Off the Rack

Jean genie

by Roger Grosswiler

Custom denim might cause some folks to think of the Bedazzler, Disco Stu or state fair airbrushing. Others may think of rock star clothes at rock star prices.

The duds Bryan "Bam Bam" Grey designs and sells through Short North retailer What The Rock?! carry serious vision and skill, but at a price that won't require pawning your guitar.

Grey's "denim tattooing" is done on customers' jeans or jackets, with fabric paints, indelible markers and possibly an odd accoutrement or two, "strictly to accentuate," as he explained.

Sometimes items are dyed or distressed before the painting begins—in a sharp style, with bold lines and bright colors. He'll customize an area as small as a pocket, or cover an entire pair of jeans. He's also used Chuck Taylor canvas shoes as his canvas.

The route to creating one-of-a-kind clothing started in high school on Columbus' West Side, where Grey decorated friends' folders. Columbus College of Art and Design led to job-hunting in New York's fashion industry, where Grey found that illustration was mostly being done by computers.

A decade of fashion-related work in California followed, some of it spent opening Baby Gaps in Berlin and Tokyo, before his return to Columbus. Beyond the professional experience is a lifetime love of rock 'n' roll.

"I'm kind of doing the same thing now that I did in high school, only now I'm older," he laughed.

Grey's visual influences include comic books, Cracked movie spoofs and '70s poster art, along with lots of album cover art (Iron Maiden, Uriah Heep and Molly Hatchet got honorable mentions). Traditional tattoo flash, hot rod art, pin-ups, toy robots, devils, flames and Chanel chains also adorn Grey's denim wear.

He showed off how elaborate jeans can get with the pair he was wearing, embellished especially for last month's Slayer concert. A dragon started at the hip and curled around the leg. The cuffs were encircled by stacks of skulls, like a tomb from an old mummy movie.

His customers dictate the subject and style to a certain extent, so Grey considers each piece a collaborative work of art, and he hopes the wearer will see not just something cool to sport at a rock show but a "wear it now, hang it later" investment.

But if a cool look is all you're after, Grey will soon offer ready-to-wear, starting with a line of vests.

If you'd like to share your fashion sense with Off The Rack, e-mail mstarker@columbusalive.com

March 1st, 2007

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