Behind The Brand: CODEFORTY

In our newest Behind The Brand feature, we had the privilege of interviewing the enigmatic founder of CODEFORTY, a Toronto, Canada-based streetwear brand. With a deep-rooted connection to the city's vibrant culture, CODEFORTY's founder draws inspiration from the urban landscape to create authentic and unique designs. They meticulously source premium materials, partner with skilled manufacturers, and let their clothing speak for itself, preferring to remain anonymous.

Through strategic social media marketing, they have built a passionate community of followers that eagerly await each new release. Looking forward, CODEFORTY aims to push creative boundaries and redefine streetwear, becoming a cultural phenomenon that resonates with their devoted audience.

In our exclusive interview, CODEFORTY’s founder speaks on what inspired him to start the brand, how he uses social media to promote and market his brand, future goals for CODEFORTY, advice for aspiring designers and clothing brand owners, and much more.

Hit the jump to learn more about CODEFORTY's story.

What inspired you to start CODEFORTY?

I’ve always had so much creativity and so many ideas inside of me since I was a kid and I created CODEFORTY as a way for me to share and express myself to the outside world. I would make a whole bunch of random shit when I was younger, experimenting,  and testing things out. I feel like CODEFORTY is my grown up way of doing the same thing. 

How would you describe the overall aesthetic and style of your brand?

Clean, dark, a little noisy, contrasting, and odd are all words that I would love for my brand to be associated with, definitely more refined in the near future. I try to give off these vibes through the media I put out, whether it be short scenes, advertisements, posts, etc. I usually have them fit into a specific aesthetic.

Can you walk us through your design process? How do you come up with new ideas and translate them into clothing designs?

I take inspiration from media and art that I enjoy to consume. Typically music, cinema, abstract art, architecture for sure, basically anything that inspires or feeds me ideas. Once I have these ideas, I jot them down right away, and then come back a few days later to see if I still like them, or if it was a heat of the moment type thing. Usually I see what I vibe with the most, and then translate that into my own art form, which is clothing. 

Are there any specific elements or themes that consistently influence your designs?

I said this in my prior feature and I still feel really strongly about having my environment influence me and my designs. Creating things that are practical or helpful are definitely factors that apply to me. I like to visualize my clothes within a setting that is familiar to me because it lets me see my products from a different perspective. Other than that, mainly the way I'm feeling at the time is reflected in the things I make, on a day where I feel like going to the beach I made the Finite Shirt, the brown and pink contrast gives off that type of vibe. On a day where I felt comfortable and wanted to sleep in a little longer I made the fleece, typically my day to day life is where I can find themes and elements that help.

How do you ensure that CODEFORTY stands out in a saturated streetwear market?

I truly believe that what matters is sending out energy and a vibe that only a specific type of person will like, rather than stressing about standing out. Just show your personality in your brand and see if people fuck with it. Too many people try to be really professional and are scared to be themselves and reflect that in their brand, don't do that. 

What role does sustainability play in your brand's ethos and practices?

Sustainability is so important, obviously making sure that the manufacturers I use aren’t harming the environment and using practices that are frowned upon. The more I develop CODEFORTY, the more that sustainability will be implemented for sure.

Can you discuss the importance of collaborations within the streetwear industry? Have you collaborated with any other brands or artists?

Collaborations are everything man, sharing ideas and interacting with someone who creates art similar to you just broadens your vision. It lets you try new things, see new art styles, draw inspiration, and it’s so important from a networking aspect to just communicate and interact with people in your sector.

How do you approach sourcing materials for your clothing? Are there any specific criteria you look for?

Usually once I develop a set image of what I want to create, I research and look for the material that would best reflect the vision in my head, for example I knew that I wanted Ripstop on my Electrician Jacket, instead of Nylon. On the fleece jacket, I chose rounded end sherpa fabric instead of something like polar fleece or normal sherpa. It just mainly needs to reflect what I want the clothing to look and feel like.

What challenges have you faced in producing and manufacturing your clothing?

Manufacturing is definitely half the headache of having a brand for sure. Just having to communicate ideas and make them as accurate as it is in your head, making small changes here and there, costs, and especially just making the product exactly how it appears in my head are just some challenges from manufacturing.

How do you determine pricing for your products? What factors do you consider?

I fully price my clothes based on what I think they’re worth. The time, work, effort, money, and everything else that went into them is what decides the price. 

Can you share any insights into your brand's marketing strategy? How do you connect with your target audience?

I use a bunch of things to market CODEFORTY, in-person marketing, social media for sure, and I love to make things like small short films as marketing tools too. I place myself into the target audience's shoes and just make what I think they’d like to see.

What role does social media play in promoting and growing your brand? Which platforms have been the most successful for you?

Social media is probably the most important marketing tactic in this day and age, I think that Instagram and TikTok are the most successful because of the quick scrolling and fast paced content, which I actually hate because nobody takes the time to genuinely show interest or look at something they like, it’s just like, scroll, like, favourite, scroll. I just think it’s really wack but definitely the method for anyone trying to grow anything. 

Have you utilized any influencer marketing strategies to promote CODEFORTY? If so, how do you select influencers to collaborate with?

Yeah I have, I usually send things out to people who my target audience would idolize or just like. People who I just think are fly and would show the brand in a good light would be good candidates too. 

How do you engage with your customers and build a sense of community around your brand?

Community is arguably the most important aspect of growing and tending to your brand. I try to create a sense of community with my customers through having their opinions voiced in the brand, sending personal messages and discounts, just things that keep people involved and make sure they know they’re appreciated.

Can you discuss any unique or creative marketing campaigns that you've implemented?

I’m really into filmmaking, so I try to implement film into some of my marketing campaigns. I’d love to make a feature length film one day, but for now definitely sticking with short films / scenes, and that’s usually a creative way to market.

How do you stay ahead of current streetwear trends and ensure that CODEFORTY remains relevant?

The good thing is that the places I draw my inspiration from are always up to date, so it automatically keeps me up to date. I try not to be influenced by trends as much though, but it’s important to stay cool I suppose. 

What feedback or insights do you seek from your customers to improve your products and brand experience?

I just like to hear what they think about it most the time, any feedback can be useful most the time, it won’t always be used but I just love to hear what people think about to clothes. Not only does it help me figure out what you wanna see / what to change within the clothes, but it also lets you have a say in what you see.

Can you share any future plans or aspirations for CODEFORTY?

I really wanna just expand my creative-ness with making clothes, playing around with materials, sizing, proportions, all of that. I’ve been very fixated on changing the piece itself rather than adding something to it such as text or a screenprint. I wanna make it distinctively CODEFORTY-ish.

How do you navigate the balance between artistic expression and commercial viability in your designs?

I try to put myself in the eyes of the viewer and customer just to make sure that my ideas are something that can be sold. Obviously the commercial aspect is huge apart from the creative aspect. Without the commercial success none of us would be able to do what we love so much, so I just try to get general customer feedback, or let myself see the piece from a new perspective. 

What advice would you give to aspiring clothing brand owners who are looking to enter the industry?

I would say to be yourself. I think too many people try to be the “next” something. The next Supreme, Virgil, Carti, Dior, Corteiz, whatever. I think you should try to be the first of you instead of the next someone else. Just make things you enjoy and do things you love. That’s it.