GENERAL FAQs

Q: Where are your products made?
A: All of the t-shirts come from American Apparel or Alternative Apparel, both socially conscious t-shirt manufacturers. Screenprinting for the t-shirts is done in Alexandria, VA. The leather for the belts and wrist cuffs comes from Ohio, in Amish Country. The manufacturing of the raw leather into graphic belts and cuffs all happens in my studio in Washington, DC.

Q: What is your Return & Exchange policy?
A: You have 15 days from the date you received your item to request a refund or exchange, minus the shipping cost. All exchanges are shipped back to you for FREE. Check out the Return Policy page.

 

BELTS

Q: What is the difference between SNAPS and RIVETS?
A: If you order your belt with RIVETS then your belt buckle is permanently attached like a regular belt.  If you order your belt with SNAPS it will allow you to change out the buckle.  If you do not already own belt buckles, or plan to start collecting them, we recommend the RIVET setting as it is a cleaner and lower profile look. 

Q: How do you get those cool images onto your belts?
A: It's super secret! It took me four years of hard work and a mountain of debt to build the machines and refine all the processes.

Q: How do the images on the graphic belts last over time?
A: They will wear in and wear out no more than any other belt you buy. The only difference is that the wear and tear may be more noticable on a grapic belt as it interrupts the pattern, whereas wear and tear on a black and brown belt just blends. And, just like all other belts, it wears harder around the places where the buckle makes contact with the belt. Part of what makes my belts so durable is that we use a special finish coating that makes the belts scratch- and water-resistant.

Q: How do I find my belt size?
A: First, check out the Belt Size Chart.
Men's Belt Sizing: Simply knowing your PROPER FITTING jeans size is enough, as Men's jeans are fairly standard.
Women's Belt Sizing: Women's sizes vary drastically by designer, and women wear their belts in so many different ways, that we learned to simplify the process. Simply grab your best fitting belt and measure its TOTAL length (end to end, including the buckle) and that is your "BELT LENGTH" measurement.

Q: How do I care for my belt/ dog collar?
A: Love on it and it will love on you! Aside from that, no special care products are required to maintain its daily wonderment. If you get your belt super dirty, wipe the surface with a moist cloth of paper towel. If it is beyond dirty, try a small amount of automotive leather upholstery cleaner.

 

T-SHIRTS

Q: How do I know my t-shirt size?
A: See the t-shirt size chart. However, unless you run around naked all the time I assume you might have an idea as to what your t-shirt size is. The shirts I use tend to run a little on the small side, but they will not shrink when washed.

Q: How do I care for my t-shirt?
A: For maximum t-shirt life, turn it inside out and wash on the cold cycle and dry on low heat. That being said, as the designer I do abuse my t-shirts. I wash them in warm water and dry it on whatever setting was last on my machine. But I am a lazy washer. After all these years of abusive wash, my shirts have remained awesome looking.

Q: How long will the screen printed images last on the t-shirts?
A: In most cases the print lasts longer than the t-shirt. So, a long time! I still wear some of my very first t-shirts from four years ago and they are still going strong.

Q: How do you determine which T-shirts get the Pirate Chefs logo on the back of the neck?
A: Only shirts that have food in the theme will get the Pirate Chefs logo on the back neck. However, every once and a while there are a few T-shirts whose food based design doesn't lend itself well to the logo, such as the Warhol Homage T-shirt, and so we do not print the logo on those. 

 

FRAQs (Fun, Rarely-Asked Questions)

Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: I officially started my company January 2, 2004. I tried to start it on January 1st, but the DC government was closed that day.

Q: If you could be any superhero who would you want to be?
A: The Flash! I know Superman can run as fast as The Flash, but there was always something special about The Flash. He didn't have Superman's other abilities so he had to be on his toes a little more, use his powers in unique ways.

Q: Who is this Fred you keep mentioning in your blog?
A: Fred is my bestest buddy. My A #1 pal. He's my dog. I keep him close in my thought everyday, though he recently passed away in April of 2010, just a few short weeks before I opened my NYC store. He is the namesake of the FREDFRED dog collar line.

Q: Are you indeed awesome?
A: Yes, that is a silly question: I am indeed awesome! But I'm only awesome because of all the amazing artists and friends who i work with. Check out The Collective.

Q: If you could do anything on a Saturday night what would it be?
A: Go to a drive-in movie theatre. My favorite drive-in movie theatre is the Rustic Tri-View Drive-In in Rhode Island. Three outdoor screens each showing two movies apiece. $20 a car gets you two movies, and all new releases.

Q: Favorite Food?
A: Pizza. Hands down, pizza. In no particular order:
Lakis: Rhode Island
Bistro Italiano: Washington, DC
Two Amy's: Washington, DC
Grimaldi's: Brooklyn, NY
My friend Adam's house. He lives in Washington, DC as well.

Also, every Fall, Costco's bakery department makes an amazing pumpkin pie. I hate to say it, but it's better than my grandmother's. Her's was good, but kinda tasted like soap.

Q: Do you believe in Time Travel?
A: Excellent question! Yes, we do in fact believe in time travel.

Q: Would you ever consider selling your brand?
A: Yes, but only if the end result meant that I would get to stay on the International Space Station for a full week or longer. None of that space tourism crap, skimming the Ionosphere with 50 other people. I want to hang with the astronauts.