It’s nice to kick on with out interviews with a regular face from around the twittersphere, Winky Boo is probably one of the most positive minds i’ve seen around the t-shirt game online. (She also works with a super talented web designer, [Erin cheyne.]) Here we discuss; why you shouldn’t buy your kids matching clothes for Xmas, Grandads are never forgotten & wherever possible suck up to the Tee Gazette when asked to mention who the best people to follow on twitter are!

Who are Winky Boo? Do you have a twitchy eye and always scare people in a ghost outfit?

Unfortunately I was never good at dressing up & scaring people and fortunately I do not have a twitchy eye, Winky Boo  is a brand that I (Amy Fiedler) created from inspiration and memories of my late grandfather. He was such a fun, free spirit; always the joke-ster  and only serious when need be. The way he lived life inspired me to create a brand about having fun (even when you should be serious), about being a kid (even when you’re an adult), about having imagination (even if some don’t get it).

The name Winky Boo was created from nicknames he had given my brother, sister and myself when we were younger and the designs will always correlate with this simple concept!

What is the mantra behind the designs you create? What is the driving force that keeps you going in such a competitive business?

The mantra of Winky Boo and all our designs are derived from the flow of your imagination and sense of humor be it about life, childhood, work, pop culture, adulthood, etc. There is not one single design created that does not follow some aspect of what my grandfather showed me or taught me about life and living it.  Everything has a twist and a little humor in it, you just need to look for it. Things are not that serious; they are what they are and if you can laugh about it then you can truly get through life undefeated and fulfilled.

Winky Boo uses this concept not only in our design process but in our marketing, advertising, daily business practices and most importantly in our own lives! The driving force behind what keeps me going in this competitive business would have to be not only my own passion and love for fashion itself, but the love I have for art/design, for making people feel good about what they’re wearing in turn making them feel good about themselves and most importantly the daily tribute I pay to my grandfather by profoundly honoring him with Winky Boo. He is what keeps me going. I keep a photo of him right next to my computer so everyday I am reminded that he is my inspiration for all of this and that itself, will drive me to succeed.

If you could take one design you’ve released which would be your favourite?

This is a tough one considering I really do love them all for different reasons. I mean the elephant on a skateboard one is really a reverse take on animal rights. I’m a huge animal lover & supporter and thus making it so the elephant is shooting a target of a human totally makes me giggle.

But going a bit deeper I’d say presently speaking that the A Life In Progress tees are my favorite at the moment. Some have said it’s a step away from what Winky Boo usually does, but I felt it was a good way to throw a more mainstream style in the mix. The phrase, “A Life In Progress” is such a powerful group of words. Most of Winky Boo’s customers are between the ages of 18-34. Of course we have a good percentage of those younger and older that shop with us but the majority being between that age and myself being 27, I think this phrase really dictates to where a lot of us are in our life path.  I obviously can’t speak for others but being 27 I can say that my life is still a work in progress. There’s a lot I have accomplished by 27, but there’s a lot I wish I HAD accomplished already and there’s EVEN more I’d like to achieve.

What design would you prefer to win the most if you pick from the brands in this giveaway?

This is such a hard question to answer and I know saying that any design from any brand would make me happy, would be me taking the easy way out. Though most of these brands are friends of mine, I’ve gotten to know a lot of the owners and really appreciate them as friends in this industry.  I’m going to have to go with 604 Republics – STAR WALAGA design. Before you scratch your head because I don’t look like the type to wear that tee, if you know me I’m quite the nerd and have a slight obsession with old school video games. I played my old Mario Brothers game on the infamous grey Nintendo system all through college until I busted it because I left it on Pause every time I had to go to class lol. But with Galaga….Galaga and I had a love/hate relationship. I’ll leave it at that!

Who are some of the best people to follow on twitter?

The majority of people I follow are fellow indie t-shirt brands and indie t-shirt blogs. Some of my favorites & good friends are: @TeeGazette , @SauceWear , @JThompsonDesign , @GritFX – am I being too obvious? I also enjoy reading my own tweets @WinkyBoo (LOL)

What were the worst Xmas presents you recieved when growing up?

I need to preface this answer by saying to my mother/father and any relative reading this..you’re all beautiful & I love you very much BUT buying my sister and myself MATCHING clothes & toys throughout our childhood scarred me emotionally. Ok, well I might be exaggerating but every Christmas she was given pink pajamas and I got purple ones. She received a pink sweater and I got a purple one. Are you catching my drift?  Sure it’s cute to dress your kids in matching clothes when they’re small and have no say so but see, I think this is why I rebel now and absolutely dislike when someone buys the exact same outfit in a different color as myself.

Thanks Winky Boo; follow on Facebook and @winkyboo on Twitter.