Scam-Co's Novel Tees
New T-shirt line Scam-Co is inspired by novelties, pranks, jokes and fraudulent acts.
The line, set to bow during the Feb. 23–26 run of MAGIC International in Las Vegas, is the brainchild of siblings Jeffery and John Montgomery in partnership with sales rep Mark Encinias.
Here’s their story: Long before novelty-gadget wholesaler Archie McPhee hit the West Coast, there was Scam-Co. The company was founded in the 1940s by siblings Alfred and Leon Scaminovitz, who developed novelty gadgets and gag gifts for catalogs, comics and candy makers, including Bazooka Bubblegum.
Jeffery Montgomery, a trademark collector, purchased Scam-Co’s trademark last fall. John Montgomery previously launched streetwear line E-Poch and contemporary label Frieda M. He has also designed apparel for retailers Rampage and Hot Topic. The two caught up with Encinias, a showroom rep in downtown Los Angeles (and former MAGIC International staff member), and set out to create a novelty T-shirt line to carr y on the vision of the Scaminovitz brothers.
The line targets 17- to 35-year-old men and women who are on the hunt for novelty apparel. Scam-Co features trademarked screen prints with retro ads for X-ray glasses, whoopee cushions and other novelty items of past decades.
The line comes in short-sleeved, sleeveless and long-sleeved styles and uses super-soft baby jersey, baby rib and military thermal fabrications. Novelty details include gold- and silver-foil printing, nailheads, and custom printing techniques. Wholesale price points range from $13 to $28.
Consumer feedback has been positive for early deliveries at California stores Blue Demon in Hollywood, Hush in Walnut Creek and Sotto in Costa Mesa and at Zoe in Tucson, Arizona. The Blue Print Showroom at the Gerry Building in downtown Los Angeles reps the line.
Scam-Co is located at booth YC51214 in the Sands Expo & Convention Center. For more information, call (213) 622-2787 or (213) 236-9421. —Claudia Figueroa
