Why logo shirts don't sell and the one exception

What does Al Ries say about logo t-shirts? Wait, who the heck is Al Ries? Marketing genius, Al Ries, is one of the top and most respected marketing gurus, having written some of the most important marketing books. I not only love his stuff, but also highly respect his work.

So what does he say about logo t-shirts? They don't sell! Well actually, he never spoke of fashion or of design. And he never covered anything about t-shirts. But one of his theories did help me explain why there are so many brands that do logo t-shirts and why such brands will fail.

I never wanted to do shirts that dominantly say "Juzd" in different fonts, let alone have that as the main design element. I thought it was corny and not artistic, but everyone else was doing it. If all the top lines were doing it, and they were successful, then why wouldn't I be successful doing it? There must be a reason. Logo on shirt = success? Well, all the other brands think so.

Then, an epiphany hit me hard last night. It was so simple, yet it took me so long to figure out. One of the important lessons I learned from Al Ries was that companies that use acronyms in in lieu of their name will never be remembered, but wait, what about the many corporations, such as IBM, KFC, and HP, who use acronyms successfully?

Take into consideration this: IBM, KFC, and HP are not successful because they use acronyms, they are successful, and therefore, they can use acronyms to represent themselves. When you say IBM, everyone knows the company and what they stand for, but no one knows "SUE" which, in this example, stands for "Sam's Used Electronic" shop. Sam is an idiot for naming his company SUE, instead of naming it Sam's Used Electronic shop. But we must note that Sam is also an idiot for getting into such a bad business - no one makes money by dealing with used electronics.

People will buy shirts with Ed Hardy, Diesel, and Guess plastered all over it because everyone knows these brands. They have build a strong enough reputation to sell shirts with just their name on it. But no one is going to buy a shirt with "Sam's Collection" plastered all over it. So, the next time you see a collection of shirts from a new brand with no design, expect for their logo or name on the front, and shake your head while knowing why!

Logo plastering tees only sell when your brand is already well-known

Launch Party for Creamworld Magazine - A Complete Hit!

Welcoming revelers, well-wishers, and local celebrities (including members of the Toronto Raptors, and MTV host Nicole Holness), into Toronto’s Tryst nightclub, Creamworld Magazine celebrated the launch of its ‘09 winter issue. Ensuring that everyone had a great time, Famous, the Flow 93.5 personality who became a YouTube sensation with his President Too video, took to the stage as the night’s host. And to top off the fun evening, numerous giftbags with goodies from Creamworld’s supporters, including JUZD Streetwear, were given out.

While Creamworld Magazine has plenty to celebrate, so does JUZD! With a full-page advertisement in the magazine’s upcoming issue, the team (including all the models), along with two lucky fans, celebrated their hard work and success in the VIP lounge!

Ed Hardy models wants a piece of JUZD

Check this out! The DJ is sporting JUZD!

Holding the new issue of Creamworld Magazine, Jing Liu, lead designer of JUZD, is proud to be at the party!

Lead designer, Jing Liu, celebrates with JUZD models

JUZD model, Deniz Reno, shows off the full-page advertisement of JUZD found in Creamworld Magazine

JUZD Models having a great time!

Photography by Deniz Reno

Celebrate the prelaunch of Creamworld Magazine - Creamworld Magazine inks national distribution deal -

TORONTO, ON – On Thursday, January 29th (2009), the red carpet will be rolled out in celebration of the launch of Creamworld Magazine’s winter ‘09 issue. Join Creamworld founder/publisher Marcus S. as he welcomes revellers, well-wishers and local celebs, including members of the Toronto Raptors and MTV host Nicole Holness. Toronto-based rapper and Flow 93.5 personality Famous, a You Tube sensation who has received media attention with his Barack Obama-inspired rap titled President Too, takes to the stage as the event’s host.

Since rebranding as a lifestyle publication and inking a national distribution deal with HDS Retail (Relay, Virgin) and Chapters/Indigo/Coles, Creamworld has strengthened its mandate to showcase Canada’s diverse industries, including auto, real estate, design and entertainment.

“Creamworld is a Canadian publication,” states Marcus S. “We understand the importance of supporting Canadian artists. After all, Canada is where we’re from.” Creamworld’s winter ‘09 issue features R & B singer Robin Thicke, a 13-page fashion editorial featuring Canada’s design talent and interviews with pop queen Lady Gaga and Toronto songstress Zaki Ibrahim.

The event will feature gift bags and giveaways from notable supporters, including Z. Kilani, Juzd Clothing, Vitamin Water and Flüd Watches. Models will rock the event, informally modeling the latest creations from lifestyle brand Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier. Exclusive bottle service will be provided by CÎROC, an ultra-premium vodka that has acquired a loyal following among Hollywood’s A-list.

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What: Creamworld Magazine Launch Party

When: Thursday, January 29th, 2008

10:00pm – 3:00am

Where: Tryst Nightclub, 82 Peter Street, Toronto ON

RSVP: Gillian Downes, publicist

647.222.9054 or gdownes@impossiblediva.com

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JUZD Featured in 24hrs Daily Newspaper

Original post in July 29th 2008 issue of 24 Hours.
Original article written by Tanya Enberg, 24 hours

Bamboo first
Holt Renfrew keeps sharpening its edge.
The retail chain, which gives great play to Canuck clothing labels, has gone one step further by bringing on a largely unknown Toronto designer.

His name is Jing Liu and if you’ve never hear of him or his JUZD (pronounced joost) Bamboo streetwear collection, don’t’ be surprised. After all, he has never been trained in fashion design or cut his teeth at a design firm.

That, however, hasn’t stopped Holts from taking the unusual step of bringing the newbie designer’s graphic-laden garb-the world’s first designer bamboo label-to its high-end department stores.

The collection was delivered to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver earlier this month. Check out Liu’s work at: juzdbamboo.com

Guangzhou's Clothing Market - wow!

The population of Guangzhou metropolitan is estimated to be 8.5 million people. That's 8.5 MILLION! That's New York City's 5 boroughs combined. Guangzhou city is known for it's clothing and fabric market and it draws a lot of the Chinese from near by cities. In addition clothing is a major part of the Chinese society as China is the highest producer of clothing and textile.

...things are done quite different from any other country.

With this type of market demand the culture and the way things are done are quite different from any other country. In Guangzhou city I was staying with my friend Jacky. His aunt owns a factory and has a friend that produces smaller production runs which is perfect for JUZD. We headed over to the clothing market to see him.

We were dropped off right in the eye of the busy market. It was early in the morning midweek, some shops weren't even open yet and there were already customers and foreigners lining up for a deal. Each shop is clean and well organized. Most shops are the size of a small 100 square feet tradeshow booth. Yet there were many shops and much were squeezed into each.

I felt sick to my stomach.

Quickly I noticed a consistent theme. Everything they sold were knockoffs. There were many vendors and each vendor had many items but they were the same. Knockoffs, knockoffs, and knockoffs. I felt sick to my stomach. Not only am I strongly against knock offs, I even hate it when one brand produces a similar design as another. The choice of knock offs for the day are American Eagle, Ed Hardy, Abercrombie and Fitch, and good old Nike. They don't like it when you take pictures in the mall. I guess they are scare that you will knock off their knock offs.

...doesn't make sense doing an original brand.

Right on top of these knock off shops were their sales office. Each of these shops had a factory. Where? Were they sweatshops? I don't know. I did not enjoy the vibe from this area and did not want to venture to the appointment but to save face I went. Overall everything was professional and clean. From the stores to the office. And the knockoff designs were pretty good. Creative. But did not even want to go near the product to see the quality and construction. I would have given them a little respect if it was their own brand. But the market demand knockoffs. Base on the economics, for a small Chinese shop it doesn't make sense doing an original brand.

I'll pay the higher price and maintain my principle, thank you!

I got a quote for the production of some of the designs and the cost of shocking. Some of the cost were 1/5 of what I was paying. They wanted me to ship my custom made bamboo fabric to them for producing the shirts. As attractive as the offer was I won't switch my factory even just for the simple fact that I can't see JUZD line made by a knock off specialists. I'll pay the higher price and maintain my principle, thank you!



Apartment buildings are right across the street from the clothing market. In China there is less restriction on zoning so you'll see mesh of commercial and residential buildings side by side.



Fresh fur with the animal head attached. These guys look like they came straight out of the jungle.

JUZD team at Magic / Pool / Project shows in Las Vegas

From February 12th to the 15th the JUZD team was in Las Vegas checking out North America's premiere fashion trade shows, MAGIC, POOL, and PROJECT. Despite the predicting US recession the buyers were spending and spending lots. It was a good season for the brands we visited. Above photo (Jing Liu aka me! [lead designer of JUZD Bamboo Streetwear], Masahiko Nakane aka Polo [owner of Panty Japan], Christian Audigier, Yuichi Ishii [buyer for Panty Japan])



Once again Christian Audigier was the talk of the show.With the largest booth at Project, guest stars, naked (but artistically painted) girls, swimsuit models, and a performance by Snoop, Christian Audigier's booth was the spot to chill. Christian Audigier also premiere his latest label Crystal Rock, named after his daughter.


The colorful Creative Recreation showcased its new sneaker collection and style for Fall. While smaller labels such as Shmack Footwear were making head waves and extending their distribution for the fist time to Japan.

I was able to check out Raw 7. It maintained it's high end grudge style. It brought its unique style of art to sandals and underwear (which I got samples of woohoo). Another brand that caught my eye was Hard 8, an up and coming brand out of LA. It has simliar grunge style as Raw 7 and strong symbolic designs. What was also great was the overall fit and design of the shirts. It fits and feels really good and the designs was perfect for the shirt.

Pool was also a very interesting experience. It was one big chilling lounge. Lots of cool and funky brands. Alternative Apparel was a major sponsor, they were giving out free t-shirts, hats, and other cool stuff. But one of the most interesting brand is Cyberoptix Tie Lab. They print designs on ties and their creativity and craftmanship are amazing. Had a chance to talk to Bethany who is the principle designer and she's a really nice girl. It's not the usual silk suit ties I'm use to.

As for Magic, the big show, it wasn't all that interesting...to me anyways. Lots of huge brands. As for the streetwear section, it was like night clubs, with girls in skimpy outfits handing out flyers. But that's the streetwear culture. I prefer the class of Project.

Overall it was a very enlightening trip and I had a lot of fun. We are currently trying to get a booth at the Project show in August. Come check us out!