“I find that our faith and how it affects us isn't limited to just one verse but it's a good starting point. Even though we named the company 3Sixteen (after what we believe in and what's changed our lives), we prefer to let our work speak for itself and let discussion and exchange come out organically, rather than through any forced agendas. Our agenda isn't to make Christian clothing or to convert anyone...”

~ Andrew Chen

By Catzie Vilayphonh  |  Send to Friend

Just a while back, someone told me that Andrew Chen was an undercover Asian American activist student during his undergrad years. Of course I had to ask him this and he laughed. Andrew didn’t even go to those ASA meetings, except for the occasional free food. Yep, he was "that dude". Ever since then we've had our run of inside Asian jokes. But Andrew's not your typical streetwear runner, either. Unlike the fresh-out-of-college newbies who are trying their hand at this clothing thing for the first time, Andrew started 3Sixteen alongside his well-paying corporate job before quitting to run it full-time. Oh yeah, he's married, too -- a rarity in an industry of fly-by-night "relationship building." But yeah, Andrew's settled. Here's a little chat we had about balancing religion and marriage with making clothes and some good old Chinese food.

Catz: Don’t worry, I’m not gonna ask you anything serious.

Andrew: Come on, the weirder the questions the better. I’m tired of "So how long have you made cool guy clothes" ,"How many pairs of sneakers do you have?"

Catz: Ok fine, how much do you make a year?

Andrew: $0.00. You can print that.

Catz: So how does your wife feel now that you've squandered away the family income into making clothes?

Andrew: She believes in what we're doing. I'm not going to lie; it's a big sacrifice... I'm not on my own anymore -- this is a family decision that we've made together. I'm really grateful that she is willing to make sacrifices right now so that I can pursue something worthwhile. And the worst thing is that I still buy clothes! It's not like making clothes has removed that expenditure from our budget.

Catz: Mmmmhhhhmm. So how does her traditional Chinese family feel about your decision so far?

Andrew: Surprisingly, they were cool with it from the jump. I mean, I came from seven years in corporate America and I had a good job (financially) --

Catz: You mean they didn’t wanna disown you guys?

Andrew: They knew I was serious about taking care of her and that I wouldn't be dumb about it... It was really nice to have their trust. I also think that they at some point wanted to do something on their own.

Catz: Her family wanted to make their own clothing too?

Andrew: No, not clothing, but at some point or another I'm pretty sure they wanted to own their own biz instead of working for someone else.

Catz: You know, I heard somewhere that five was the magic number for how many years it would take a magazine company to keep going and establish themselves for real. What do you think that number is for streetwear companies?

Andrew: Great question. For us, that number is quickly approaching... and whereas a lot of portions of our business are getting more and more on track, there are things we still struggle with. I think the internet and its rapid sharing of information has allowed many companies to forego a lot of the steps that an apparel brand would have had to take to establish themselves. But that might result in brands fizzling out just as quickly... The industry is in a really weird place. I am just focused on cleaning up the areas of our business that need work and making sure that our company grows financially healthier from year to year.

Catz: How many years has 3Sixteen been in effect?

Andrew: 4.5 years. To be honest though, the first three years of the brand were done as a side gig, as a hobby. My then-partner and I always talked about growing the business to where it would be a real day job, but the amount of time that we put into it wouldn't have warranted that result. It was strictly a nights and weekends project that I worked on as I had time. It wasn’t until my ex-partner left and we brought on a new graphic designer (Jeff Hamada) that I saw real potential for the business to grow. I took a risk and hired our intern, Johan Lam, in the summer of 2006 for a fulltime position and the business grew quickly to support that salary.

Catz: But doesn't Johan live on the West Coast? How’d you convince somebody on another coast to work for free?

Andrew: Hah. it sounds strange but it has a lot to do with him also believing in what we are trying to do as a company (like my wife), beyond just making clothing, I think an important part of 3Sixteen is the role that our faith plays in what we do.

Catz: Speaking of faith, remind me again what the meaning behind 3:16 is. I know you told me it was from a verse in the Bible, but I kinda zoned out after that. Sorry, I don't pay attention to too much religious stuff.

Andrew: Understandable.

Catz: I'm listening this time!

Andrew: Given the rep Christianity has, I can understand why people would want to zone out... It’s pretty rare that the teachings of Christ are properly represented in his followers --

Catz: Don't get all evangelical on me now, I said I would listen, not convert.

Andrew: I haven't even started! Nor would I know how to.

Catz: Keep going... Or should I say, preaching?

Andrew: Yikes. John 3:16... It's arguably the definitive verse of the Bible. It's what people write on signs and put in the air at sporting events. If people don't know anything about Christianity, most know at the very least that John 3:16 has to do with it in some way. I find that our faith and how it affects us isn't limited to just one verse but it's a good starting point. Even though we named the company 3Sixteen (after what we believe in and what's changed our lives), we prefer to let our work speak for itself and let discussion and exchange come out organically, rather than through any forced agendas. Our agenda isn't to make Christian clothing or to convert anyone... Rather, just to do good work and meet great people along the way. But if you ask us if our faith affects or influences us and the way we design, of course it does. It also affects the way we do business. We hope that it affects every part of our lives -- otherwise that would make us hypocritical people.

Catz: How so? How would that be hypocritical? You're only using a quote, which really only refers to a great sacrifice, right?

Andrew: Yes. Half of the verse is about the sacrifice and the other half is about how that sacrifice changes those who put their faith in the person who made that sacrifice. If there's one thing Christianity is accused of more than anything else, it’s hypocrisy... Christians preach love and tolerance but don't practice it. Our vision for this company is to let our beliefs govern everything end to end or try to, at least.

Catz: Ok, so where are you based right now?

Andrew: I am based out of NYC in the lower east side.

Catz: Oh, so you're close to Chinatown?

Andrew: Yes. Around the corner and further down our street it pretty much turns into Chinatown -- cheap food abounds.

Catz: Do they deliver? Because in Philly our Chinatown is like a three-block radius, and they believe that if you're willing to come to Chinatown for Chinese food, they don't have to deliver.

Andrew: Never really looked into it. Real Chinese places don't deliver -- you go there to pick it up. Besides I welcome the short walks... It gets me out of the office.

Catz: So what is your favorite Chinese dish? And who makes it better, your wife or your mom?

Andrew: My mom doesn't really cook, so my wife wins by default -- but my wife is pretty good in the kitchen regardless. My dad is the cook of the family. I like roast duck a lot (no one can cook it, it's best store bought.) It’s the stuff you see hanging in the windows that people get freaked out by. Little do they know...

Catz: In order to make it you need that machine that blows air in between the skin and the fat.

Andrew: Really? I know nothing about it. All I know is that it is delicious.

Catz: Yeah it's good, but sooooo fattening.

Andrew: That too.

Catz: I really like it in Peking Duck.

Andrew: Yeah the masterful combo -- flour tortilla, hoisin sauce.

Catz: So what's your official position?

Andrew: I don’t even know anymore. My biz card says "Creative Director," but I just juggle random stuff throughout the day -- work with my designer on graphics; work with Johan on cut and sew; work with my design intern, Matt, on tech packs; work with my sales guys. I service press with our upcoming pieces and send product out to stylists and artists; and I work on bookkeeping, accounting and collections.

Catz: You guys have girls’ tees?

Andrew: 3sixteenshop.com. We don't sell them to stores, just a few for our online shop.

Catz: What’s the "Mortal Tee" about?

Andrew: It’s just an X-ray of broken bones with pins stuck in 'em, indicative of the fragility of the human body.

Catz: You remember A. Magazine?

Andrew: Yes, I do, sadly. God, they picked everyone and anyone who was Asian [with] black hair and put them on the damn cover!

Catz: I remember when they put Ming TsaI on there.

Andrew: It had crappy paper, too. I hate that. Makes it feel cheap. And the writing was sucky. Let’s complain some more.

Catz: Haha. I hated their "buy these things" section it was always like bamboo plates --

Andrew: Tea sets...

Catz: Really, really awful. Then people would write the editors and say "Why do you have these articles about how much you hate when people stereotype you and then you tell people to buy bamboo tea sets?"

Andrew: Shit was funny. How long did that publication last for? I read it twice and was embarrassed and stopped.

 

Check out what Andrew and the rest of the 3Sixteen crew are doing here.