Clothing Company of the Month: Candy Corpse

Happy February!

Madison and Brandon Watkins founded Candy Corpse, an accessory and apparel brand that is equal parts sugar and spice, in 2016 in Delaware, USA.

Not only do I love the the sugar and spice aspect of their company, I love that there’s something for every person on their site. From pins, patches, shirts, necklaces, and more, anyone is guaranteed a sweet product from Candy Corpse’s website.

As they say, each element and each order that is placed on the Candy Corpse website is dreamed up, designed, and packed with love from Watkins’ home studio.

I recently had a chance to chat with Madison about Candy Corpse and their upcoming collaborations, product releases, and how you can catch Candy Corpse on the road this April! For The Punks is honored to have Candy Corpse as our February Clothing Company of the Month! Continue reading to learn more about Candy Corpse, run by Delaware’s cutest dynamic duo.

What inspired you to start Candy Corpse?

I started Candy Corpse in October 2016 as a way to fulfill the artistic side of my brain while my job at the time was mainly analytical and strategic. I’ve always loved and been inspired by both Japanese art styles and tattoo artists, and wanted to create art that reflected that. Candy Corpse started out as a small hobby I was passionate about and grew into our dream career in just a few short years.

If someone is looking at your site wondering what to purchase first, what product would you recommend to shoppers and why? 

We don’t create or produce any items that we don’t absolutely LOVE, so there’s really no wrong choice here. Whatever jumps out and grabs them, makes them smile, or makes them laugh, that’s what I’d say they should pick!

I hope that shoppers love their purchases, and feel so excited to receive them and show them off to the world.

Along with this, are you excited for Valentine’s Day? What kind of products do you have for Valentine’s Day? What is your personal favorite?

I get that Valentine’s Day is a cheesy commercial holiday, but any excuse to shower your loved ones with affection and presents is pretty sweet. I love creating Valentine’s collections, even ones centered around being your own Valentine, like our sarcastic candy hearts series. I always find myself super inspired by the colors and designs of Valentine’s displays and decor in storefronts this time of year, fueling many of our cuter collections and photo shoots. This year we have an apparel release timed around Valentine’s, as well as the pin series we mentioned before, and a collaboration series with ceramic artist, Brian Giniewski, featuring our candy heart designs.

My personal favorite is either the Cute Devil shirt or the sweatpants that will be releasing in the new collection this week (week of February 10)!

If you have to give advice to another person who wants to start their own business, what is the first thing you would say to them?

This is probably the question I’m asked most frequently, and I think there is no perfect formula to starting a business. From my experience, people that start businesses because they think working for themselves will be easier or more fun than their day job, or purely for the money, are likely to fail. For those out there that are driven, truly passionate about whatever they’re creating, and see a need for it in the world – go for it! Don’t let anyone hold you back from your dream career – including yourself. Find your target market, and never stop creating things that you believe in.

Describe what Candy Corpse has in store for 2020 to us! What should people be on the lookout for?

This week we’ll be releasing our biggest apparel drop ever, and hope to continue expanding into apparel and bags. In addition to restocking our heart ita bags this spring, we will be working with more bands for apparel collaborations, and continuing to create super cute pins, jewelry, and accessories.

Is there anything else about Candy Corpse that readers of For The Punks should know?

Brandon and I play in Year of the Knife, a straight edge hardcore band from Delaware. Whenever we tour, we bring Candy Corpse out on the road with us, and we’ll be heading out for all of April with our friends in Code Orange and Jesus Piece, so check out yearoftheknife.com for a tour date near you to shop with us (and YOTK) in person!