DEERDANA’s Dana Veraldi on Her Cult-Favorite Tees

When Bowery-based Dana Veraldi started sketching precocious portraits of her friends, she hit on something special. What began as a side project for her pals in 2008 segued into a major success, thanks in part to the fact that her illustrations are as arrestingly idiomatic as they are unassuming. Odds are you’ve seen a DEERDANA t-shirt, featuring celebrities, like Naomi Campbell, Larry David, Grace Jones and Jean-Michel Basquiat, on one of your own friends by now. Or on Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and FKA Twigs. So far, Dana has collaborated with Curtis Kulig, Miguel and Opening Ceremony, to name a few. I got to ask her about how DEERDANA came to be, her favorite moments and what’s next. 

How did DEERDANA come to be?
I was in art school in Baltimore studying photography and had made drawings of my friends Jackson and Agyness Deyn that we printed on shirts for them to wear while they DJed. My photo website had been deerdana.com, and I slowly turned it into more of an e-commerce site.

Did you expect it to blow up the way it did after Agyness Deyn wore one of your shirts?
At the time I had no idea! I thought of it as a one-off thing I did for my friends. Even after she called me to tell me she would be wearing it and I’d need to make a website to sell it, I still wasn't sure anyone would actually buy one! I was screen printing them in my apartment and barely charging enough to cover my costs. But as the company has grown, we have been able to build a sustainable business around that, while still keeping the same brand messaging as day one, which I am proud of.

How do you choose your subjects? Any particular criteria or do you just draw who you feel like drawing?
I really just draw people who are intriguing and interesting to me at the time. We don’t release traditional collections based on seasons, so I can add people as the ideas materialize, which gives us a lot of freedom. I’ve said in the past they are my dream dinner party guests, but as we keep adding new people, the dinner party is getting a little turnt.

Who have you been most excited to see wearing one of your designs?
Justin Bieber and John Baldessari!

What’s your favorite collaboration you’ve done so far?
We recently made hotel slippers for LA restaurateurs Jon and Vinny featuring drawings of each of them on the slippers. They were really fun to work with, and the slippers are different from any other custom work we've done. They also have the best restaurants in LA. My favorite is Petit Trois.

Who is someone you would love to work with?
Miuccia Prada would be a dream to work with. She’s constantly evolving what fashion can mean, and she’s a strong, creative businesswoman.

Who’s someone you would love to see wearing one of your T-shirts?
Chrissy Teigen... and her new baby.

Do you have a favorite design?
Right now, I would say the Carl Sagan design is a personal favorite, but it's constantly changing.

Do you have any plans to go into ready-to-wear?
I have consulted for several women's fashion companies and was a stylist's assistant when the brand first started. I would like to continue to expand the brand and offer more designs and items, perhaps including more clothing other than t-shirts.

Any cool stories that involve someone wearing one of your designs?
I’ve heard many stories from friends who have met each other because they are both wearing DEERDANA shirts, which is always fun to hear about.  

Whose personal style do you appreciate?
Paloma Elsesser.

What’s the best activity to do while wearing a DEERDANA T-shirt?
Canoeing.

What’s next on the horizon for you?
I just finished designing a shirt with Joe Jonas for his upcoming tour. I'm working on shirts featuring endangered animals for my own line with my friend Miles Garber. We are going to donate proceeds to The WWF, and I'm really excited to release them!