RARE SIGHTING
RedPanDuh Spotted !
My interview with RedPanDuh ’ s creator , Andre Semper takes place inside of the downtown Fayetteville clothing store , H . I . T . S ( Heat In The Streets ). Today he is sporting a Bape green tee , Embellish NYC jeans , Nike Cortez and a Nixon watch . This year ’ s spring has brought way more showers over the past several weeks than the area is custom to and there ’ s the promise of more heavy rains later this evening , but for now we ’ re graced with a beautiful , sunny afternoon . After a warm greeting inside a store where the latest trends hang from the ceiling , surrounded by members of Semper ’ s family we dive into our interview .
Semper launched RedPan- Duh ( RPD ) in 2015 after starting and closing another clothing brand , Riggy Gang ( RG ), which he ran from Afghanistan while working as a contractor . “ I really was just tired of working for people . . .” Semper says . “ I ’ m sitting in my living room , and Ridiculousness is on . . . And it was a segment with animals and I seen a red panda , like doing a pull-up . . . I didn ’ t know it was a red panda , so I did my research .” Semper had seen the episode several times , but this time took on new meaning . He found his calling and RPD was born .
Two weeks from finding inspiration Semper ’ s first design became available for sale , and the brand has sold consistently since its first week , he says . Prior , he had been searching for a sign . He had plans to design another brand using animals until he learned of how rare red pandas are now . “ They ’ re on the verge of extinction ,” he says . “ That ’ s how I feel with me and my crew , like ( the ) last of a dying breed . . . Not a lot of people keep it real with you , not a lot of people keep it 100 with you . All my friends are 100 .” His point becomes clear as I realize that even now during our interview his family stands with him , close by and ready to provide insight into the conversation .
Practice makes better is the take away from Semper ’ s recollection of his experiences starting his first brand , RG . “ I lost a lot of money with RG , I invested a lot of time ; I was giving away a lot of free stuff .” It sounds like the hard lessons learned that every budding entrepreneur experiences . However , the growth has brought Semper to this moment allowing
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8 UNSIGNED ARTIST