Apparel brands come and go….and a lot of em are corny!!! Every now and then a brand comes along that is the real deal! We had a chance to meet one of the owners of one of those real deal brands and he was kind enough to take some time to do an interview….so here we go!!!

1.  For starters, can you introduce yourself and tell us about FTW&FYT?

Everyone calls me Smalls. I am 34 years old born and raised in The Bronx. I am a NYC Local 40 Ironworker for 11 years now, and I fuckin’ love what I do. I have a strong passion for animals, motorcycles, tattoos, and iron working. FTW&FYT (FUCK THE WORLD AND FUCK YOU TOO) is a clothing company that me and my two close friends started earlier this year. We have a lot of history together. We all come from the motorcycle scene in The Bronx. I consider them both to be my brothers. It has been a wild ride with them, and I would do it all over again if I could.

2. How long have ya been into the motorcycle seen and what first got you into bikes? 

I fell in love with motorcycles the day my father brought home his 97’ sporty. I was 9 years old. It was the loudest thing my young ears ever heard. Everything was chromed and custom. He used to pick me up from school on it, and it made me feel like the baddest mothafucka at 9 years old. It was the adrenaline and chills I would get from the sound of his pipes. I knew from that early, I was going to have my own one day. 

3. I really dig what you have going on with the brand.  What made you want to start an apparel company ?

I appreciate that coming from you, a man of your caliber. That means the world to me. Honestly, I love wearing motorcycle shirts and offensive shirts. I am a huge fan of the clothing company Murdertown. I now consider the owner a friend, he has shown nothing but love and always gave me his time if I had questions. I bought pretty much every shirt he made. The same went for the company Lane Splitter and many other companies. So when it seemed like there were no more shirts to buy from the scene from what I knew of, I thought to myself why not make my own. Me and my boys always talked about doing shit together, just never pulled the trigger. I felt like it was time, so we went through with it. 

4. Your brand definitely  screams raw, in your face, aggressive styles.  Was that just an extension of how you see the bike scene?

Being from NYC and growing up in the streets, it really is survival of the fittest. You have to be tough, aggressive, and raw to make it here. I always hung out with the older guys, it just seemed to be who I got along with most. My father had made me watch prison movies, old gangster films with James Cagney, and he had me listen to Doo Wop a lot. My father is 65 years old also born and raised in The Bronx. He kept it real with me from day one. Never sugar coated anything. In a sense I grew up fast because of it. I am who I am because of him. With all of that said I am very big on respect, and I can’t stand bullies. The way I live my life is “treat me good and I’ll treat you better, treat me bad and I’ll treat you worse.” Not my quote but definitely how I live. I love aggressive clothing because I can’t stand all these pussies and Karens that are offended so easily by everything and take everything so personal. They want to make everything about them. If my shirt offends those people, then I’m happy. Because Im wearing what I believe in and I don’t give a fuck who doesn’t like it. I’m not for all the politic shit, and I am no racist, I will never wear shirts like that, but a “KILL ALL PEDOPHILES” shirt, now that’s my style. I don’t bother anyone, I mind my business, I expect the same, that’s all. 

5.  What’s next for FTW&FYT in the quest for world domination?  

Lmao, world domination, those words are inspiring. I really want to keep going with the clothes, but I really want to eventually get in to making sick custom bike parts. We already have custom primary covers and other parts but I want to get a little more involved with that aspect. I would also love to host an event one day. I love when bikers come together because its always a good time, good vibe, and mad love. 

6.  Shifting gears little bit….What are you currently riding ? And what’s the dream bike? 

I am currently riding my first and only bike I ever owned. It is a 2010 Dyna Streetbob. I was 21 years old when I bought it. I sold my car to get it. My dream bike is definitely an FXR. I feel like every man should have an FXR in their life at some point. I love your bike. When you pulled up I fell in love with the sound instantly. And I couldn’t believe how much I liked the way your bars looked with it. It is no cookie cutter FXR that’s for sure. Very original and super dope. 

7.   When we met we talked about the NYC bike scene a bit. What’s one of the biggest surprises for you as you are expanding with your brand outside of NYC? 

The biggest surprise by far, is the love. Being from NYC there isn’t much love in the air. Looking at someone the wrong way can cause you your life here. Its a dog eat dog world here. So I’m always expecting that where I ever go. But that was not the case when starting this company. The love I have received from people in Virginia, California, Canada, Australia, The UK, the list goes on, is unreal. I know you asked about out of NYC but I want to quick mention that the love and respect I have received from yourself, Frank from Hard Rider ( https://hardridernyc.com/) , Bob Seeger from Indian Larry’s (https://indianlarry.com/), and nycdannyd (https://www.instagram.com/nycdannyd/) from IG, and Peter Gunz (https://www.instagram.com/petergunz02/) has been mind blowing and will never be forgotten. 

8. What’s a trend in the motorcycle scene that drives you insane and won’t go away fast enough for you?

This is a very interesting question. This is the first question I didn’t immediately have an answer for. I don’t know if its a trend, but just the whole poser act. The guy that’s calling his softail a Dyna because he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Or the guy telling me about all the motor work he’s got into his bike but he’s scared to ride it so it sits in his garage. I hate that shit with a passion. The guy with money that has the sickest bike but he’s too pussy to ride so he just shows pictures of it everywhere he goes and tells everyone what he’s got into it. Like I said maybe no so much of a trend, “that guy” has been around since for many years now. 

9. What’s one of you favorite things about the bike scene/culture in NYC?  

The camaraderie 100%. When you’re hanging around nothing but bikers in NYC, you can ALMOST let your guard down, you can relax. Its the shared passion and love for our motorcycles that allow that. And also exactly what I just said, the motorcycles. There’s a lot of gritty hard ridden motorcycles that might not be the prettiest, but they have that look and feel that a $10,000 paint job can’t get you. That grimy gritty New York City. There’s just something different about them NYC bikes. 

10.  Thank you so much for doing this!!!   Where can folks see see ya or snag some of your killer merch? 

Thank you so much for allowing me to do this. This is my first time ever doing something like this, I will never forget it. They can go on our website ftwfyt.com but they can also go on our instagram to really get a feel for what we are about @ftwfytinc ( https://www.instagram.com/ftwfytinc/). Thank you for having me, I enjoyed this very much so. Much love and Respect, ‘Smalls FTW&FYT’.

THANK-YOU, Smalls! Everyone should check FTW&FYT!! Follow them on IG, tell your friends, buy a shirt….basically show some support!!!