This new brand is a ‘drug dealer for clothes’

Is the ASOS basket too basic for you? This new clothing store/dealer, Stefan’s Head, is using text messages to drop limited-edition shirts to its contact list of early adopters. Michael ‘Kush’ Kushner, the creative brains behind the brand, calls it a ‘drug dealer for apparel’.

Those on the list get a shady SMS each fortnight about the latest batch of shirts, designed exclusively by exciting new artists. It’s free to sign up, but that doesn’t guarantee a spot on ‘Stefan’’s mail out: applicants are selected based on their social influence and cultural clout, looking at Instagram and Twitter. This dealer is picky. 

When a new piece of clothing drops, you get a text from Stefan that includes a link to a secret site, where you can buy the garment. Stefan remembers your size and credit card details, so you only have to enter them once.

Each design will be in collaboration with an upcoming artist, photographer or filmmaker, with the profits shared. There’s only one production run of each design ($24 a shirt), so once they’re gone, they’re gone. You can buy them in the UK, but shipping will not be free.

Kush is also on the lookout for a new creative to work with each month. The brand has just finished working with photographer Blaise Cepis (see gallery below). Up next is director Dimitri Basil, winner of our Roman Coppola short film competition last summer. Basil is working on a film, “Who the fuck is Stefan?”, to promote the start-up.

The brand's co-founder, Sathish Naadimuthu (who has now moved on to other projects), told Business Insider that 'Stefan' is "an actual guy we met at a ridiculous party in LA, one we had no business attending. All we can say is that he’s a prominent artist who wanted to be part of something fresh. It just so happened that he was into streetwear and fashion as much as we are."

Get a kick out of shady SMS deals? Think internet shopping too mainstream? It’s time for you to meet Stefan.