Meet Travis Austin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Austin.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My journey to the world of fashion and to Dallas, Texas was full of influence, community, and endless roadblocks; but the momentum and the home that we have built here in this amazing city over the past six months is worth every second of work, ten times over.

In 2014, I bought myself a sketchbook and a box of Crayola colored pencils, I didn’t know how to draw, how to sew… or anything about “fashion.” I’ve always had my own unique style and was very proud of it, and I had a lot of vision that I just knew could eventually be something. Through trial and error and sticking to my beliefs of community and relationships first, business second… I grew more confident in this industry week by week.

In both personal and professional life, I value my relationships immensely and put as much good “out there” as I can, one of these relationships really changed the trajectory for me and made a lot of things possible. In 2016, I was able to build a relationship with Omnia Nightclub in San Diego which leads to opportunities to design for their artists such as Seven Lions, Borgeous, Jauz, and Tiësto. Through these opportunities, I started to discover that creating custom pieces for musicians and other artists while presenting them as branding tools were my purpose in the industry. Before leaving San Diego, I had the unbelievable opportunity to create for Stillhouse and G Eazy which provided an amazing platform and really launched what is now Travis Austin Customs.

With years worth of relationships built in Southern California and New York, my now wife and I made the move here to Dallas where she grew up. With the help of one of my best friends and Realtor, Marcos Hernandez, I was able to find the perfect location for our flagship showroom and art gallery in Oak Cliff, just a few blocks away from our new home. We are so proud to now be open in a beautiful neighborhood and a part of the redevelopment of the historic Jefferson Blvd district. Two months ago, we opened our flagship showroom here in Dallas, we are now working with Record Labels, Film Studios, Music Festivals and Artists all over the world.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Hellllllllllllll no, hahaha. If a smooth road is what you’re in search of in life than I do not suggest starting a small business. Creating this brand and carrying out the vision I have has by far been the most terrifying things I have ever done, but easily the most rewarding as well. There are definitely weeks where I ask myself how we are going to make it and doubt the viability of our brand. But every time I doubt something, something amazing happens and I am reminded that I’m here for a reason. Way to many things has happened too perfectly for me to be where I am right now, for this all to be by chance. While the odds were definitely stacked against us, we’ve proved time after time that this is working. I feel very strongly about the way I run my business; if you put community first and believe that you can be a platform for others as well… then everything else will take care of itself, guaranteed.

Travis Austin Customs – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Travis Austin Customs is much more than a clothing company, I like to think of it as a branding agency with an emphasis on style. I started this company with one product in mind, the custom leather jacket. As we have grown and extended our network, we have expanded our products to Custom Travis Austin Stetson hats, Curated Vintage Tops focused on rare band tee’s, Custom Denim Jackets and of course, our Custom Leathers which will always be our focus.

What I take the most pride in, is being able to use my art to enrich my clients brand/image. I have so much respect for other artists work, the fact that I get to use it as inspiration for my own, and pay homage to their craft is so special to me. The artists I work with usually already have brand images, I get to bring a new light, capture impressions and strengthen the image as much as possible, it’s a dream job really.

Our additional products, the Vintage, Denim, and Custom Stetsons have been really amazing for our brand. They allow us to connect with so many more people and to really provide collectible pieces to anyone who shops with us. Although I have the utmost respect for other designers, I don’t really agree with the saturation of the fashion industry today, it doesn’t make sense to me to see all of these “streetwear or hypebeast” brands become the trend when there is so much product out there already with amazing stories sewn into them. Everything we do deals with reclaimed, vintage items. The fact that we get to breathe new life into all of those stories and introduce them to the current generation gets me so excited… and I’m very proud of that.

When it comes to set us apart from others; besides the obvious which is the time we put into everything and the fact that EVERYTHING you buy from us is one of one – no one will ever have the same piece… it is our sense of community. We opened our showroom in Bishop Arts to be a community art platform for any/all artists of any medium in the DFW Metroplex. There are so many artists in this generation and a very small number of them can afford their own gallery and an even smaller amount can afford the obscene 40+% commission that older Art Galleries would charge. I have been blessed enough to be able to have my own space, so I designed it to be a multi-use space so other artists could come to use it as their own platform to get their art in front of more people. We can transform our space to a blank canvas in about 90 minutes to serve as an event space to serve others; whether its a gallery for a painter, a showcase for a musician or a debut for a filmmaker, we look forward to being that critical platform that others so desperately need.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
This is a hard question to answer for anyone because I truly think the word success has 10 different definitions depending on what stage of life you’re in. It would be very easy to say that I want my company to be a million dollar company in five years, and that would make me successful… but that’s not where I’m at right now in life. I was raised to believe that if you put your community first and use your network to lift others, the growth and financial gain will follow… and that is how I run my company now. I’m very proud to live and work in Oak Cliff if we can be a catalyst for growth in this neighborhood and we can bring some attention to the art scene in DFW, then I consider that a huge success for us. We are currently planning our second showroom in Nashville for Spring of 2019, we aim to accomplish the same things there, so if we can have footprints in both cities and helping other artists get their work in front of the public, then that is the success I’m chasing right now.

Pricing:

• Custom Leather Jackets $1,000 – $3,000 (Small monthly payments available with AFFIRM)
• Travis Austin Stetsons $175 (Small monthly payments available with AFFIRM)
• Custom Vintage Tops $50 – $400 (Small monthly payments available with AFFIRM)
• Custom Denim Jackets $150 – $1,000 (Small monthly payments available with AFFIRM)

Contact Info:

• Address: 324 W. Jefferson Blvd. Ste. 200 Dallas, Texas 75208
• Website: www.travisaustincustoms.com
• Phone: 2488848384
• Email: travis@travisaustincustoms.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisaustincustoms/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travisaustincustomsdtx/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/travis-austin-customs-dallas

Image Credit:
Joe Johnson, Kaylee Atchley

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