Our Loot Wear subscriptions aim to bring you the coolest and most original geeky fashions – tees and other wearables, socks, accessories and more! – each and every month. As such, our team share many of the same fan interests as you, the Looters! We sat down with two Loot Wear team members, Tom Kurzanski and Chase Anast, to find out where their inspiration comes from!:
December’s REVOLUTION themed Loot Wear items
Tom Kurzanski
What is your role on the Loot Wear team?
I’m the Apparel Creative Lead, so I get to work with artists and designers, bringing everyones favorite fandoms to life as wearable art!
What were you working on mostly before coming to Loot Wear?
My background is in film (school) and illustration. Out of college, I worked in comics and drew a few indie titles while doing lead editorial illustration for an educational company. That led to opportunities in freelance, working on my own projects as well as coordinating and directing artists for projects that fit well with their capability and aesthetic. As I designed more for apparel, a well known shirt-a-day company brought me on as their Art Director and I came to Loot Crate from there. I’ve been fortunate to build relationships with incredible artists through my apparel and gallery work, which makes creating designs for Loot Wear a great way to connect awesome artists with the right fandoms to truly embody the idea that we’re for fans, by fans.
Where did you get your start in design?
On the floor, under my grandparents table, while ignoring football during Thanksgiving visits. I also think my sister shoving a crayon up my nose when we were kids somehow prodded my brain into design-mode.
What has been your favorite item released by Loot Wear?
I love the Meeseeks hoodie from December, and the TMNT tee by WinterArtwork is fantastic; but the best is yet to come!
What Loot Wear item have you helped design?
As the Apparel Creative lead I have a hand in directing the artwork on all of the items we produce. Best. Job. Ever.
What is your design process like?
It varies, but I’ll often have one idea that cascades into several more. I’ll thumbnail sketch the best of the best, then flesh them out traditionally, scanning them in and building them out with color digitally. Working so often with screen print, its instilled an organizational process in my files with multiple layers for easy revision.
If you could design a Loot Wear item, any style or franchise, what would it be?
A Venture Brothers speed suit. Comfortable and efficient!
Do you have any artists whose work really inspires you?
Too many to list; from Chuck Jones to Darwyn Cooke to John Currin to Aaron Draplin to Whister. Every artist has something to teach, something that you can draw inspiration from.
Where on the web can people find your work?
You can see my stuff at tomkurzanski.com and follow me on FB at facebook.com/t.kurzanski
Chase Anast
What is your role on the Loot Wear team?
I’m an Apparel Designer! I work with our creative lead to get designs from our heads onto that fly pair of undies you’re wearing. That, and I’m also here to look cool.
What were you working on mostly before coming to Loot Wear?
I worked as a freelancer for various clients to deliver their general graphic design needs. I’m like a visual hit man of sorts, only with a full head of hair.
Where did you get your start in design?
I started as a wee lad with a fresh copy of Photoshop, I was the weirdo that liked to do that instead of going urban spelunking or whatever the kids were into. After enough training, I was able to rocket right out of high school into a local advertising agency and built my way up from there.
What has been your favorite item released by Loot Wear?
My favorite item’s gotta be the Mr. Meeseeks hoodie released in December. I can almost hear Justin Roiland’s voice when I wear it… Kinda creepy.
What Loot Wear item have you helped design?
Even though I’m somewhat new, the list would already be too long for me to type here! But I can tell you I worked on that Meeseeks hoodie…
What is your design process like?
First, I get excellent conceptualization from our Creative Lead, then I can take that idea and chisel it into a vectorized piece of artwork that can be scaled to cover the moon! From there, I fold it like a paper airplane and toss it back at our Creative Lead, who will then give insight on improvements that can be made and send it back my way! We play design tennis for a while until a beautiful design hatches from the chaos.
If you could design a Loot Wear item, any style or franchise, what would it be?
I would love to create a line of Nintendo-inspired streetwear apparel.
Do you have any artists whose work really inspires you?
I’ve always been majorly influenced by the artwork of Ken Sugimori (Creator of Pokemon). It’s always in the back of my mind when designing simple, colorful works.
Where on the web can people find your work?
lootcrate.com/wear 😉
