Interview - Mark Capicotto

Glamour Kills Clothing is probably one of the most recognizable brands in the music scene - everyone knows and loves those bright colors and bold designs. Most people, however, don't know much about the company's creator, Mark Capicotto. I asked him a few questions about what it's like to be one of the leading clothing designers out there right now.


PPJ: First, tell us who you are and what you do.

Mark Capicotto: I am Mark Capicotto and I am the owner and Head Designer here at Glamour Kills Clothing.

PPJ: What kind of music did you listen to growing up? How did you get involved in the current scene?

Mark: I grew up listening to punk rock in all its forms: NOFX, Bigwig, Osker, blink-182 to name a few. All of those bands had a huge influence on me. A lot of my friends were in bands and locally we had a great music scene with a lot of shows. It was a weekly tradition to go see as many bands as I could.

PPJ: How did you come up with the idea to start designing clothes and creating your own lines?

Mark:I did a lot of designs for my friends in bands growing up and started working freelance for some bigger acts. Everyone seemed to love my artwork so I questioned, "Why don’t I do this myself?" and Glamour Kills was born.

PPJ: What does the name Glamour Kills mean?

Mark: It really has no significance, haha! I had the idea, concept and tee designs down but didn’t have a name. It sounded cool so it stuck.

PPJ: What are your inspirations as a designer? Do you have any favorite designers?

Mark: I draw a lot of inspiration from everyday things; music and pop culture in general fascinates me. If I had to pick a designer it would be Rob Dobi. I grew up loving his work - he is Godly!

PPJ: How do you choose which bands Glamour Kills will sponsor?

Mark: Well first off, we have to dig the band musically. They also have be genuine hard working good people.

PPJ: What do you look for in employees? How do you keep a team following the same design aesthetics?

Mark: It’s difficult, but as the company grew I started hiring a lot of my friends who share the same interests and visions as I do. You get a few bad eggs along the way but the team we have now is amazing and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

PPJ: What sort of trends do you look for to stay ahead of the thousands of other clothing companies out there?

Mark: I wouldn’t say trends, but we try to stay ahead of everyone and think what we would like to see - create the trends so to speak. There are a lot of other companies out there big and small that like our stuff so much they make it their own, haha.

PPJ: How have social networking sites helped Glamour Kills?

Mark: Amazingly. When I was starting out I had little to no money, and with social networking I was able to reach thousands of customers without spending anything in advertising. If you use it right social networking can be a very powerful tool.

PPJ: Are you planning on opening any more physical locations?

Mark: Yes, we have plans for moving to NYC and California in 2010 and across the pond in 2011.

PPJ: Finally, tell us three bands you think we should be listening to.

Mark: The Dangerous Summer, The Dangerous Summer, The Dangerous Summer.


Thanks again to Mark for answering my questions, and to Jay Taylor at Quite Great Communications/Decade PR for arranging it. Be sure to check out GK and all their great clothes!

glamourkills.com