WE ARE
It's a long story about how and why BKT came to be, so I'll just focus
on what and who BKT has become. The plan to start BKT Apparel was
in motion well before I ever created The Brass Knuckle Trucker. In late
2016, shortly after I began working on BKT Apparel, I made the famous
"Freightliner video." After that, the path was clear, create The Brass
Knuckle Trucker, let it grow and see what it could become.
I was using Snapchat as BKT’s personal vlog platform. Every person
who added me, I would add back and ask where they were from to
learn about my followers and the type of people my content was
attracting. This ended up being the smartest thing I ever did in all of
this. After chatting with thousands of people and randomly meeting
up with hundreds of them, I quickly realized my target demographic
was all wrong. It wasn't just one group of people getting on board; it
was everyone. Initially, I thought it would be rednecks and oilfield
workers, but it turned out to be doctors, lawyers, firefighters, a
surprising number of police officers, waitresses, strippers, garbage
collectors, multimillionaires, people on welfare—you name it. It was
literally every end of the spectrum you could think of. That was when
I realized I didn’t need to target a specific demographic.
BKT itself was the demographic.
People weren't following because I made content for a certain group.
They were following because here was a regular guy, just like them,
who wasn’t afraid to make a fool of himself online. Someone who
wasn’t afraid to just be himself and speak his mind, even if it went against socially accepted norms. It was surprising at first how often I received messages from people saying, “Hey BKT, I don’t always agree with what you say or how you see things, but I really appreciate that you actually have the guts to say it,” or “Hey BKT, I think it’s really awesome that you can just be a total goofball publicly. I would be way too embarrassed to ever do something like that.”
It became evident that BKT would be more of an "ideal," a representation of an overall outlook or way of being, than anything else. Something that spoke to people’s core values of just staying true to themselves and not worrying what others might think. Something that evoked an emotional connection from the people who are part of it. I firmly believe that is exactly what WE have created here with BKT. I say WE because I cannot stress enough the huge role you have all played in shaping this into what it is and what it will become. Not to mention the profound impact getting to know you all has had on me and how I now see the world. This didn’t happen overnight. It didn’t come easily. It took me eight years to finally get here. There were so many hurdles and set backs. I could not have done it without your continued support. It was getting to know you all that gave me the vision of what this could actually be. That vision, the fact that this was genuinely something worth doing, is what motivated me. One way or another, one day, I HAD to make this a reality.
My hope moving forward is that BKT can symbolize as much for each of you as it does for me. That you can all feel like this is not just a “brand” that you identify with or support but a community that you are genuinely a part of. YOU ARE. I hope BKT can be a constant reminder for you to never sacrifice who you are or what you value for the sake of others' opinions. I hope that you can separate The Brass Knuckle Trucker from BKT Apparel (you’ll notice I’m not in any of the product photos for that reason) and that even if you hate every minute of Brass Knuckle Trucker content, if you live life on your own terms and respect others who do the same. Then it doesn’t matter what your political leanings are, your sexual orientation, or your race or religion. If what BKT represents speaks to you, there’s a seat for you at our table. I hope that on the days you feel like giving up, it can remind you, “Hey, if that BKT dipshit can bring his dream to reality, why can’t I?” and keep trying. For all of you who have messaged, “I thought I was the only one who thought like that,” I hope seeing others rep BKT out in public reminds you that you’re definitely not alone. I hope it helps you find all the other badass people out there. I hope when you see someone rockin BKT, you go up and meet them, maybe share a random adventure like I have with so many of you. It’s my experience that each of you is a badass in your own right.
Above all else I hope you all remember that I may be The Brass Knuckle Trucker, but WE are BKT!!
- BKT
