APE!

Last weekend I went to the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco. For those of you that don't know it is a small scale gathering of various comic culture vendors that is run by the same folks as the San Diego ComicCon and San Francisco's WonderCon.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the large comic culture convention and APE, besides the huge size difference, is the lack of hype..and that's a good thing. At APE there aren't many panels or any long lines to see celebrities, there is a few long rows of comic culture related artitsts, crafters, comic shop owers and alternative publishers there.

Perhaps my favorite vendor at APE was a really crafty lady that made cheeseburgers...GIGANTIC cheeseburgers like the one pictured above. The giant cheeseburger was a show stopper. You couldn't pass by it without taking a picture of it or with it. Sadly, there was a stuffed squid about the same size as the burger but I couldn't get a good picture of it...I know I will see it again at WonderCon in the Spring.

The only thing I would change about APE is the lack of costumes. Seriously. One of my favorite things about going to any comic related convention has to be the people watching. Costumes, although I am not big into Halloween, are the best things ever at at comic convention.

APE continues to grow every year. I look forward to being a part of its evolution...although I kinda hope it stays small...it has a nice charm this way.

Hats

I make hats. I enjoy hats…especially the ones that look like retro video game characters.

In a class last year I was asked to come up with an apparel or accessories product line with a theme of my choice. Most of my classmates went with a high end cocktail party dress collection or a vintage inspired jewelry collection… the list goes on. You get the idea: most people went with really conventional ideas.

Now, it seems simple enough to make up a product line right? Not so much. The catch was, not only did you need to do a market analysis to ensure your ideas had a sellable target group but you had to MAKE proto types or at least be resourceful enough to source it to someone who would make it for you for minimal cost and minimal time considering most people procrastinated/underestimated how long it would take to actually get the process completed.

With that said, I went with what I know: nerdiness.

I made a mini collection of fleece hats inspired by the ghosts from Packman and Star Wars’ very own R2-D2. The name of the brand that I ended up with was Nerdbeanie. It is totally awesome and yes, I will totally make one for you. Just ask. 

Clyde. Fleece boody with Felt details.

                                                                R2-D2 Hat. Awesome.