Brian Liu, the founder of Tyte Lids talks about how he got started in the whole hat painting game. He discusses deeper in his life morals and what he decides to do in the future. He believes a brand is a voice that has the ability to spread meaning messages.

Provide us a brief explanation of how you became involved with Arts.

I grew up in a family of four while my parents are designers in advertising; I was basically surrounded by the whole artsy atmosphere. However, I didn’t go into the Arts direction through their influence, I kind of just found my own way and what not. I also do a bit of photography, drawing, sculpture, and lots of designs.

What is the concept behind the name “Tyte Lids”?

With Tyte Lids, I never really took it seriously. By this I mean that I never really sat myself down and was like, “let’s start a brand, let’s start a business.” I just started thinking, “why buy a hat that doesn’t say who you are, or what you’re like, when I can just paint my own and truly express myself?” With Tyte Lids, it’s neither really quite street nor hip hop, and at the same time, it’s not really your first impression when it comes to hats. With the name, I was kind of making fun of it all and decided to call it Tyte Lids (cool hats).

How was “Tyte Lids” established?

You know El Kartel? I started making hats for people around me, say friends and family and more people started asking me. One day, I was wearing one of my hats and I went into El Kartel. Marvin, one of the owners, saw my hat and said “hey that’s a great hat, do you have more?” I told him I did, but truth was, I didn’t. He told me to bring some in next week and my mind was racing already. I ran home, looked up the internet for some blank hats and then just painted 10 of them and brought it to him. That’s pretty much how it all started.

Of all your past events, which one to you was the most successful? Explain.

The most successful I’d say would be the fashion show with “Engineers without Borders”. I had a booth there and made some good cash that night; portions of the proceeds went to charity. Tyte Lids is about helping the community and society and not so much trying to make everyone look like everyone else. This event was definitely a financial success. I’ve held many small/house parties under Tyte Lids, and they were good, but they were small and with close friends, not so much extending my network.

Besides designing hats, what else can you see yourself doing?

I would probably be sitting in an office designing stuff, which is definitely something I wouldn’t enjoy. I worked a co-op term at an advertising firm, called JWT Hong Kong. They worked with big brands like Nike and Rolex, but I just didn’t like it. I had a good taste at what the designing industry is like and it’s too high strung for me. There was too much stress involved and many deadlines. I don’t think I would work well in closed spaces. I lived it all with my life and I’m pretty free and whenever I get inspired, I just have to paint it.

What designs do you personally prefer on hats?

I like it simple and more direct. Maybe as a designer, I’ve seen a lot of cluttered work and probably created a lot of it too. If I were to choose a word, I guess subtle would be what I like. What I’m wearing right now, it has a design on the side, not too flashy and it leaves the front with lots of space.

What else can we expect from “Tyte Lids” besides hats?

I want to do necklaces; I am already doing some t-shirts, but just playing around. I think I would like to do some custom shoes too. It’s an issue though because the costs of shoes are much higher. Hats are inexpensive so it’s a lower risk. It’s my kind of marketing strategy, custom shoes are definitely one of my interests but I can’t call for such a large investment yet.

Why did you choose the specific style of hat for all current Tyte Lids hats?

I actually started with mesh caps, but I find these more sophisticated and it could be labeled as street or urban. It’s less childish, and that’s the whole thing with the brand, it’s not trapped in one style. I might go back to mesh caps, if I can find better quality mesh caps or I might stick to stuff that’s high in quality. On the other hand, I am also thinking of working with toques or fedoras. People would have to really keep an eye on what’s next.

Photography by: Nico Mak

So, where can I find a “Tyte Lids” hat?

El Kartel, Royce, Shop Cocoon, Complex. The online shop is something I have been holding back because the truth is I don’t really like working with websites. Currently, I am looking in a few more stores. Perhaps some in Richmond, and more in Gastown. It’s all about environment work because it expands your audiences.

You do custom hats as well, can you tell us a bit more about that?

Custom work takes a lot more time, but it does depend on the design itself. They start at $90 and I would charge more depending on the extra hours spent on it. Before I start a custom hat project, I would ask the client a series of questions. If it’s for a friend, I would ask questions about their background and personality to get me started. People ask to get a hat made and so far I’ve had only satisfied customers so I am happy about that.

Can you give us a sneak peek into any surprises that Tyte Lids might be putting out in 2009?

I like to do more T-Shirts and get more like a team of designers to work on it under the brand of Tyte Lids. I want to investigate into UBC (University of British Columbia), maybe look into anniversary party with a bigger venue, better location, etc. I really want to target the university crowd more.

As a solo team on Tyte Lids, how do you expect to cope when an increase of demands for your products occurs?

There’s a definitely a possibility that more artists will be joining my team. When that happens I will make sure it’s not like a factory, I want the team members and myself to collaborate and work on partnership projects together. I never really want Tyte Lids to become too big and it’s better to keep it unique. If it becomes BIG, of course it’s rewarding, but still, I don’t think I am ever going to full mass production. I know that would be great but I would like to keep it personal. In terms of quality of work, I want it to be from the heart. In keeping Tyte Lids small, I will be able to learn more and keep it under control.

What is your biggest concern about the hat industry today?

Did you say concern? Ed Hardy is my first and biggest problem. I appreciate what New Era is doing, it’s a pretty cool brand, but for the most part, Ed Hardy is just bad quality, bad design. People buy it just for the brand. If you asked me what is the opposite of what I do with Tyte Lids, it would be Ed Hardy. If you read some of my other interviews, I trash Ed Hardy at any opportunity I get. I can’t seem to pinpoint the problem but it just looks cheap. Over saturation is also another big concern for me. There’s too much going into the industry right now and they’re all going for hit or miss: if people like it then they like it and if they don’t then they don’t. The character in these hats are gone as well as the character with people choosing what they wear. My concern about the future is that people will stop looking for something unique and start buying the same things.

Have you ever had any other ambitions with your talent, or has this always been what you wanted to do?

To be completely honest, Tyte Lids is not going to be my main thing in life; it’s not really my passion. If I ask myself where I want to be and what do I want to do, it’s not going to be a hat painter. What I want to be is actually a person of influence. I want to be a person that cares so much for people that it changes lives. I want to take care of the underdogs, the people that aren’t being treated properly and the people that you think of when you get told “it could be worse”. These are the people that deserve the attention from you.

I think Tyte Lids was a method for me to live my life how I wanted it to be. In the next five years, I am dedicated to working with campus ministries and various other student leaders, helping them become more well rounded people and helping them come that much closer to their potential. I find this so much more fulfilling than just another design job in an office. It’s a two part thing for me, I guess. You can never be just an engineer or just an accountant. Some people it is just the way they are, but for me, I just don’t think I can choose one.

What is your ultimate goal with Tyte Lids? In other words, where is the ultimate destination for Tyte Lids?

With Tyte Lids, I think it’s truly a unique and rare brand. It’s rare that a brand can make a difference in addressing humanitarian issues. Livestrong, Nike, they’re all doing it, but I want to use the brand -

-wait, sidetrack…

A brand is a voice. With this kind of voice, this kind of power, it really makes you think what you’re going to say and what you’re going to do. Getting back to the question, if my brand can ultimately say something, trying to fulfill a greater purpose and succeed at it, then my ultimate goal with Tyte Lids would be complete.

What is HYPE to you?

I think HYPE is a contagious, generation specific, and momentum. I think that HYPE is something a person has taken from society, a concept or anything, and they love it so much that other people can’t help but see how much they love it, and it just spreads like wildfire, and everyone falls in love with it.