The Indie Corner: Cloth Armoury

As Simon Pegg said once, ‘Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something”. And as nerds, we aren’t afraid to talk about the things we really love. We will gladly talk to anyone and everyone who shows even the slightest interest in our favorite fandoms or video game series. There is one huge way that nerds all over the world share their loves and passions: apparel. My closet is full of nerdy t-shirts, dresses, skirts, shoes … basically, anything I can get my hands on. In today’s Indie Corner, we are focusing on a company making apparel for nerds, by nerds. Everyone, meet Cloth Armoury!

Cloth Armoury is a “premier street wear brand featuring unique designs inspired by all things geek and gaming.” Vadim Zysman and Lenart Nuon, the founders of Cloth Armoury, have set out to break the boundaries of nerdy apparel. While most apparel is very specific to a certain fandom or nerd culture, they have created clothing and accessories that draw inspiration from elements of geek culture that will still attract a more general audience. Geeks, gamers, and fans of street wear everywhere are going to love what they have to offer.

At the moment, Cloth Armoury is making shirts and hats. The boys really did their research before making their own apparel and wanted to bring the best product possible to their audience. Their shirts are 100% cotton, found from sustainable sources and made in an ethical, sweatshop-free environment. They are offering men and women’s sizes from XS to XXL, and are made to fit comfortably and look great doing it.

As of right now, their shirts are divided into four pretty cool categories. The epic series features t-shirts with steampunk goggles and ammo packs. The adventure series features their mascot, Helmsworth, in all of his nerdy conquests for glory. Helmsworth is not only a mascot for Cloth Armoury, but for geeks and gamers alike. He is the embodiment of nerd culture and a loyal companion to all Cloth Armoury fans. The Slang series offers shirts with gaming vernacular, and the Helm series features Helmsworth in different nerdy transformations (Portal, Minecraft, and Star Wars are just some of the designs shown).

Lenart Nuon and Vadim Zysman are the two masterminds behind the creation of Cloth Armoury and all of their offerings. After working for someone else from nine-to-five on the regular, they decided to do their own thing. The two set off to find something that would be fulfilling and would make them happy. Thus, Cloth Armoury was born. While they aren’t new to retail, this is their first venture into manufacturing and designing apparel.  When asked what drew them to apparel, the guys had to say, “We essentially want to be what VANS is for skaters and Quicksilver is for surfers, and that is to create products that cater to their target demographic but was also appealing to the general public as casual wear that can be worn comfortably in any situation.”

Above all else, the creation of their designs is very important to everyone at Cloth Armoury. They collaborate with a team of artists and graphic designers whenever they develop an idea for a new aesthetic. The inspiration for these designs come from everywhere: games, comics, villains, even cool pieces of armor! The two founders grew up playing video games and enjoying nerd culture, so that’s where they pull a lot of their inspiration from. Aside from making their designs come to life, the guys “love being able to interact with like-minded people within the online community at large and help cultivate the same passion for geeky pop culture”. Speaking of the online community, Cloth Armoury  is currently running a Kickstarter campaign, and they are SO close to reaching their goal! They have four days left on the Kickstarter, so if you like what you see, go support them!

From what I have seen of their merch so far, all I can say is: I want all of it! Portal is one of the most aggravating (I’m talking broken control type fits of rage) games I’ve ever played, but I have to have their Portal design! These are some very passionate people, and you can tell by speaking with them how much they love what they do. Their designs are edgy and  unique, and truly unlike anything in the market at the moment. So I can’t stress it enough, support their Kickstarter if you’re interested! I can’t wait to see the designs these guys come up with.