“F*CK SWAG.” You may have seen your favorite artists (Danny Brown, Heroes x Villains) rocking this phrase on their snap-backs or tees, but it’s more than just a phrase. It encompasses the ethos of Black Scale, the clothing line behind the slogan. It’s a new generation of street wear for a new generation of consumers. Founded in November of 2007 by Michael “Mega” Yabut and Alfred De Tagle, this San Francisco startup went from selling tees at the HUF store to opening up flagship stores in NY and LA, with pop-up stores sprouting up around the world.

Although the founders have a background in music, they never intended their brand to be music-focused. They never even envisioned the brand becoming as ubiquitous as it is now. But here we are, the fatigues of choice for many of today’s hottest music “stvrs.” It could be their focus on the darker aesthetic or their insane attention to detail that their small design team fixates on, but whatever it is… it’s working. We had a chance to catch up with co-founder Alfred De Tagle and hear his take on how Black Scale blew up and what they’re doing to keep it fresh and thriving.

Click here to read the entire article by Anibal Luque on DJZ.com