Q&A with Our Founder

You probably already know our founder, Jonny ‘Famous’ Williams, as the world-renowned audio engineer behind some of the productions of big names like Liam Payne, Kylie Minogue, Rita Ora, and the Wu Tang Clan. Or, you know him as the mind behind BoomBocs®, ‘The Ultimate Wireless Speaker System’.

Founder of DeadLOUD, Jonny 'Famous' Williams.

Working among celebrities and stylists, he’s seen first-hand the demands of the streetwear industry. Now, he’s added ‘Fashion Designer’ to his list of many talents. (Have we mentioned he was a professional international motocross racer too?!) He’s already been featured in Forbes, The Times, and The Huffington Post, but we thought we’d introduce him again, this time as the founder of our apparel brand, DeadLOUD™.

Without further ado, let’s get to know Jonny and see what he’s all about!

What are three words that you would use to describe yourself?

Possible screw loose.

What inspired you to start DeadLOUD™?

I’ve always been creative, having played a variety of musical instruments from a young age. My passion for design and creating things stems from this and has spurred me on to set and achieve goals throughout my life.

I’ve always admired good fashion and comfortable clothing. My wardrobe used to be full of skate and surf brands, which then evolved into more outdoor adventure clothing. However, I’m a sucker for a nice shirt and a cool t-shirt with an eye-catching design. I just thought, why not take everything I want from a garment and put it together?!

What’s the story behind the name DeadLOUD™?

My profession has always been audio engineering for high-profile performing artists so my love of music has been combined with my love of tech. Obviously, as an audio engineer, I’m responsible for making stuff louder so there’s that. A few years ago, we were looking for a slogan for my wireless speaker brand, BoomBocs®. We spent ages racking our brains to think of something, but nothing came to mind. Then, one day, my dad just suggested ‘dead loud’. In the North of England, it’s common to say ‘dead’ in place of ‘very’, so if something is very loud, the Northerners might say it’s ‘dead loud’.

And there you have it! DeadLOUD™ was born!

What do you think sets DeadLOUD™ apart from other streetwear brands on the market right now?

Good question. There are so many brands out there trying to do what we do: Sustain an ethical clothing brand that provides customers with practicality, comfort, and an overall eye-catching item of clothing that gets people thinking and talking about it (in a nice way, of course)!

We’re always researching up-and-coming trends and asking people what they expect from a clothing brand in order to keep up with the latest fashion and satisfy the demands of the market. We really value building a good relationship with our customers!

What are some of the most important things you look for when creating pieces for the collection?

Obviously comfort is always a priority. There’s no point creating something that looks nice but is horrible to wear. Otherwise it’ll never get worn and nobody will see it! The key is having the right garment in the first place, and then applying the customised branding/artwork to make it really stand out.

I’m a fan of subtle touches put in, just to throw you off slightly. For example, our logo is a skull with hair and a gold tooth. Originally the skull didn’t have hair and all the teeth were the same colour, but then I thought there were a million brands out there that have used skulls as artwork, so this doesn’t stand out at all. A few hours later and some clever manipulation gave our chap some wavy locks and a shiny gangster tooth, ready to show those other skulls who’s top dog.

Now we tend to add chrome gold and glitter gold to our artwork to give it that little extra “look at me” vibe.

Who are some of your favourite style icons?

I like people that don’t try too hard; people that just wear nice looking clothes and are quite clearly comfortable in them. I don’t really look to posers on Instagram and think “yep, they are cool.” I’m more of an admirer of guys and girls wearing casual (but stylish) stuff and just rocking it in any situation. I actually follow a lot of extreme sports and adventure accounts on Instagram. Loads of motorcycle enthusiasts, both male and female. I also seem to follow a lot of people who’ve made DIY camper vans and document their adventures. All of these people just keep it chill in jeans, shorts, t-shirts, crewnecks and baseball caps etc.

What’s your long-term vision for DeadLOUD™?

Eventually I’d like DeadLOUD™ to go international and be a world-renowned apparel brand, worn by people all over the world. I’d like us to be seen as the cool brand that makes nice clothes for any and all scenarios: whether you’re at the beach, up a mountain, tinkering with tools in your garage or just hanging out on the sofa. DeadLOUD™ clothing can be worn wherever and whenever!

What are some things that customers can look forward to as DeadLOUD™ continues to grow?

We have SO many ideas for new designs but we don’t want to unleash them all at once in case it’s a bit overwhelming; we’re not sure you could handle it!

In 2021 we’ll be introducing more colour to the range as we move on from this extremely odd year. We want people to feel like 2020 was just a little blip but we’re all going to leave it behind and move on towards a brighter future. We’ll be representing this with our apparel.

Give Jonny a follow on Instagram: @jonny_famous