1. For those who may not know you, or what you do, tell us about yourself?
"My name is Ha Mai. I’m just an everyday guy trying to make it in this world by doing whatever the hell I want to do / how I want to do it through one of the most powerful mediums in the world – the T-shirt."
2. How did the whole idea behind Fur Face Boy come about?
"I was sitting at work coming off a horrendous break up. Fed up with my job and life as a whole I decided right then and there that I wanted to start a T-shirt line representing all things I like, love and am passionate about. Again, I just want to do whatever the hell I want to do / how I want to do it."
3. Incredibly at such a young age you've accomplished a lot of success with the Fur Face Boy Clothing Line, and its growth. What goals have you set for yourself as far as your brand goes?
"I’m very proud with the way the brand is progressing, but believe me when I say that I’m not even near where I want to be. I set my goals extremely high, yet I understand it’s gonna take time. There’s only one ultimate goal for FFB: To have Fur Face Boy a globally appreciated brand. Since FFB is only 8 months old, I haven’t put a gauge of success on it yet, so ask me again after a year."
4. With the styles changing from season to season, how do you keep your
products current, and refreshing?
"Truth is, I just do whatever I want to do. If I want a brightass yellow t-shirt for the winter, then fuck it…you’re gonna see me make a brightass yellow t-shirt in the winter; ill just wear a thermal underneath and throw on a jacket if it’s cold. Who’s to say I gotta follow standards and trends?"
5. With many clothing lines basing their offices in the fashion capitols Ca, and NY, I find it interesting you chose to base yours out of your home state, as well as mines Texas. What sparked your decision to stay home?
"Fashion capitals? THUH! I love Texas. Everyday I wake and I’m proud to say I’m Texan! I’m a Texas boy for life! Who says I gotta be from or move to CA or NY?!"
6. Your also a graphic designer correct? Were you always deeply in to art?
"Yea, that’s right. I’m a graphic designer and yea, I’m deep into art. But only because I’m deep into EVERYTHING. I don’t necessarily categorize art as “art”. A building, landscaping, furniture, a car, comics, cartoons, the human body, video games and music. To me everything is art."
7. In a day and age where they're many brands, what do you feel is the ingredient that give Fur Face Boy its identity?
"I’m not all about the money. I just do it to be happy. I try to make the brand very personal. If you go to my blog, you’ll find that every step I took to get to this point. Good news or bad news I share it with everyone to read about. If the brand ever totally fell flat on its face, then you’ll know about it. I make sure that all FFB shirts have a hand-made quality to them. Every shirt is STILL hand folded, bagged, labeled and inspected ALL by me. If you look on the inside of the shirt, you’ll find the proof."
8. What would a normal day in the life of Ha Mai consist of?
"Waking up at about 7:30am. Sit in traffic for about 35 minutes to an hour. Get to work by 9am. Listen to art / creative / marketing directors bark in my ear all day. Switching up a design about 50 times over before reverting back to the original design. Eat at Subway. Waste 1-2 hours sitting in a useless meeting. Head home. Sit in traffic for at least an hour. Play fetch with my dog, Bear Mai (The OG FFB) for 30 mins. Watch the King of Queens for an hour. Work on Fur Face Boy. Eat dinner. Back to work on Fur Face Boy. Walk Bear Mai for at least 30 mins. Work on more Fur Face Boy. Sleep at 2 or 3am. Repeat."
9. Is there anyone who you dream of having the chance to work with in the
future?
"Yea. Nike. Nuff said."
10. What were your first thoughts upon receiving me email, and checking out http://sidashford.com?
"I really feel that I’m a nobody. I’m just your average joe trying to fulfill his dreams, so for someone to take notice in what I’m doing, I was very flattered. When I checked out the site I thought it was a cool, simple, direct and easy to read site. Which, I like."
