Ugly Kids Club

Mister Batlow & Mister Cee

Misters in disguise.. Batlow and CJ from Ugly Kids Club

Fixated on the buzz of a graffiti can, Batlow, creator of Ugly Kids Club and undeniably talented, sees himself as a big designer with a business master-plan to blow your mind. Getting the name Batlow from his ‘jeans being too low’, he knows more techniques in art than the average player, dapping into bodypainting and interior decor. And CJ, a sizzling new-comer to the game, trained by Batlow and still open to choice, grabs the attention of individuals looking for bold statements to rock, they sail their way through urban fashion, bringing a new meaning to ‘urban essentials’.

With Batlow sketching half way through the interview, with an idea still dim in his head and CJ wearing his talent proud…. If that isn’t signs of young high-fliers, then what should we be looking for, for creative minds?

Louis Vitton’s spring/summer collection 2008 is already riding on the Batlow's vibe. Very similar and already using the spray paint concept on their thousand pounds worth of logo-ed leather. Recognised faces like Mariah Carey and Cheryl Tweedy are sporting his gear, but un-phased by celebrity status, unless it’s Samuel Jackson, when asked how does he manage it all? he replies ‘I smoke a lot of cigarettes and I barely sleep’.

How did you get into graffiti art?

Batlow: I went to school in Essex, it had a big graffiti community, there were a lot of writers, years before me, they took me under their wing when they found out I did graffiti, they would show me the ropes about all the illegal bits of graffiti. There were stuff on trains, walls of fame, the normal graffiti things you do as a youth. I’ve been around for quite a while now, grinding for a very long time, customizing since 16-17, I know about it.

What are the benefits of graffiti?

Batlow: There’s really no big benefits, you’re not gonna get a massive career, there are some people that have. But it’s all about fame, getting yourself up there, getting yourself known, amongst the graffiti community. I was doing stickers, tagging on buses, that was getting me up and getting me known to the people that knew about graffiti.

What about graffiti being seen as vandalism, did you have to work hard for people to take you seriously?

Batlow: If someone saw me or heard about me, they would say he does that sort of thing, but just by meeting me, you would know I’m not just a graffiti artist, I can do more than that. I got a little bit deeper into the art form and found out that it’s a lot deeper then what people think. There’s a lot of fame involved. It’s freedom for me, happy about what you’re doing artistically and it's kinda like a release doing graffiti.

How would you describe your style?

Batlow: Bold lines, bright colours, animated and in-your-face. It depends what you’re looking at. I’ve been titled a ‘graffiti designer’. Now I’m trying to move away from all those bright colours. Still keeping it bold, but more mature.

Tell us about the workshop you done at Kilburn festival?

Batlow: The Kilburn Festival was in the middle of summer 2007. We were doing workshops where we were paid by the council to do tee-shirt designs, kids would get a free tee-shirt and get them customized by us on the spot. They commissioned us to do 1000 t-shirts for the whole 2 days, and we banged out all those t-shirts before 4pm on the first day, it was that busy.

CJ: And we done the stage as well, we done a workshop doing the stage, and done a workshop on the day.

What about the time you won an award for the ‘Newham Fashion Designers of the Year 2007’?

Batlow: We did a fashion show at the East Ham Festival, it was connected to the London Youth Arts, run by Trevor Blackman and Sombo. The tent was massive, it was a canopy that had double glazed doors. That’s amazing. Our corner was big and had a graffiti background, it was the most packed section, loads of kids were coming to get stuff.

Before that we won the UK Urban Fashion Show for ‘Customisers of the Year’ that was the first competition of its kind.

CJ: I took the award at the East Ham Festival, they gave it because of all the hard work and efforts we put into it. That was my second fashion show with my clothes and that, people came down, took the time to actually see my clothes.

Tell us about the Smoking Ban tour, what’s that?

Batlow: Smoking Ban is Skinnyman’s new single. They approached us for clothes for a photo shoot. We said we can customize, do this and that if you give us an extra day, we can also design your tee-shirts. Initially they wanted clothes for the shoot, they like them so much he bought out loads and shot up and down the country. Keeping good relationships with people is how our business has worked.’

Everything is about marketing, the Simpson’s movie was coming out when we were releasing our first collection of tee-shirts, it was obvious to put the two together. It’s a way of marketing yourself out there. ‘Are You Donuts?’ was our first season.

What is the Ugly Kids Club?

Batlow: Back in 2006, I went on myspace and found people like myself that do customizing. Initially the Ugly Kids Club was suppose to be a teaching workshop. I had an ex-royal mail van, it looked like the A-Team van and gathered together a whole bunch of people who done customizing as a living. We started doing workshops in schools, it was quite a momentous day. Everyone in that van is still doing stuff now and doing well.

From there, we had a shop, we put everyone together and turned it from a workshop click, doing workshops for kids into an actual customizing click, an art collective.

‘The idea of the UKC is a collabo… working together, two heads are better than one. And 15 heads are better than two’. The more people that work together, you can delegate, do other jobs or work together on things. The more people we get on board, the different things we can do.

Where did you get the money and equipment to do all this, how did you start out?

Batlow: Our clients pay for everything, you bring your stuff to us and pay for the customized bits. As for tools, my equipment is spray paint, paintbrushes, the normal things I have in my house. Other members in UKC, have a car or an airbrush and they bring that to the clique. It’s what people can bring in. We have no stock money and we haven’t gone through the Princes Trust. It’s our own gain.

CJ, when did you join the UKC?

CJ: I joined when it started in 2006. I’m from the ‘Wet Paint Crew’ who is representing in the UKC. They stay local for the time being, doing banners and customs here and there.

Is customizing a life-time commitment, is this what you want to get into?

CJ: It’s more of a hobby that turned into a part-time job for me. I’m not sure how far customization will go, but I’m still starting off, broadening my skills so I can go into different areas as well, from graphic designs to free-hand paintings.

Do you want to use the UKC to get your name out there?

CJ: Being in the UKC is a big platform to get my name out, if I was doing it by myself, it would be harder because I’ll be in Batlow’s shadow, because he done it first.

Trying to get my name out and being independent is a struggle because I’m generally a shy person, but being in the UKC is a confidence booster. Batlow teaches me all the ropes about everything.

Batlow: The UKC has an urban edge to it, but everyone brings their own character. Mister Cee does whatever I can do, if not a little bit better. In the UKC, you’re a separate artist, you can still do your own thing and get your own jobs, but as the UKC, like on a fashion show, we work together with everyone doing a jumper, working on the wall or everyone doing some kind of graphic design.

Who are your biggest inspirations and your influences?

Batlow: My mum. Internationally, we’re looking at Pharell, Nigo from Bape, Mark Ecko. UK clothes-wise, we’re looking at Wale Adeyemi and Graffitti-wise internationally it’s Seen from New York. And because I am a businessman, Ara who runs Jump-Off, he’s been a mentor. Just anyone who is doing their own thing and can give me some time. I’d look up to them.

What struggles have you been through to get to where you are now?

CJ: Getting the funding to buy the paint was hard, I didn’t work so I had no money. I would ask my mum if she could lend me the money, but because she’s a single parent now, it was hard for her to do so. I managed to get the paint one time and started to get pocket from all the customs that I did. I done a few customs at college getting my name out there, done customs for friends and their friends. After that, financially it was alright.

Batlow: I’ve had loads. I’ve been messed over, people not paying me, some even gone to court over. Loads of stuff, people have taken my stuff and claimed it’s there. It’s plagiarism, but it’s more annoying when they get pocket for it.

There are some people on Myspace that take my work. They put up there customs which is shite, then put one of my customs which is heavy, and make out it’s theirs. That picture is me wearing the hoodie with my name on it.

Shit happens, you’re always gonna get biters, but there’s nothing like the originals. For every hater that you get, you’ve got about ‘x’ amount of people that do like you’re work.

Would you consider yourself as part of hiphop culture?

Batlow: I grew up with graffiti artists, breakdancers and Kenrick and a whole bunch of other people from Boyblue Entertainment. When I was getting my name out I was with the 'Jump-Off', that’s pure hiphop. I was really getting a taste of hiphop. It was just something I got into and gradually cemented myself into graffiti.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being in the Hip-Hop culture?

Batlow: An advantage right now… is that it is hot. Before ‘Nu Rave’, hiphop was the thing. It got very commercial, it was everywhere. All the top ten hits were hiphop. Wherever you looked everyone was wearing baggy jeans. It’s been an advantage like that but then, in the UK or the urban scene in general, there’s no money. There’s money to be made, but you have to work hard at it. It’s a good thing and a bad thing.

How has the Filipino culture influenced your style and lifestyle?

Batlow: What it is, the Filipinos who come over here, they wear the most tackiest things. They’re pombuhan/pyjama clothes, they’re the most terrible things in the world… but I’m impressed, I go there and I get myself some. If you go to the Philippines , it’s all bright colours, they use big thick lines and bold patterns, their clothes have definitely influenced my style a little bit.

My parents always taught me to work hard at what I do, and be good at it. I wanted to leave university but they made me stay. They wanted me to be a doctor, a lawyer, an astronaut, and do well in that. But they found I was doing art, and said ‘if you’re happy doing that, do it but make sure you do it well’. I’m never ever gonna do badly in what I do. If I’m designing or running a business I’ll do my best, always.

What are your impressions of the Filipino community?

Batlow: I think the Filipinos are a very tight net, I like that, everybody knows each other, but I think it’s another form of Chav, they just follow each other. I went to a school in Essex , and that’s the home of chav, so I’ve always tried to go away from that, away from the norm.

What would you like to see in the Filipino community?

Batlow: Good restaurants, you’ve never seen a good restaurant. No-ones better than my mum’s cooking, but I go to all places and they’re just like air. The ones in Earls Court are the terrible ones, I took a girl there once, I was embarrassed.

I’d like to see more Filipinos doing more with themselves and getting out there, doing other things, music, business, film, that way you can see more faces. So for the younger Filipinos, they can go home and look at the TV and say ‘I wanna be like that’. In the Black and Asian community, they’ve got pillars in the community, people who set bench marks. I’d like to see that in a Filipino person.

Do you think you guys could ever be like one of those people?

Batlow: My main goal in my life is to get an OBE. There’s being rich, then there’s being wealthy, an OBE is like a Sir Mister Batlow. I want someone to give it to me. You got to be of either two things, do really well in your business, like a musician who has sold a million records or do loads of charity work. Which we still do, we work for the youths, working with the kids. Yeah so I’m gonna go and get an OBE.

What is your most interesting project to date?

Batlow: It’s different every other week. Today I was on a film set, two weeks ago I was in Manchester doing a footballers house, the week before that I was in Brighton with the Skinnyman tour and months before that I was doing a stage in a little park, in North West London. It varies. I try to make every single job better than the last one. Regardless if I did a small thing, next thing is gonna be bigger, and even if that was a small thing, I still make that one better than the last.

After all the last nights, eye bags, lack of food and missing your bed, what has been all worth it?

Batlow: Apart from getting a million.. no I mean a thousand pounds worth of money, apart from celebrities wearing your garms and getting your stuff on TV. It’s doing all the workshops for the kids and then they go and do it themselves. It's was something I taught them. That’s fulfilling. And there’s CJ, he’s making money from something I taught him.

What’s the best advice someone has ever given you?

Batlow: When I first started, I was trying to be this edgy graffiti artist guy, jobs were coming my way, but I chose not to do them, thought they were a waste. But a guy comes up to me and gets me a job with the Blazing Squad. I was like ‘Blazing Squad, why am I gonna do the Blazing Squad?’ But then this other guy says to just do it, you’ll get yourself out there. I ended up on their DVDs, loads of magazines with our stuff on it, Pop celebrities were wearing my garms. It was like 30 tee-shirts, 10 boiler suits, I done a whole stage and this was when I was 17 years old.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a business in customizing?

Batlow: Get yourself out there, meet as many people as you can. Networking on the net is lazy, you have to go out there and actually meet people and talk to them.

CJ: You have to work hard at it, networking is important. You’ll get a better response by meeting people. And love what you do, at the end of the day, it’s your work, if you’re doing something you don’t enjoy then don’t do it.

What are your future plans?

All the festivals, all the touring, we’ll do it all again next year. Finish my degree, do a banging end of year show. Travel, I’m looking to go Singapore, got some work out there. Go Japan , America , New York where the place of graffiti started, I have to do that, try and do that as soon as I finish uni, then get on to getting my OBE. lol.

Go to www.theuglykidsclub.com for more info or

www.myspace.com/misterbatlow

www.myspace.com/mintcondition28