Daily Grind Clothing

Having been around almost forever, The Daily Grind is the natural, hip-hop-hardhead child of local streetwear legend Team Manila. Unapologetic and forward-looking, The Daily Grind, or “DG”, has grown its cult following into a real, thriving culture.

We talked to Mon, the creative force behind the brand’s vision, on why we’re seeing Daily Grind bike jerseys, what his favorite bike is (and how many he actually has), and what he’s up to these days.

BIKE TO THE FUTURE

“Right now I have 4, my favorite is my 2019 Niner RLT Steel. I’ve been dreaming of that bike since 2016 and back then the price of a frameset like that was a long shot for me.” But during the pandemic, Mon found an second-hand one in FB’s marketplace and he bought it at a very fair price, according to him. Also during the lockdown, The Daily Grind released their own take on riding jerseys, even partnering with Makina for a limited run. The community, especially the riders have really received it well, as evidenced by their consistent SOLD OUT signs on their Online Stores.

The funny thing about the DG riding jerseys, Mon tells us, is that he kept seeing fake ones being worn by a lot of people. He’d see it everywhere and so instead of letting it be and allowing his brand to get diluted, he decided that “people were looking for a Daily Grind biking jersey, so we needed to create our version that goes along with our look and upholds our quality.”

When we ask him about the future of The Daily Grind, Mon tells us “I want to create products more than clothing. More of things for our daily use, things we use for our Daily Grind.”

THE BIRTH OF AN ICON

“We really started as a Graphic Design Studio,” Mon answers, “both of us (Jowee Alviar, Mon’s co-founder) were in the creatives and design side and after some time, we decided to put up a brand and make products to promote the story of Manila / Philippines.” That brand was Team Manila, arguably the most recognizable, definitely the longest-running, independent streetwear brand in the country. Combining local wit, modern design chops, and historical know-how, the brand is widely-known as one of the “flag-bearers” of Philippine Design excellence.

“We had a hard time doing the business side at the start, so we kept on reading books to educate ourselves on different business tricks and all that,” Mon continues, “and since the brand Team Manila focuses on its namesake, we wanted something where we can express our everyday learnings and interests, while doing design and business.” And so what started as an event name eventually developed to be an independent brand, The Daily Grind was born.

COMMUNITY AND CULTURE

Non-mainstream brands are often compared to big, global brands, brands that people are used to or familiar with, and The Daily Grind is no different. “You’ll meet a lot of friends in different communities, cross paths with cultures you’re interested in, and meet like-minded people along the way.” Mon talks about how things develop with the journey as being one the most important parts of the process. On any given day, he’ll often doubt what he’s sketching or rendering on his computer, but when the product is already there, he’ll be pleasantly surprised that people around love the stuff he made.

“Thats how you create the cycle,” he says, “you can absorb the vibe of the community you’re in, and it helps in sustaining the brand. I always believe that in creating a brand you always need to think of the market. It’s not entirely art, it’s making a product that people want to buy because they’re interested in it or they believe what it stands for. “