We talked about the design process and product line from Nati Evolvement in Part 1 of the interview. Now it’s time to find out who’s buying their stuff and what else the guys are up to.

Who’s a Nati?
So who’s buying Nati Evolvement gear (and getting the possibly naughty notes)? People all across the country and around the world who wear Nati on their sleeve as an outward display of their pride for their hometown.

“It’s amazing to see our online orders come in from San Fransisco, Philadelphia, New York and other places around the country as people still want a way to connect with home and show their pride in our city.”

They get a lot of emails, texts, and MySpace messages with stories about people connecting away from home because they recognize the Nati line and realize they have something in common–something they never would have known about otherwise.

Part of the Community
It’s those types of stories that feed their interest in community outreach.

“…In many ways we still pride ourselves on our involvement in community events and partnerships. That’s really what we’re about, promoting the positive things taking place in our city and helping to spread the gospel.”

They’re also passionate about providing small businesses with the tools they need to succeed.

“We also get really excited about those companies who help to change the landscape of things in the community, from a neighborhood restaurant to a community festival and anything in between.”

They do other stuff, too
The guys do more than t-shirts, you know. From logo design and business cards to uniforms and menus, they offer full branding services, and say they especially enjoy working with people who are passionate and focused on their business objectives.

“Building off of their passion for what they do and their vision we get almost as excited about the project as them and take that energy into the design process.”

Much of their design business has come from word-of-mouth referrals and people who have seen their t-shirts. I speculate that each time someone walks down the street in a Nati Evolvement tee, it’s almost like a walking advertisement for their work!

“We’ve had the great fortune to work with some great new restaurants including Lavomatic and The Rookwood Bar & Restaurant and a new place called Senate that you should see this fall.”

They’ve also created designs for the Midpoint Music Festival, the local Unicef chapter’s TAP Project, the Eco Go Go fashion show–anything that helps them connect with people dedicated to improving the community.

What’s next
So what’s next for Nati? In addition to web design, Adam is also a videographer and they plan on expanding that side of the business, which will be increasingly important as more mobile devices support video. There’s a new website in the works with two sidAdd New Post ‹ The Style Sample — WordPresses–one for design, one for clothing–which should launch by the end of the month, and they’ve been working on launch splashes with Tyler from MTV’s Taking the Stage. They also want to expand the children’s clothing line.

“Cincinnati’s a great place for young families and we want to ensure that even the little ones have some sweet Nati gear.”

You can get your Nati Evolvement at Denim and Park + Vine in Cincinnati, or online at www.GetNati.com. Stop by and say hello on MySpace or on their blog at getnati.blogspot.com.

Read these, too:
Interview with: Nati Evolvement Part 1
Style: A Lovely Day
Red, Pink and Blue Fashion Show

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Last week, I received an email from Cincy Chic about a trunk show at Cincy Designer Shoes in Hyde Park. Naturally, my raging shoe obsession compelled me to make my way over there to check things out.

The trunk show was for LaDuca, a line of shoes created by Phil LaDuca, who has designed shoes for everyone from Penelope Cruz to Uma Thurman. The man knows his stuff–I’d been there less than two minutes before he determined my shoe size and correctly picked the most Tamia-ish pair of shoes from his fall line!

Thanks to the graciousness of Phil and the wonderful staff at Cincy Designer Shoes, I tried on shoe after gorgeous shoe and was consistently surprised and delighted at how comfortable they were.  And I mean seriously comfortable, not just “yeah, I could walk a few blocks in these” comfortable. As it turns out, LaDuca also produces a line of dance shoes, so the built-in shock absorption and arch support dancers need translates nicely to the fashion line.
It didn’t hurt that the lovely staff at Cincy Designer Shoes is just as helpful as they are stylish. Pictured here (all wearing LaDuca shoes, of course) from left to right: Flora Schwartz, boutique owner Carrie Cameron, Jamie Shugarman, and Rae Cameron (Carrie’s mom!).

If you’re ever in the neighborhood, be sure to stop by. If you go this week, you might see me picking up the free pair of LaDuca shoes I won in their raffle! Free shoes = happy me!

Read these, too:
Fantasy Shopping: Shoes
Style Psychology 101: Ugly But Cool Shoes
Shoe Yearning: Got ‘Em!

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