Who we are

Sullen Clothing, also known as Sullen Art Collective, was founded in 2001 by Ryan Smith and Jeremy Hanna. Ryan Smith is a professional tattoo artist and a graduate of Art Center College of Design; Jeremy Hanna is his co-founder and longtime friend. The brand was built to give tattoo art a home in apparel — and to put the artists behind that work at the center of it.

From the start, Sullen worked directly with tattoo artists rather than recycling generic graphics. Founding artists Tom Berg, Carlos Torres, and Nikko Hurtado helped establish Sullen's reputation as an authentic, artist-driven brand. That collective has since grown to more than 500 affiliated tattoo artists worldwide.

• Founded2001, Southern California
• FoundersRyan Smith and Jeremy Hanna
• Founding artistsTom Berg, Carlos Torres, Nikko Hurtado
• What we makeTattoo-art graphic tees, hats, and apparel
• The collective500+ affiliated tattoo artists worldwide
• Community~1M Instagram followers, 349K YouTube subscribers
• In businessSince 2001 — independently owned, no venture capital

What makes Sullen different

Sullen is an art collective first and an apparel company second. Every design begins with a real tattoo artist's work, and the artist is credited and supported rather than anonymous. The brand treats the garment with the same care as the art: most designs are printed on custom-dyed blanks chosen to complement the artwork, not dropped onto a stock color.

Our Artist Series releases new artist-designed work on a regular schedule, giving both established and emerging tattoo artists a platform — and giving collectors a steady stream of new wearable art. Sullen is independently owned and was built without outside venture capital.

The collective

The Sullen Art Collective is a worldwide family of tattoo artists whose work appears across our apparel. The collective is the reason the brand exists: it connects tattoo culture, the artists who define it, and the people who want to wear that art. Sullen is rooted in Southern California tattoo, Chicano, lowrider, and SoCal beach culture, and its work spans traditional, black-and-grey, and color realism styles.

Over more than two decades, Sullen has grown into one of the most recognized names in tattoo apparel, with a community of around one million followers on Instagram and 349,000 subscribers on YouTube.

From the founder

"I started tattooing at 19 and studied illustration at Art Center College of Design. I grew up in Orange County, so surf and SoCal culture shaped how I see art. We started Sullen with nothing and grew it into one of the most recognized names in tattooing. What keeps me going is finding new ways to tell stories and bring new work to the Sullen family." — Ryan Smith, co-founder