We all daydream about our plans for the future and what we’ll do when we “make it big.” While the uncertainty of life after college will come sooner for some of us, senior Eliot Martin Depores Drake isn’t wasting any time. As the brains behind the streetwear brand Dopey the Bear, Drake has successfully created clothes that you’ll definitely want to get your hands on ASAP. Not to mention, his brand new winter line dropped earlier this month.
Dallas Native and Apparel and Design Management Major, Eliot Drake
I had the pleasure to sit down with this creative entrepreneur to ask him a few questions about Dopey and his plans for the future.
Did you start Dopey the Bear while you’ve been at Texas Tech?
Drake: “No, I started the brand my freshman year at the University of North Texas, but before that, I was already doing screen printing and t-shirts back in high school.”
When did you transfer to Tech, and what’s your major?
Drake: “Fall of 2011 and Apparel Design and Manufacturing. I’m graduating in August.”
So tell us about how Dopey the Bear started?
Drake: “I guess the name I got when I was entering college, but I was already on the scene or very familiar with doing graphic design for t-shirts because I had previous brand names before, since like my sophomore year in high school.”
What about the name Dopey the Bear, where did that come from?
Drake: “It was kinda thrown off, like someone just nicknamed me it, and I just ran with it. I didn’t put too much thought into it, and then after awhile I was like man, as a brand name, I didn’t really want that to be the name, but then I kinda grew into it. The name doesn’t really matter anymore; it’s what I put out. After the first year, and I was still doing it, I was like that’s kind of a childish name, but then I just had to start making things less childish.”
So when did you start getting serious with Dopey the Bear and selling your clothes online?
Drake: “Even like my freshman year at UNT, I had an online website. I really was just pushing t-shirts then because, like now, I can say it started with t-shirts, but then I really wanted to build myself into actual clothing; that’s why I’m in the program now. I always wanted to make a pair of jeans. I didn’t really want to do t-shirts because, like, anyone can do t-shirts. I just kinda did t-shirts. I did crew necks. I did hoodies, and then eventually I got to the point, I think going into my third year, I did my first cut and sew collection and got fabrics and took it to a manufacturer in Dallas. I realized how expensive that was. That was my first dosage of clothing construction and all that stuff. From there and then on, I would say its grown.”
Did you start Dopey the Bear by yourself?
Drake: “It was all by myself, but usually I would just do like a design and make a sample t-shirt and wear it around my friends to see if it was cool or not. And, if it’s not cool, I just throw the design away.”
How would you describe the style and look behind Dopey the Bear?
Drake: “Definitely now, after seeing my studies, like every time I get an order I write it down, and I’d definitely say it’s skater based. It’s more like a skater feel. Based off what my customers say and what they think of it, and based off what I do, I skate as well. So, like naturally I could say I didn’t know it at first, but it’s a skater brand.”
So you weren’t really going for a skater look at first?
Drake: “Not at all, but I could say that due to the fashions trends, I can see that the trends have changed. Like four years ago, five years ago, it was popular to look like a skateboarder if you’re like trendy and stylish; now it’s more like high fashion. So you know, you’ve got your dudes wearing all black and leather, so I guess I just had to find a medium ground to where I have to meet that market, and its really just keeping great qualities, quality price coming, and if I think about it, it all comes back to skateboarding at the end of the day.”
Dopey Trucker Hat-available online now.
How would you say your brand compares to other popular street wear and skater-type brands out there, like say Supreme for example?
Drake: “I mean I say Supreme hit all the right points, and that’s kind of what I try to do with Dopey. I don’t try to make it too crazy, just like simple. Everything now at this point, I could wear it on my everyday fit.”
Was it hard to learn the business aspects of running your own company?
Drake: “Yeah, definitely. I learned a lot through my dad because my dad is a great businessman. Really, Google. There’s so much information on the Internet. I always tell people if there’s a question you have, I’m pretty sure there’s someone posting it on the Internet, and there’s someone that answered it. That’s pretty much the way I went through everything.”
What were some of your favorite brands growing up and before you started Dopey?
Drake: “I’ve always liked Supreme, Bape, Visvim, but I was never able to afford those things. So, I could admire from a distance, but brands I could afford then were like The Hundreds, typical Levi jeans, nothing too crazy. Vans of course. I mean my style hasn’t changed too much.”
Dopey the Bear has a pretty doable price range. Was that a priority for you while starting the company?
Drake: “I would say so because there’s like so many great brands that sell things for a great price, and I was just trying to be like one of those brands. For instance, Stussy is like a 30–year-old brand, but none of their t-shirts are over $30.00. There’s so many brands like Supreme that are just like $50.00 t-shirts. It’s not even worth it. I see no reason for those things to be so expensive because I truly know how much it costs. I will put a price on something for what it’s really worth. I’m not trying to jip people.”
Where do you think you get the majority of your creative inspiration for your clothes?
Drake: “Honestly, I’m not sure because the last set of things I did, I’d say I got inspired by my friends. I don’t go to Dallas too often, but last time I was in Dallas all of my friends were wearing black, and I don’t even think they know this, but I was like, ‘man, y’all just wear black and gray all the time.’ It was cool. Honestly I just grab inspiration from anything I can. It’s like an open book.”
Do you see the look of Dopey the Bear changing any time soon?
Drake: “No, I probably try to keep it true because everything I’ve done, that’s like my hand style. That’s my pen script. Same with the hoodie. I do it all through my sketchbook and scan it.”
How can people buy Dopey the Bear?
Drake: “Mainly online. I have a few places that sell my things. I sell my clothes right off of Broadway at Culture Clothing, a boutique in Dallas called Center and then like another online store, Snapbacks, when I have five panels and such, and sometimes I go to sneaker expos and sell my stuff there as well.”
TTU student Trevis Bellard wearing Dopey- Photo by Eliot Drake.
Do you do any sort of on-campus promotion for the brand?
Drake: “I used to put up stickers. I don’t know if you saw them, but last year on campus, did you see the dollar bills? That was me. I was supposed to say like Dopey, with the D as a one dollar bill. I really just pub. that way.”
What’s your take on styles that are popular right now?
Drake: “I think it’s pretty cool. Everyone’s on their thrift, high and low fashion look. You can have like $300 shoes on and a t-shirt on and like a $10 jacket that you thrifted that looks just as good.”
What’s your staple clothing piece?
Drake: “Probably my hat. I learned headwear goes a long way. You can’t wear a t-shirt every day, but you can wear a hat everyday.”
What do you think Dopey is known more for, hats or t-shirts?
Drake: “Beanies, that’s our for sure sales every year. I’ve gotta put out some beanies; people are always like, ‘Ahh, beanies!'”
What’s next for Dopey the Bear clothes? Do you have anything new in the works?
Drake: “I would like to go into denim. Like I, because I released jackets, I would like to continue the process of continuing to release pieces that follow up into a full wardrobe. Because, it’s clear I can make hats, and I can make t-shirts. Hopefully I can make a pair of jeans. Dopey Denim, that’d be pretty cool.”
What are your hopes for your business in the near future?
Drake: “Hopefully I can still continue putting out products and high-quality products and keep the hype going up at the time. There’s still so much room to grow.”
Dopey the Bear is a unisex clothing line that can be purchased online here. Keep up with Eliot Drake and all the happenings of Dopey on his website and Instagram. His work will also be appearing in a local fashion show for the organization Noir this coming January. He will be selling his original pieces after the show.
About Ali Holdridge
