If you are into partying hard and the rave subculture then look no further. Allen's designs are super colorful and tre trippy.
What inspired you to start designing tee shirts?
It was probably a combination of marijuana and Vicodin which inspired me to begin.
How long have you been in the industry?
Koalapop opened in March, 2008 but since September, 2007 I had already been researching and creating designs. Preproduction for my brand took roughly half a year.
What advice would you give someone just starting out?
I would sincerely recommend a brief foray into the world of psychedelic drugs while sorting out your brand's themes and vision.
What style has worked best for you as a designer?
My designs are pretty stylized and I've found that the cleaner the lines, the bolder the composition, the more bombastic the colors, etc. the better a design will lend itself to being printed onto a piece of pop-art clothing. Grunge elements, gradients, etc. will muddy up the shirt's concept, in my opinion. The reason why is because a passerby has only a few seconds to glance at a shirt, and even your friends probably don't want to stare up close at your clothes for half a minute in order to understand what you're wearing. My goal is to make my clothing designs bold and intuitive.
Where do you see your company in 5 years?
In the hearts and minds of fine raver girls the world over.
What is your favorite design?
We have a design called "Octopop" which is my personal favorite. It depicts a multi-colored octopus drawn in successive layers of lines (the line detail isn't readily noticeable from afar but reveals itself nicely from up close) with a huge lightbulb trapped inside its translucent head. The message behind the design is, as usual, left deliberately ambiguous so that everyone can interpret it for themselves.
Who has been your biggest influence in your designs?
A lot of influences are woven into Koalapop, and the site is always slowly evolving, but if asked to choose one influence I'd probably say the late pop legend Andy Warhol.
What is your favorite design by another artist?
I glanced at Jeremy Kalgreen's interview below and noticed he likes Glenn Jones. I'd have to agree: Glenn's concepts and execution are quite impressive. Take a look at his design called "Experimental Music".
Please pick 3 of your best designs.
"Koalapop on Mars", "Shock and Ahh Yeah", and "Tablet Smiley" are farily iconic of the Koalapop brand, and they're what I personally think of first. But instead of linking to them, I'd rather fans look them up by hand in hopes they'll stumble upon others they like.
Tat2ts does not endorse the use of recreational drugs.
