Lucky-13

Rock and Roll

LUCKY-13 – Rock and Roll Lucky 13 is an American hot rod clothing company servicing Pinup, Rockabilly, Psychobilly, Rock n’ Roll, and Runk Rock guys etc. for over 15 years. Hot rods, choppers, tattoos, hot pinups and a good taste of awesome music ... that's the lifestyle that needs a special fashion. Dennis Rowehl interviewed Jeff Carroll (marketing ) about the history and the future of a fashion that represents the roots of Rock.

Autona: Can you give a short overview about the history of “Lucky-13”? When was the idea born and what was the impulse for founding a Rock & Roll influenced-fashion label?

Jeff Carroll: Lucky-13 started about 17 years ago with a group of friends who were tired of what everybody else was doing, so they set up shop in a garage and went for it! Making the clothes that they would want. The concept has stayed the same since day one, Music, Tattoos, Motorcycles, Extreme sports, Cars, and art! All the things we take interest in. Having fun, living fast, and being yourself has been the formula that we have gone by from the beginning. Lucky-13 is a lifestyle for those who dare to accept it!

Autona: How many brands like “Lucky 13”, and “Grease Gas and Glory” belong together?

Jeff Carroll: Lucky-13 is the big brother to Felon Clothing, Dirty Devil Apparel, and Grease Gas & Glory. We have recently joined forces with our good friends from Dice Magazine who are introducing the world to a full line of apparel inspired by 1970’s bikers. All of our brands offer something that is a little bit different than the next. Lucky-13 is your tattoo, Rock & Roll, everyday lifestyle brand. Felon is a bit more vulgar, has more of an edge to it with a middle finger in the air attitude. Dirty Devil is our Hot-Rod inspired line with Agnostic Front singer Roget Miret. We have a family tree of brands here but they all mesh together pretty well.

Autona: Of course in the fashion section there's plenty of business competition. What's your marketing concept for still being successful in a market where many people like celebrities show up to create a T-Shirt collection etc.? Is it important to capture a special niche?

Jeff Caroll: Yes and No. A niche is always good in the beginning because it helps you gain your brand following, but if you focus too hard on that niche you can get stuck and have a hard time trying to expand into new markets. We have been fortunate enough to create a good name for ourselves to where we are a recognizable brand with a great following, we never get concerned or threatened with new brands or celebrity owned companies. We have been around for a long time and only seem to grow each year, trends fade away! You can be hot one minute and gone the next, we are in for the long haul!

Autona: You support a couple of bands and events, upon which target group do you concentrate?

Jeff Carroll: We work with a lot of bands from many different spectrums of the “Rock & Roll” family tree. When working with bands we generally don’t seek out a specific target market, we just try to support bands that we like musically. It’s basically the same formula when it comes to events, we like to be involved with events that are fun and attract like minded people. Lucky-13 supports many different types of events including Tattoo conventions, skateboard contests, hot-rod shows, concerts, etc. These are all the things we have an interest in, so it only makes sense for us to support various events of this nature.

Autona: What's your personal favorite music?

Jeff Carroll: That’s a hard question to answer because I listen to all types of music. If I had to choose a specific genre I would have say Rock & Roll. When I listen to music I like to get hyped up and feel the music. Nothing beats a fast Rock & Roll song that makes you wanna tap your foot and shred some air guitar! Bands like Revolution Mother, Zeke, and The Sparring are just a few that I have had in heavy rotation lately.

Autona: Lucky-13 is available world wide, are the United States still the most important market for you?

Jeff Carroll: All of our markets across the globe are important. The United States is definitely a big focus for us, but we have a great following in Japan, Europe, Australia, Canada and South America as well. We want to take over world and get Lucky-13 to every inch of the globe!

Autona: What's the biggest challenge for a company or a brand to stay successful in the future? Do you also need trend scouts in the Rock, and Psychobilly section?

Jeff Carroll: It’s important to stay focused and set goals for your company! Lots of things play a roll in being successful, it’s definitely important to function as a team! It’s obviously important to stay ahead of the trends so that we can continue to grow and evolve with everything that is constantly changing. Building positive relationships with customers, putting out a quality product that separates you from your competition, marketing your brand to the right people, it’s all a big challenge. Nothing in the fashion industry is easy but with the right team anything can be accomplished! I guess you could say we are all trend scouts, our staff is a unique group of individuals with inspiration coming from tattoo’s, art, music, skateboarding, surfing, etc. We all bring something different to the table that helps keep us up with what needs to happen. We are that group of people that your mother warned you about when you were a kid, ha-ha!

 

Fotos: Lucky-13

Redakteur: Dennis Rowehl

© 2009