Paul Frank
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Paul Frank Sunich (born August 29, 1967) is a graphic and fashion designer. Paul Frank's creations adorn clothing and other products produced by Paul Frank Industries, Inc. Julius the monkey is one of Paul Frank's best-known characters.
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[edit] Biography
During the 1990s, Paul Frank was an art student at Orange Coast College. He bought a sewing machine in order to complete small projects such as attaching patches to sweaters. One day, he used some spare orange vinyl to create a wallet. After seeing his work, his friends expressed interest in other accessories, so he began to sew items such as guitar straps and backpacks.[citation needed]
A few years later, Paul Frank Industries, Inc. formed in order to keep up with the demand for his products. Frank worked during the day, but sewed and sold his products during his spare time. After his friend Ryan Heuser borrowed money ($5000), they obtained a business license and a resale number. Their corporate offices are currently in Orange County, CA. The company's stores are also popular with domestic locations in Southern California, San Francisco, New York City, Dallas, Las Vegas and Chicago. International locations include: London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Athens, Seoul, Bangkok, and a group in Japan. Future locations include Doha, Qatar and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[citation needed]
In 1999, Paul Frank Industries collaborated with The Aquabats. Since then, Paul Frank Industries has worked with other bands including Bad Religion, Radiohead, The Vandals, Alkaline Trio, Tool, and Pretty Girls Make Graves. Other musical collaborations include the Coachella festival, Lollapalooza, and LA radio station KROQ.
Besides co-branding and licensing affiliations with bands, the company has had ties with Mattel, Oscar Mayer, Elvis Presley, Andy Warhol, Wahoo's Fish Tacos, SHAG, John Deere, Nirve Bicycles, Obey Giant, ProKeds shoes, Mark Ryden, Thomas Campbell, Hello Kitty, and Lego
In 2004, Paul Frank Industries added small paul, a line of clothing for kids.
In March 2006, Frank filed a suit against his former business partners after he was terminated from the company, pushed out of the partnership, and was prevented from using his own name to pursue other opportunities within the field of design.[citation needed]
[edit] Influences
In 1972, Paul Frank attended Sun View Elementary School in Huntington Beach, CA. The building was painted in bright colors -- rusty orange, light blue and gold-yellow -- and Frank acknowledges this influence on his subsequent work.[citation needed] He also says that he is inspired by industrial designers: "...whoever designs schools, desks, chairs, office furniture, bicycles, cars, blenders, toasters from the '40s through '60s, stuff like public buildings."[citation needed] Further, Frank says that much of his style has developed as a result of his love for music such as The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Velvet Underground.[citation needed]
[edit] Characters
Well-known Paul Frank characters include Julius, Skurvy, Clancy, and Worry Bear. Paul Frank's designs have been featured in numerous movies, most notably in the third installment of the Austin Powers series.
A list of Paul Frank characters include:
- Julius, a monkey
- Clancy, a small giraffe
- Cornelius (Clancy's older brother), a larger giraffe
- Vic, a snail
- Worry Bear
- Sheree L. Bandit, a raccoon
- Todd Spicoli, a hamster
- Ellie, an elephant
- Bunny Girl, a girl who wears a bunny suit
- Skurvy, a skull and bones
- Mr. Owl, an owl
- Shaka Brah Yeti, a yeti
- Devil Julius, Julius' cousin
- Marshmellows, the hot cocoa rapids riders
- Missy and J, the siamese cats
- Aurthur, a Flamingo
- Hulius, a Hawaiian version of Julius
- Brace Face, a dog with braces
[edit] Personal life
In 2003, Paul Frank met his now wife, Susan Wang. She is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art. They were married on June 18, 2005 and currently live in Southern California.
Frank currently heads a new design studio called Treestitch Design. He is currently working on clothing and textile designs for major retailers and intellectual properties. He also contributes fine art pieces to charity events and museum exhibitions.[citation needed]
