Tribe Label is a lifestyle brand with a focus around gaming but with community at its’ core. We’re creating a brand that you can connect with and be proud to wear. When you’re searching through your closet for something to wear and you see a Tribe Label piece, we want you to go for it. Every. Single. Time.
Our Founder & CEO, Austin Keller, has been playing video games for as long as he can remember, but he’s also been interested in what he wore since his early teenage years. The only problem with that? Well, there wasn’t a brand that puts gaming/fashion together, or at least there wasn’t one that he thought did it well. All of the “gamer” apparel has been the standard picture/quote of [insert famous video game character/franchise here]. That’s not to say there is anything wrong with that, but Austin wanted to wear a brand that had more substance; a brand that made custom designs on comfortable & fashionable clothes that said: “I play games”.
The birth of Tribe Label wasn’t an immediate one, but Austin knew he wanted to create a brand that was all about gaming & community. Not knowing exactly where to start, he picked a company name and logo. “Tribe”. A group of people who are of the same kind or have the same interest. “Shaka”. Used to convey the “Aloha Spirit”, a concept of friendship, understanding, compassion, and solidarity. Afterward, Austin had the logo created but sat on the idea for a while. Doubt! It can happen to the best of us. Eventually, a close friend of his saw the logo on his phone’s wallpaper, asked about it, and confirmed his suspicions that Tribe is a great idea. Shortly after, Tribe Label was born!
It’s clear that gaming & eSports are here to stay, and all of these fans should have a brand that they can get behind. We know & recognize that some eSports organizations are getting into apparel as well, but no one has created a brand without a team/org affiliation. That’s what Austin has set out to do. The process has been long and, at times, hard; from the initial idea, to the creation of the product, and then getting that item to the customer’s front door is very involved, and it can be even harder when everyone on the team is maintaining full-time jobs! But, we’re excited to keep putting out new designs and learning from our community.
We want to know what everyone likes, dislikes, and why. We’ll continue to improve, and one day you’ll see the shaka and immediately think of Tribe.
