One ALCombo Please!

Grab Your Morphers

Nerd culture is full of people who are both creative and fashionable. We all know how cosplaying has really ramped up people’s attention when it comes to creativity, design and attention to detail… but what about those who just want really cool merch? Well, never fret, because there are so many cool and awesome designers in the nerd-o-sphere. And I got a chance to sit down with one of them. Anime isnt the only fandom that has cool symbolisms and characters to rep, Power Rangers is also a huge fandom full of creative inspiration for fashion. And if you’re part of the Tokusatsu fandom yourself and you want some cool merch… look no further than the Al Combo.

I am so grateful I got a chance to sit down with Al the creator and founder of The Al Combo, your favorite Tokusatsu merch designer. The Tokusatsu fandom has such a vast variety of costumes, helmets, logos, patterns, whatever you can think of, there’s fashion inspiration everywhere. Unfortunately sometimes fans get burnout by the repetitive and uninspired designs of merch that already exist, and Al brought about the cure with his unique, fun and innovative designs. 

We Heading Into The Grid, Don’t Be Musty

You’ve always loved Power rangers, since you were a child. So its always been a large interest of yours, and every fandom has merch. What type of merch exists in the Power Ranger space, and what type of merch would you like to see in the future from that community?

Al: Whatever else that comes, even necklaces, things like that jewelry, and then kinda diving more into that genre of Power Rangers/Tokusatsu. There’s not really a lot of clothing there, and if there is, the shirt would be like $85. Or like a jacket from the show, not literally from the show but one someone made that was inspired by the show that would be like $500 give or take. It would be a good jacket too, not even gonna lie, it would range from maybe $100 to like $500. And that might even be generous giving those prices because they would be coming from Japan. 

I would have thought there would be more types of merch for Tokusatsu fans, or even just for Power Rangers fans in general due to the popularity and longevity. So that's interesting. Well you are a designer yourself so what got you into making merch, how did that start out for you, what inspired your brand?

Al: So I was like okay, I'm just gonna make stuff and see how it goes. Like just make stuff for myself and see how that goes. How the Al Combo got started was me combining things, [chuckles] and my name is Al. So I was just kinda combining all sorts of things together to try to learn photoshop. So I was combining things like this season of Power Rangers to Bloody War, or I was combining Yu Yu Hakusho to Blood Sport. I was combing just anything together just for fun for kicks and giggles. And it was good for my mental health. Then it evolved into ‘let me see if i can make a shirt’, and here we are, then I just kept going and going,  it kinda spiraled into the Al Combo. So I was just learning photoshop and ended up designing clothes and making it appealing with the Tokusatsu genre mostly. A little bit of anime if I feel like it. That's what inspires my brand and my clothing. 

Were you inspired by any other potential designers when you were in the process of creating the AlCombo? Like any that you were already wearing? I am pretty sure that Power Rangers is a niche market, and was it difficult for you to find/cultivate an audience for your designs?

Al: Not to disrespect anybody, the stuff that ive seen, design-wise with merch was just not for me, so i was like Ill just make my own. I started off with my friends first, and just being like hey I made this and that just for fun. Then one of my friends was like you should actually sell this stuff. The t-shirt business was just so much and I wasnt trying to hear it [chuckles] to be honest, so what reinspired me to find my audience was me continuing to make stuff. Well I should say this, with Tokusatsu or anything in the realm of practical special effects that's used to make their show. So there are shows beyond Power Rangers and Super Sentai, theres Kamen Rider, Ultra Man, theres so many other shows. Theres even a Sailor Moon tokusatsu. Even Godzilla falls under that realm. If you think anime is a niche market, tokusatsu is a very, very niche community. Very niche. So once I started making stuff, the audience was already there. Then it became me doing it at conventions, for the first time and that was an experience. Then it became me being a sponsor for the Morphing Grid Radio. Its so crazy to learn more recently how many people like Power Rangers. The community was already there. I had really good people to help me along the way. 

Earlier you briefly mentioned the pre-existing Power Rangers merch and the level of quality that existed, as a good amount of it comes from Japan. You have already figured how you were gonna design, and T-Shirts, did you take the quality of your clothing into consideration? 

Al; So with quality clothing, that's a fun question because i'm learning more as I go along. It was a lot of trial and error. I know for me, what I like to wear would be something more comfortable and I wanted to translate that into my clothes. So a lot of it is trial and error, like starting on teespring, and being like okay maybe I can do better than this. And with other brands inspiring me, I like the quality of their shirts, let me see if I can replicate it. So i did a lot of research. Learning what i'm willing to try, if I can do shirts,that could expand into me doing shorts, if I do shorts that could expand into me doing jerseys. It was a lot of trial and error to find out if I'm happy with what I design and what I put out. And once i get it, I put it through the wash test. Especially the shirts, so that the print doesn't wear off after the first wash, I'm still learning along the way.

You mentioned that you've done jerseys. I would imagine that jerseys would be a tough endeavor. At least tougher than a t-shirt would be. Which do you like to do more, t-shirts or jerseys?

Al: So that's funny, I actually like making jerseys more than t-shirts now. With jerseys Im learning they can be more simplistic. My mind always goes to the most complex thing. I feel like I don't have to do too much with it, and put something all over the shirt and hope it turns out good. jerseys were interesting because one of my buddies Max suggested I should do jerseys and I was like let me try that. How that started was actually doing some research and seeing if I can make that happen. Luckily i know my colors.Funny, I didnt actually wear jerseys prior to me making them. The goal is to go through all types of jerseys, i started with actually with football jerseys. Then started on Hockey jerseys. I dont know nothing about hockey. I learned that hockey jerseys are way bigger than regular shirts.The fit is different, you wont fit a hockey jersey the way you would a regular shirt. I would wear it over something, maybe like a hoodie, but I wouldnt wear it like I would a regular shirt. It's funny the one that Planet wears, is from a Power Rangers show back in the day from Beetle Blast, and I did a whole Beetle Summer line. Ive basketball, and then next i have to tackle baseball. Im designing a baseball jersey now. Jerseys are interesting because I can play around with it without making it complicated. When that first jersey came I was so happy and it came out better than I thought, and it lasted a real long time. And it holds up and hasnt lost any color. People are still asking for hockey jerseys to this day. Its more satisfying for me to make jerseys and things like that. 

Outside of t-shirts and jerseys, what else have you gotten creative with? And what other types of clothing are you willing to try?

Al: SO Ive done Muay Tai Shorts before. They're more free flowing, and good for if you want to be sexy. When you wear muay tai shorts, something comes over you [chuckles] like you feel like you look real good in them. So thats definitely something I want to tackle again. And you heard it here first, Im working on bomber jackets.That one is definitely a first, a new design for me. Im currently waiting to see how it looks Anything with clothing is mentally draining, in a good and a bad way. Especially when youre picking out colors and you realize theres 50 different reds, and 50 different blues and greens, and youre like do I pick 17 or 18, and they look like the same green. The jacket is going to be really cool, when I pull that off. I want to do shorts again, Im working on a bomber jacket now. And I kinda want to do more hats and smaller items. When i was packing those jerseys I kinda got PTSD [chuckles] theyre so heavy to pack. 

So do you primarily premiere new products at conventions like RangerStop? How do you go about premiering new products?

Al: I release mostly when I feel like. I do want to premiere stuff at the Morphing Grid, which is a videogame dance party in Baltimore. I mainly debut things when Im ready, when I feel good about them. Like after it passes my wash test and Ive worn it already, and I feel good about it is when I’ll put it out. 

The Morphing Grid, you mentioned them a few times now. How did you get in touch with them, and then inevitably becoming their clothing sponsor?

Al: SO its funny because I met Planet through instagram, and attended the Morphing Grid just for fun. Next thing i know he needed a sponsor. I had to think about it for a second, but after a five minute talk I was on board. Which is kinda how that happened. I was going to the Morphing Grid anyway, which is a cool place to go if you're in Baltimore, to dance and drink and play videogames. It started as me going for fun, and their old sponsor was focused on other things then I came in. It all happened really suddenly and now I'm here. 

That’s so cool, I do enjoy their radio show as well. Well do you have any closing words about what we can expect from the Al Combo and Morphing grid in the future?

Al: You can expect something really cool and awesome from the AlCombo Morphing Grid collab. It's really really cool, you'll look really good in it, and you won't be musty.

There you have it friends, “Don’t Be Musty”. We will definitely be tapping in with Al again in the future to see what other amazing and incredible things he has in store for us.

And you can tune into Morphing Grid Radio, your favorite Tokusatsu theme Future R&B | House radio station at: morphinggridradio.xyz.

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Love you guys and we’ll catch up soon.