The True Process
In Screen Printing
Words by Gigi Hernandez Photos by Eric Morales
Fine Southern Gentlemen not only mastered the art of turning their passion into a money-making idea but also sprinkled it with Western-meets-retro vibes and then put their spiffy logo on it which displays their detailed, yet candid, design sense.
Thirteen years ago, during a hot summer day in Texas, two best friends, Justin Weems and Tony Sanchez, unintentionally turned a music booking agency into a screen printing business. In between designing t-shirts for local bands and selling them to fund their booking business, then moving to Austin and buying their first press machine (which they fully operated from a home garage), they gave life to one of Austin’s most unique screen printing businesses: Fine Southern Gentlemen.
While Fine Southern Gentlemen might have originated more as a subset of their lifestyle rather than a business idea, today it is a full designer-run screen printing business with a retail storefront. Located in East Austin with more than 18 employees, Fine Southern Gentlemen’s services include everything from screen printing, live printing, embroidery, paper goods, and design services. Their clientele group consists of an interesting combination ranging from big-name tech companies, to local restaurants such as Terry Black’s BBQ, to music bands and even independent clothing lines.
Walking inside their storefront, one can’t help but immediately notice the edgy Western-yet-hip vibes stemming from their selection of vintage tees and other curiosities like Palo Santo bundles, all perfectly reflecting the ethos of modern day Austin. Fine Southern Gentlemen’s storefront boutique carries items from both their original line and retailers across the country, such as Western Darlin.
Although there are a lot of other screen printing shops in Austin, Fine Southern Gentlemen manages to put the rad in local business in a very unique way. The weight of the brand rests not only in screen printing tees, but also in the role it has created for itself in the local community. “The printing process is probably the same, but our culture is different from everyone else in town,” Justin explains and goes on to add, we’re “more than screen printing, we use this space as an event venue and retail store. We help local bands print records, sell vintage items, host galleries, and help the local community [and] friends while keeping it all fun.”
As their lease on East 6th soon comes to an end, Fine Southern Gentlemen’s new location is yet to be determined. Justin smiles,“Finding an available space in Austin is hard enough; finding an affordable space is damn near impossible.” Until then, they will continue to look for a new and bigger shop, where they can continue to grow their business, particularly their storefront, with retail items from designers in both the local area and across the country.
Did You Know?
In partnership with Hotel Vegas and Barracuda owners, Fine Southern Gentlemen recently opened Feels So Good Records. According to Justin, this “pseudo-record-label type of thing” houses a variety of old-school country and rock-and-roll records along with a selection of records from local bands. 609 E 7th St. (Next to Barracuda) Tues-Sun 2-8pm.
Contact
(512) 666-9050
507 Calles St.
finesoutherngentlemen.com
@fsgprints
