Introducing Good Morning Tapes | Crafted with Love & Care
Words: Ali George Hinkins
The following statement can be broadly applied to many aspects of our lives. From experience, I’ve found that the most successful brands or creative projects are run by those who do them in search of creative freedom and expression. In fashion, specifically, there is a strong correlation between successful designers who began their journeys as a result of frustration due to the lack of clothing they would like to wear themselves. So, when you have a slight ounce of creativity, what is the most likely solution to this problem? It has to be starting your own brand and going it alone, designing clothes you relate to. The rest follows: it’s an organic process that truly resonates with people.
Founded by Adam Biesiot, who also goes by DJ Biscuit, in 2017, Good Morning Tapes embodies the previous sentiment better than I could possibly describe. Born out of sheer creativity, Good Morning Tapes marries two of Adam’s most furious passions: music and design. GMT acts as an extension of Adam’s personal interest in encouraging others to connect with nature and their surroundings by communicating positive messages through music and graphic artwork, a sentiment that its collaborators reciprocate with. Drawing on personal experiences for its inspiration, Adam mentions that the major point for any of his creative output was through his travels and experiences over the years, as well as working in ceremonies with different indigenous elders who taught and guided him along the way.
What merely started as a creative outlet born out of frustration in his current field of work at the time, Adam began releasing cassettes from friends of his under the moniker of Good Morning Tapes – a breath of fresh air in both Adam’s life and the industry. While there were never intentions of creating a ‘label’ or ‘brand’, as Adam cites, it accidentally happened when they designed and subsequently released a t-shirt in conjunction with Misha Hollenbach, the co-owner of Perks & Mini (PAM). From that point onwards, every contributor label wanted a t-shirt to release alongside their respective cassette – everything snowballed in the most organic way possible. Recognising the rapid success of GMT, Adam began to be contacted by different fashion retailers who were particularly interested in the graphics on the tees, more so than the music, which really gave the brand legs to grow without compromising on its identity.
What started as a passion project that saw GMT releasing a cassette and a piece of merch to accompany it every month – as close as possible to a new or full moon – has blossomed into a wider range of apparel and a growing stockist list. Despite this, Adam and Good Morning Tapes still approach each product and piece of music with the same sense of vigour that spurred him to start in the first place.
As far as the future is concerned, despite giving an air of spontaneity and a ‘go with the flow’ attitude, Good Morning Tapes looks to continue partnering with an extensive lineup of music contributors and artists who lend their unique guise. One of those musicians is Ed Ruscha V who is based in LA and produces music under the cryptic alias of Secret Circuit, E Ruscha V & The Only Thingz. In addition to that, they will carry on working with Joe Roberts (LSD World Peace), a San Francisco-based artist whose work is heavily inspired by his own psychedelic experiences and using them in a design context. In the past, when the pair have collaborated, the end product has given us styles like the Jungle Short Sleeve Shirt and Shorts, as well as the Dinosaur L/S and Mega Man S/S, all of which have since sold out. Like other aspects of GMT, every partnership is clearly aligned with Adam’s personal values or shares a similar approach to their work.
Marking its debut release at HHV, Good Morning Tapes’ Spring/Summer ‘23 offering consists of a fitting range of graphic-imbued styles, including hoodies, long-sleeve tees, t-shirts, bottoms and tote bags. Of course, each piece is made using organic cotton where appropriate and features custom graphic artwork that exists somewhere between psychedelic and bohemian. Overall, the whole ensemble does wonders to exemplify the label’s playful breadth of design and artistic execution of graphics.
Good Morning Tapes is now available via HHV’s online store. Although, if you have a chance, I highly recommend checking it out in person from HHV’s Berlin store: Grünberger Str. 54, 10245 Berlin.
