Complimenting a strong creative side with a healthy dose of business acumen was an essential learning process for Charlie and one that gave his brand legs early on as he avoided certain pitfalls that plague other upstart brands.

“At the end of the day, you have to put down the paintbrush and put on the suit and tie eventually,” Charlie explained. “You can’t be creative 24/7.”

“I think it’s for the greater good. If I’m a creative and keep kicking off these designs here and there and there’s no foundation beneath it, then where is this really going? I understand the balance of both.”

And it has worked for Chrle.. While many brands struggle out of the gate, Charlie found success with the first piece he created under the brand name. While working at a friend’s shop, he grew tired of the repetitive designs they were putting out and began making suggestions. They told him he should start something of his own. So, he did.

“Fuck it. I’m going to start it, take the hit and put my face on it. I’m not going to try to create some other name, I just would rather use my name and just go from there,” Charlie said. “The tee that I did, it was pretty funny, it was a shirt that said ‘Nah Puff, that’s a Benz.’ It was just pulling from the hip-hop culture that really exposed me to everything.”

The shirt was flying, proving to Charlie that his designs didn’t need graphics to resonate with his audience. The 20-something-year-old Mase quote in Times New Roman hit home new fans of Chrle. and it gave Charlie the momentum to carry forward and keep creating.

The brand has evolved since then, seeing Charlie’s graphic and cut-and-sew vision materialize, as well as his ability to convey a message. Take this latest editorial shoot with YG and Nano, for example. It’s red and blue and so are the main characters, but the story isn’t about red and blue. It’s about LA. It’s about a community coming together.

“The story is what really takes the wheel,” Charlie says. “The majority of the time I’m just riding shotgun. Once the story is there, we’re going forward with that. If we’re talking about Los Angeles, what are we talking about? What are those things and how do we create around that and how can those who aren’t from here understand it as well. For me, Chrle. is about my upbringing and what I saw, so I’m starting from there, growing and telling other stories that had an impact on me, too. Everyone has a chapter.”

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