August 16, 2008 

_{Def Jux, Dim Mak Use Merch To Push Their Brands} 

CORTNEY HARDING

When most people think of yard sales, they might picture forlorn piles of musty old junk, slightly stained clothes, dog-eared books and discarded toys.

A yard sale held by Dim Mak Records, however, is a different animal. Featuring free beer, food and a DJ lineup to rival any A-list nightclub, Dim Mak yard sales, which have taken place in Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Manila, Philippines, serve to build the label’s brand and to showcase the wide variety of Dim Mak merchandise available.

For many years, labels tended to focus their merch energies on promoting bands; label-specific merch was generally limited to a handful of perfunctory T-shirts, key chains and mugs. But in recent years, two labels, Brooklyn’s Definitive Jux and L.A.’s Dim Mak, have bucked this trend and have begun to develop merch lines dedicated to promoting not just their artists but the labels themselves.

For Def Jux, expanding its label-specific merch was a natural extension of the strong brand it had sought to develop since its launch in 1999. “We noticed that kids identified with the brand early on in the life of the label,” co-founder Amaechi Uzoigwe says. “We did Def Jux-branded tours that did well. We were meeting kids with Def Jux tattoos.”

When Def Jux launched its online store in June, it decided to offer more label-centric merch beyond T-shirts, Uzoig- we says.

“We have belt buckles, which sell like crazy, and after we noticed some of our artists wearing dog tags, we added those,” he says. “And of course, we have the sneakers.”

Influential graffiti artist Phase 2 designed the sneakers, which are currently only available at the label’s online store but will be at some retail outlets this fall.

“I’m surprised at the success of the sneak- ers, although I always thought it was such a cool idea,” Uzoigwe says. “But they’re not just a cool thing for us to sell. They are a way for us to speak to and grow our audience. We know a lot of the kids, like our artists, are into sneakers, and this was a way for us to say, ‘We fit your feet and your lifestyle.’ “

Dim Mak’s merch strategy focuses on branded sunglasses and headphones, in addition to T-shirts. But the label, founded by DJ Steve Aoki, didn’t start off thinking that its merch would become such a huge part of its business plan.

“I was DJ’ing at [fashion trade show] Magic, and they gave me a booth,” Aoki says. “I had no idea what to do with it, so I took some label shirts we had sitting around and stuck an intern in the booth. People came up to us nonstop throughout the conference to ask about the shirts and opportunities, and it evolved from there.”

Aoki says Dim Mak produces about 30 T-shirt designs per season, which are sold at fashionable boutiques like L.A.’s Kitson and Colette in Paris. All the T-shirts incorporate the Dim Mak name somewhere in the design.

“The presentation of the Dim Mak name varies from shirt to shirt,” label manager Ana Calderon says. “In some cases, it’s really in your face; other times, it’s more abstract. But we always have the name on the tag and hang tags.”

Aoki says he plans to expand the fashion line in the future by partnering with a number of designers and working with his sister, model/actress Devon Aoki, to design apparel that includes women’s wear and denim. He also plans to hold more events like the yard sales and organizes fashion shoots where Dim Mak artists model the label’s latest attire.

“The clothing does well,” says Aoki, who declines to say what portion of Dim Mak’s revenue is generated by apparel sales. Label brand manager Mike Soops says Aoki’s DJ gigs provide the bulk of the label’s income, but that the clothing line comes in second, ahead of music sales.

“The clothing line is more active right now,” Soops continues. “The label just signed a bunch of new artists, so we don’t know whether the merch will continue to be such a big chunk. But it has definitely helped us build up our base of supporters and bring our core community together.”