Profit x Loss (PXL) Clothing is a UK streetwear brand that still has a connection back to the root of street culture, i.e Music, Skate and Bold presence. With Hip Hop artist 50 cent giving the streetwear pieces a co-sign, US Streetwear stores queuing up to put in orders and the bold typeface Logo emblazoned across staple pieces such as headwear hoodies and long sleeved tees, evoking memories around both the 80’s hiphop culture & the 2014 UK streetwear boom, Profit and Loss will fit any street culture fan’s aesthetic.
We sat down with Co-founder Dacre Bracy also former director of RWD Magazine to find out a bit more about running a UK streetwear brand in today’s crowded market.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from?
No1, I’m a fan of street culture and youth culture and have been for a long time. I love the music, love the fashion, love the energy, the art. But I always wanted to be more than a spectator, I decided early on, that I wanted to be a contributor…
Looking back, my first big move was to launch RWD Magazine in 2000 (with 3 other partners) with the intention of making celebrities out of the UK music artists. At the time the whole scene was raves and pirate radio so there was no real visual documentation. House, Garage, the beginnings of Grime, Dubstup, UK, MC culture etc…
Then eventually I got into doing creative for the iconic record labels and sports brands, e.g adidas, Nike, ASICS, Puma etc. A few years back, I launched a streetwear brand that didn’t take off. Then we launched Profit X Loss late last year (2014)… Since then, it’s been 100 miles an hour!
What does fashion mean to you?
Self expression
When did you realise you wanted to start a clothing label?
Early on, going to the Soul II Soul store and 4 Star General in Camden and Mash on Oxford Street was a massive inspiration. I loved brands like Chevignon, Chippie, Naf Naf (which I couldn’t afford), even Dosse Posse, then hip hop promo Ts, NWA era – Raiders coach jackets and Ts. Then you had Cross Colours all the way through to Ecko, Rocawear etc…
But more recently, what really blew my mind was a brand called Artful Dodger by Scott Langton a few years back. I ended up working on a capsule collection for the brand with the @ukcrooks, but that’s another story…
What was the first article of clothing you ever designed?
 At school I did some screen printing,  just putting pictures of hip hop acts I liked into duo tones.
Where do you get your inspiration for some of your pieces?
I’ve been an obsessive street culture fan for decades… so it comes from that energy, plus I’m an also an Instagram/ tumblr fiend…
Within the UK scene, there are now new opportunities for fashion brands to flourish through UK artists and their promotion. Do you think that has always been the case and can you see the benefits?
UK fashion, music, street art are all part of the same movement and it’s a great time creatively across the board. The digital age has made creativity so accessible, but the usual paths to make a living from it have broken down. Now you need a real hustler mentality to monetise your passion.
My main issue with the UK scene is the limited amount of people who actually contribute financially to the culture they love. How many people are actually buying tickets to the raves and concerts? Actually buying independent brands and not always shopping in fucking Zara… Actually paying to download the music…
So many people double tap but that’s as far as it goes…
Salute to all that do create and contribute and all that do support the culture with their wallet and purse!
With many start up fashion brands popping up in London and beyond, how do you ensure that PXL is set apart from the rest of the crowd?
Not just London but the world – Korea, USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Poland, Australia, everyone is on this FFS! The game is fucking competitive… But when you start out, I think you generally copy the brands you love and then keep designing and working until you develop your own lane that connects with an audience…or you give up.
How would you define the style your brand exemplifies?
Fly shit…We generally design with the intention that our pieces are casual enough to wear on the street, but sharp enough to wear in a club.
What do you believe makes a quality article of clothing?
For me there’s very few who really deliver at a fair price, I think Carhartt WIP make pieces of great quality, King Apparel also. We definitely aspire to the highest standards… But it takes real skill and having great supply chains, factories etc… ultimately it’s trial and error, wasted money and lessons learned…
You recently had 50 Cent wear one of your caps in his ‘9 Shots’ video, how did that come about and this is reflection on the growth of the brand?
That just happened through a mutual friend, salute to 5O, plus all the other musicians who rock Profit X Loss. We like to build relationships with artists which creates a great energy – we’re all chasing dreams…
What advice do you have for aspiring fashion designers?
First up, I think too many people get gassed from looking at brands on Instagram and start their own because they want that lifestyle. This is a business first, one of the easiest to get started in, but one of the toughest to turn into an actual business AKA pay your bills and make a good living…
If you’re serious, it will get way more complex than getting a logo printed on some Ts and stitched on some snapbacks very quickly…
You need graphic design and cut and sew skills, marketing, accounting, sales, photography, web design, start up capital, dumb resilience, determination, good factories, retarded ambition, mentors, good guidance, a large capacity to learn and evolve etc etc
What do you like/dislike about designing clothes?
 This is an incredibly competitive game, so to produce product on par with the greats is very demanding, we take it really seriously, which kills the fun sometimes. But the best highs are seeing people out or on social media who’ve gone and bought it and are wearing the brand with pride…
How would you define your personal style?
Authentic
You stock your products both online and in stores up and down the UK & US, what do you think the pros of stocking in both areas are?
Our biggest market is the US which is a great honour as America is the spiritual home of streetwear.
But selling online or in-store both have pros and cons, but ultimately if you don’t have a genuine buzz, you’ll be collecting cobwebs, not PayPal notifications… Buzz is alchemy, magic, mystical… I think Palace and Dxpe Chef have been the best at creating it organically in the UK – salute!
What are some of your fashion goals within the next 12 months?
Continue to create great product that people enjoy wearing. Spread the Profit X Loss ethos and open our store on Fairfax.
Where can people find out more about you and your work?
@profitxloss and www.profitxloss.com
Plus, thank you to all our customers and supporters across the globe; all the people who’ve helped, especially the PXL family – Rio, @ukcrooks, Don, San, Nige.
Words: Nathan Tuft
