Recently I had the pleasure of talking with Steve Boshnyak from Kiaeneto. If you haven’t heard of Kiaeneto then pull up a chair. Everyone knows that Quicksilver is a surf brand, and Volcom is a skate brand. Kiaeneto is quickly becoming the gamer’s brand of clothing. To get some more information from the source, Steve agreed to answer some questions about Kiaeneto, including but not limited to how they got started, and what they are aiming for in the future. Have a read.

Can you tell us a little about Kiaeneto and how it was founded?

Mikey Sabo founded Kiaeneto and sister company Kks (a custom printing company) in his early years of highschool. His sophomore year he realized that he wanted to make his own statement (through his look and clothing) that no other stores could offer him. After years of work in his parent’s basement he launched Kks and started making local softball team and company shirts. Dave Walsh (Walshy) went to the same high school as Mikey, and they kept in touch after graduating. When talking one time, the idea came up of becoming partners to finally lauch Kiaeneto to the world. They decided to move forward and share the company 50/50.

What was the initial reaction of gamers to a clothing line just for them?

Initally and now, gamers love our line and support what we do. After all this is a line that supports gaming. Some were skeptical though, thinking that we are simply supporting Walshy. Yes, Walshy is an owner, but Kiaeneto is for all gamers.

How has Kiaeneto grown since it was founded in 1998?

In 1998, Kiaeneto was a basement project of one kid trying to be himself. It evolved into a small shop with one shirt press and a couple employees. Now, Kiaeneto is a two story full fledge company with four shirt presses and 14-16 employees (excluding Dave and Mikey). Our shop is composed of people from who are ages 18 to 27, many of which who are in college now or with bachlors or associates degrees. Our shirts are now all around the world. In addition to our shirts, we now have hats, sweatpants, wristbands, car decals, bags, and soon skateboards, shoes and console skins!

It seems like nearly everyone plays videogames in some capacity now. The definition of a ‘gamer’ is constantly evolving and encompasing a wider variety of age groups and lifestyles. With Kiaeneto known as a clothing line for gamers, do you see your audience widening alongside the market for videogames?

Kiaeneto is growing at a very fast pace. Although every day is busy, we always look forward to busier and more complex days. With the average age of gamers becoming older, younger groups feel the need to keep the community alive which offers us many years of business for us to look forward to.

How many people are currently involved with Kiaeneto?

Thats a hard question to answer because as mentioned above, we have about 18 people employed, but we look at it as if we have millions involved. Every gamer who picks up a controller, wears a shirt or writes “Kiaeneto” on there notebook at school is involved.

Is everyone involved in the design process, or are there specific designers?

When it comes to our designs, each person in the shop contributes thoughts, and even offer up drawings. However, we do have two main designers, Lukasz and Justin. Lukasz has been attending a local art college for computer arts for sometime and does great work as you can see. Philicia is another Kiaeneto designer about to graduate from the same school as Lukasz. We have also been known to accept offers from outside gamers on shirt ideas.

From all the products you have available, do you have a personal favorite? If so, what is it?

My favorite items? That is hard considering all the new items coming out so soon that I get to see before the public. Originally, I liked our “Raven” shirt as well as the “Team Kiaeneto” jersey. Since the introduction of new items to the shop I would say that our skateboards are GREAT! It does help however that I like to skateboard as well as play Halo.

How would you like to see Kiaeneto expand in the future?

I would really like to see us get small shops set up around the world and make Kiaeneto easily accesible for the people who support us. As a marketing major, I like to think of how to improve and expand on ideas. It would be great to have this be my career. I am working for a great friend which I have known since pre-school who asked me to be the best man in his wedding (Congrats Mikey and Kate!). Helping his company succeed is a great gift I can try to give him.

Are there any new products coming out soon that we should keep our eyes peeled for?

SKATEBOARDS! We will also be selling shoes as well as dozens of new shirts and hoodies. Lastly, we now have skins for Xbox360s, iPods, iPhones and computers!

Although this may have been the first time some of you have heard of Kiaeneto, it is definitely not the last. It is safe to say that we will all be hearing more about them in the future. After all, gamers are everywhere now, why not their clothing? Thanks Steve for answering some questions and letting us all learn more about Kiaeneto. Also, thanks Mikey for your kindness and dedication to your company. You have done an excellent job with Kiaeneto so far, best of luck in the future.

Posted by Dweezle