apliiq is an online platform for creating unique clothing designs founded by Ethan Lipsitz. apliiq is a team of individuals, creatives, and artists dedicated to bringing the joy of art to the world. They are based in Los Angeles, California.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. I’m co-founder and CEO of apliiq, a platform for creating one of a kind clothing online with unique textiles. I am interested in using the internet to make shopping a more creative and playful process and drive meaning behind what we buy in encouraging the customer to be the designer.

How has living in Los Angeles affected your work? apliiq couldn’t exist in any other American city. The production and material resources and the high quality of life make downtown LA the best place for this company. We can source all our garments and fabrics within a few blocks of our workshop, allowing us to be vertically integrated without taking on significant inventory and our team combines the perfect mix of technology and manufacturing skills that are much easier to find in Southern California than anywhere else.

What are some recent, upcoming or current projects you are working on? We just launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring laser cutting technology to our platform and make apliiq infinitely creative. Instead of the pre-set pockets and linings we traditionally offer today, the laser cutter will open the door to a world of shapes and styles for embellishing your swag. Our first product is custom jerseys with your choice of fabric letters and numbers. Pre-order yours on our campaign page!

 

 

If you were a drink what drink would you be? Probably Ginger Beer, I’m a ginger, I’m fizzy but I got some sharpness.

How did your interest in art or fashion begin? I’ve always been creative and into color. I think I have a very tactile connection to color, I want to hold it and eat it; it’s all consuming. Growing up in a verdant park-filled town outside of Boston, I was afforded many opportunities to explore my creativity through outdoor play, art and music. In high school I took more of an interest in design which coalesced in college when I started selling custom hoodies to friends.

Who would you ideally like to collaborate with? I would love to work with JR, his work transforms cities with huge wheat paste works and I think together we would explore how fabric can interact with buildings and structures to bring attention to the pattern and texture of our everyday surroundings.

How long have you lived in Los Angeles and what brought you there? I’ve lived in Los Angeles since 2008. I moved here to pursue my dream and found apliiq. It’s the best city in the world to do what we do.

What are you reading right now? I’m reading ‘Wherever you Go, There you Are’ by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Cloud Atlas and a handful of other books when I have a free moment.

What do you want a customer to walk away with after experiencing your work? I want them to feel like it’s their work, like they designed something amazing and they will love it forever.

Any current or upcoming events you are involved in that we should know about? This Friday we’re opening our workshop for our Kickstarter backers to come in and customize a tee. We’ll have some great local artists performing including Def Sound and Magic Giant and all our inventory on sale. Should be a great event and a cool way for our community to experience the shop first hand!