Andrew Anderson is a clothing label & graphic designer, trying to make it.

While the average 20-year-old might go on a Contiki tour of Bali, cushioning the transition from high school to the unknown, Andrew Anderson, a current design student, has established Hungry Lifestyle, his own clothing and lifestyle brand. The project was born from Andrew’s love of clean and simplistic graphics, and independent clothing labels.

Andrew Anderson is currently a design student at TAFE, but when he isn’t studying, Andrew is working on Hungry Lifestyle, his own clothing line.

What are you doing at the moment?

My name is Andrew Anderson, I am 20 years old, and based in Adelaide. I’m the creative director at Hungry Lifestyle (HL), meaning I operate and own the lifestyle brand, with it currently being just a one-man project. As well as HL, I’m currently completing my final year of an advanced Diploma of Graphic Design and Advertising at TAFE SA.

What do you want to do after completing TAFE?

When TAFE comes to an end, I’ll be focusing on starting my career in graphic design. There’s a lot of competition in the industry, so this year, I’m focusing on building a strong portfolio. My proudest work to date will be displayed at the TAFE SA Graphic Design Exhibition, in December. Besides that, I will also continue to do what I truly love, and that’s building and pushing my label – HL.

What would your dream job be?

My dream is to have HL expand into a full-time career. I love creating products for people with my own touch. It’s a lot of hard work, involving countless hours of commitment, but I love it and wouldn’t choose anything else over it.

Why did you start HL?

I originally started the project in late 2009, as I was finishing high school that year, and had some free time on my hands. I’ve always been into t-shirts, specifically independent labels that are only available in select boutiques. I love the feeling of having a product that’s exclusive, and knowing that pure love and passion has gone into the creation of a particular piece. It’s like the feeling of having a high quality piece of print in your hands, the weight, the satin and gloss finish; nothing beats it, and it’s awesome. I wanted to deliver this feeling to people with my own brand. If you own a piece of HL, then see someone in public wearing it, you instantly know that the other person knows its roots. That’s just awesome to me, the idea of an instant connection made between two strangers through a t-shirt. You don’t see that with many brands these days.

There are many roles in the creative industry, why do you lean towards graphic design more? Why does this interest you?

I’m a fan of most areas in the creative industry. I love people with the ‘get up and do it’ attitude, and there’s a lot of them in this industry, because a lot of it is self made, employed and promoted. I’m personally into the graphic design area because I love clean & simple logos, typefaces, layouts & graphics. Nothing gets me more excited than when I’m out in public and see a product that’s got awesome overall branding, with a clean logo, good type and neat, creative packaging. When I see this it just makes me want to start new projects and create something distinctive and awesome. Money isn’t the drive for me when making designs, just working your ass off and creating something you’re really proud of, and seeing the final piece come together is such a rewarding and awesome feeling.

Do you have any achievements that you are proud of, can you tell us about them?

I’m specifically proud of myself for starting my own lifestyle project. I wanted to launch the project since 2008, and to have the first collection released in late 2010. I knew basically nothing on how to go about starting it, back in 2008, so I just went with what I knew and got on with it. I’ve learned a lot since my first line, and still have a lot to learn, but it’s exciting and fun so I love every part of it.

If someone in the industry wanted to help you at the moment, how could they help you?

I would love to start working and collaborating with other creative people out there. Collaboration with HL, and other lifestyle brands would be awesome. I would also be keen on showcasing my design work at events and shows in the near future.