Jawbreaking is an independent clothing company based out of North Carolina and owned by Aly Silverio. With two years of warped tour under their belt and various different bands wearing their clothes, the company has a pretty amazing amount of exposure. Keep reading for our interview with the girl behind it all, Aly Silverio. 

LL: Start off by telling us who you are and what exactly Jawbreaking is
I’m Aly Silverio and Jawbreaking is something I started 4 years ago as a jewelry company to make some extra cash during the summer. But now Jawbreaking is an independent clothing line ran by my mom and I.

LL: You’ve said before that you started Jawbreaking when you were just 15 years old and you would bring jewelry to bands and people at shows. What made you start Jawbreaking Jewelry? Where did most of the inspiration for it come from?
Ha, oh yeah, those were the days. I really just needed a job or some means of income for the summer but I didn’t want a real job, so why not make some clay jewelry? A lot of the things I make are things I like. If I don’t like it, it’s not happening. A lot of my inspiration comes from my life experiences, music, and movies.

LL: How has the reaction and response to Jawbreaking been since you started it? Even up here in New Jersey we see people wearing Jawbreaking all the time at shows, how does that make you feel?
Unbelievable. I really cannot believe it all. I’m from a small town in North Carolina… so to know that people in different states, and even different countries, are wearing Jawbreaking and then have others noticing that is absolutely insane to me.

LL: When you started the company, you did strictly Jewelry. However, the last few lines haven’t had any jewelry in them at all. What made you make the shift from jewelry to clothing? Which is more creatively liberating for you?
The jewelry was always fun to do but I honestly just grew out of it and I didn’t love it as much anymore. Since I started Jawbreaking, I wanted to design shirts but I never had the right designs or the finances to begin to do that. After 3 years of jewelry, I decided to use some of the profits to start the apparel branch of Jawbreaking and it took off from there. As for which is more creatively liberating, I think designing shirts is. I can put so much on a shirt and add plenty more detail, whereas on a necklace, I felt more limited.

LL: You’ve also said that your designs come from your life experiences. What can we expect with the Back to (Old) School line?
The Back to (Old) School line is basically reprints of designs from previous lines. We’ve redesigned a lot of the designs and we’re putting them on different shirt styles.

LL: If you could describe the Back to (Old) School line in one word, what would it be and why?
I know this is three, but I don’t know how to squeeze it into one… ha, more fashion forward. Compared to the previous lines that we’re pulling the designs from, it’s definitely going to be more fashion forward and aesthetically pleasing with the new shirt styles and redesigned prints.

LL: How does it feel to know that not only are your friends in Set it Off and Phone Calls From Home wear your clothes, but also huge bands like Simple Plan and One Direction?
It’s always amazing to see my friends rep the brand all the time. I really could not ask for more supportive and talented friends. As for Simple Plan and One Direction, those are some things that I’ll never get over. Simple Plan was my absolute favorite band when I was 13, I had posters plastered on my wall. And One Direction is the biggest boy band in the world right now, I get chills just thinking about it. They’re reminders of how far Jawbreaking has come.

LL: Jawbreaking fans always contact and talk to you through your twitter. With over 11,000 followers, does it ever get overwhelming?
A good kind of overwhelming. That’s the one thing I want to continue to do: communicate with my customer base as much as possible. I’ll try and answer almost every tweet I see, even if it’s something little.

LL: What is one major goal that you want Jawbreaking to beat by the end of the year?
All of One Direction in Jawbreaking. 2 down, 3 to go.

LL: Where do you see Jawbreaking 5 years from now?
It’s hard to say because 5 years is such a long time from now, but I see it being everything I would ever want my company to be. I see it being everywhere.

LL: What kind of advice do you have for anyone looking to start their own company?
Truly don’t give up, it’s so cliche and cheesy to say, but don’t. Definitely learn how to take constructive criticism and rude comments. It’s something I’m still learning to do, but use it as your fuel to do better and prove them wrong.

LL: Any last words for your fans and other readers?
Thanks for all the support you all have given me in the past four years or even past year. No matter how long you’ve been a fan or customer, Jawbreaking would not exist or be at the point it is today without you guys and I could not be more thankful for you guys :)