PASTE

 Jason Laurits puts in a lot of hours, and logs a lot of miles, as the designer, shipping manager, social media manager, sales rep and every other position of the line PASTE.  You may have met him a little over a year ago when he came to Columbus for a trunk show at the shop.   We recently sat down with Jason to talk to him about how excited we are about the new pieces we just got in for fall and how super excited we are for his swimwear we'll be getting after a short and mild winter. 

1.From what I can tell Paste is a one man operation. You design, sell, rep and stay on the road a lot. What do you like about running things alone. Is there anyone else in the company or do you wish there was?
Yes, as of now it's just me.  I do hire out a bookkeeper, but that's about it.  I am certainly ready to start handing some duties over to someoe else, and I think (HOPE) that's going to happen within this year.  I would like to return somewhat to my life outside of this.  But it's been nice to have a hand in every aspect of my business.  It's sort of like boot camp right now, just paying my dues, that's what keeps me going.  I just hope I haven't gotten addicted to the hard-working pace that I run at right now, where I won't be able to stop, slow down, and relax a little bit if given the chance.  My grandma's 93 years old, and there isn't a day she doesn't have vaccum tracks in her rug.  God, I hope I don't end up like that. 
2. What was your favorite city on your summer tour and why haven't you been back to Columbus yet?
Sorry Columbus, Tigertree has yet to invite me back.  I've been sitting by the phone for while now waiting for your call.  My fave city this summer was once again Chicago.  They are just great supporters of Paste and indie brands in general.  They get it, love it, and I love the city.  It's beautiful, clean, and people are really nice.       
3. You seemed pretty proud of that free buffet you won at the Wynn, did it meet your expectations?
I actually haven't cashed it in yet.  I kept putting it off each night, until it was the last night and I was catching a red-eye home.  I went, stood in the long line, didn't move for 20 minutes.  There's really nothing more embarrassing than standing by yourself in a buffet line with a "Free Buffet" coupon in your hand, especially at the Wynn.  I didn't want to miss my flight, so I had to bow out.  Fortunately, I have six months to use it, and I am there twice a year so I will keep you updated.
4. You used to have two brands Plaster and Paste but are now doing the tees and menswear under the same name, why the change?  Plaster was a contemporary line with a higher pricepoint, while Paste was its more affordable option consisting at the time of just graphic tees.  It was tough enough to juggle them both, then the recession hit and stores weren't taking on new lines at Plaster's pricepoint.  They were, however, interested in Paste.  So I decided to focus on the tees with the hopes of expanding it into a contemporary line.  Slowly but surely, button-downs are out this fall, and swimwear is coming out next summer.
5. I am really excited about your swim-wear we'll be getting in for spring. I guess that isn't really a question but if you want to respond to that you can.
No it wasn't a question, but I'll respond and save you from embarrassment.  I'm excited about the swim, too.  It was one of those things that just made sense for me to do.  I love doing graphics, and thought it would be great to work with swim.  And it came out exactly how I pictured it in my head!  I mean, how often does that happen for us perfectionists!

Fall Styles:

  See more at http://www.pastetshirts.com/