RARE SIGHTING
S
emper launched RedPanDuh (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
8 UNSIGNED ARTIST
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
COURTESY OF ANDRE SEMPER
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.
PREVIOUS PAGE: CHOREOGRAPH/BIGSTOCK.COM. THIS PAGE: COURTESY OF ANDRE SEMPER
RedPanDuh Spotted!
him to navigate better running a new
brand in which he takes pride. Semper draws his inspiration from major
cities and countries, as well as from
his environment, stating he has many
females in his family who aid in his
quest to capture every demographic.
With the help of friends, Semper sold his first shirt for $73, and the
brand has continued to make its way
across the United States via the World
Wide Web. “God doesn’t make any
mistakes,” is the advice given to Semper by a pastor. “This store (H.I.T.S)
has been open for about six years and
I never even thought to actually use
this as an outlet.”
Semper’s mentor, who is a
photographer and runs the store, has
proven to be a huge asset helping out
with creative ideas and visuals for the
brand. We share a laugh as he goes
into detail on his tight-net circle,
who have already made their mark
in the industry. “They’re pretty much
just waiting on me. Everybody keeps
asking me why isn’t your stuff in the
store. They just waiting on me.”
Semper, who is looking into
mass production and getting more
hands on with his brand advises
other aspiring designers to just “Do
you, stick to what you know if it’s
been working for you . . . Stick to it.”
Something may work for the person
telling you to try it, but not for you is
his rational. At the end of the day, this
family oriented man is all about staying true to self and being your own
www.uamagazine910.weebly.com
boss. You can catch the RPD brand
as well as several of Semper’s satisfied customers (myself included) by
following either one of his Instagram
accounts, the brand @redpan_duh or
his personal page @harlem.wesst. To
place an order via PayPal simply hit
up that DM!
Be sure to catch the full audio
interview via our website, www.
uamagazine910.com or our Youtube
channel.
9