used to finance four round-trip weekend excursions for Stoked kids from New York City to the mountains this winter to learn how to snowboard.
Art of Craft t-shirts are designed, manufactured and printed in Los Angeles, CA. Shirts are pre-shrunk and available in Men’s, Women’s Boys and Girls styles and designs. In addition to shipping throughout the U.S., http://www.ArtofCraft.com also ships to internationally based costumers at an additional shipping-fee.
View the entire Masekela collaboration and corresponding t-shirt design online at artofcraft.com, facebook.com/celebratecraft, instagram.com/artofcraft, twitter.com/celebratecraft, or pinterest.com/ supportcraft.
This is Art of Craft.
We are a lifestyle brand devoted to both style and substance, finding the great artisans and craftsmen of the world and giving them a forum to share their talents and stories with a greater audience. We find the people behind the passion projects – a musician, an architect, a photographer, a painter – and feature them and their craft on a limited-edition Art of Craft T-shirt.
About Us.
Art of Craft is the brainchild of three Southern California-based entrepreneurs Derek Galkin, Sal Masekela and Tu Pham. Galkin brings over 20 years of experience to the brand. Whether starting brands from scratch, reviving distressed brands or recognizing growth opportunities in underperforming brands, Galkin has repeatedly improved market position through his brand vision and product creation abilities. In addition to Art of Craft, Galkin is co-founder and partner in SeaVees, a California based footwear brand where he was successful in creating a key platform that included a strategic investment from the Deckers Outdoor Corporation (DECK) as well as launching the brand into the stores of coveted retailers such as Jeffrey NY, Fred Segal, Bergdorf Goodman, Barney’s and J. Crew. Previous to his success at SeaVees, Galkin gained his experiences aligning himself with global brands such as Sperry Top-Sider and Oakley.
Masekela is best known as an international action sports and entertainment personality. He’s served as lead anchor for networks like ESPN, NBC and E! Entertainment and serves as a brand ambassador of Nike and the Red Bull Media House. Masekela’s personal passion for film and music has driven his foray into filmmaking with his TriBeCa Film Festival debuted short documentary Alekesam and his first full- length album ‘The Sound of Alekesam’. Masekela is also the co-founder of the New York and LA Based non- profit, Stoked Mentoring.
Pham’s background in art direction and creative development for brands from industry giants like Johnson & Johnson and Adobe to aesthetic experts like Pantone puts her at the forefront of the Art of Craft aesthetic that is design-oriented, simple and classic, to reflect the brand’s vision and voice.
Art of Craft launched in November 2013 with its debut project featuring Masekela and his chosen craft: music. View the entire collaboration and corresponding t-shirt design online at http://www.artofcraft.com, facebook.com/celebratecraft, instagram.com/artofcraft, and twitter.com/celebratecraft.
Libba Cox Burke, Art of Craft, http://www.ArtofCraft.com, +1 203-415-0797, [email protected]
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