This week, GTS sat down with Threadless' CEO - Thomas Ryan. We talk about the ever-evolving world of Threadless, Tom's early days as a digital pioneer and his hatred of vinegar.

GTS: Greetings ladies and gentlemen - Gettin' The Skinny took a little holiday break but it's back to business today. I'd like to welcome Threadless CEO Tom Ryan to the show. Hi Tom!

Tom: Hi Andrew, hi everybody! Very pleased to be here.

GTS: Glad to have you here. How are things @ SkinnyCorp these days?

Tom: Things are really good. It's been a very busy year. We've been working on a lot of new initiatives, and it's a particularly exciting time in my opinion

GTS: I think the new developments - new sites, Kids store opening, etc. - are great. How did you and the rest of the Threadless crew map it all out?

Tom: I'm glad you like them. A lot of thought, planning and collaboration went into all of our recently launched initiatives. The Kids Store had been in the works for a long time. It pre-dated my joining (I've been here for 7 months now).

But we did a lot of refining of that in the time I have been here and so many people - both SkinnyCorp longtime veterans and more recent folks - contributed. The new sites - having a dedicated site for each core brand joined by a universal account and shopping cart - were more recent thinking.

For the sites, we felt that it was important to provide each brand with its own unique space. We wanted each to be able to speak to and be promoted to its unique audience, in its own way. While it's true that there is a lot of crossover appeal of the sites, the brands are doing different things and people should get a more pure experience from each when they want it. At the same time we wanted the emerging brands - Kids, Select, TypeTees - to be able to benefit from the continued association and strength of Threadless and community opinion contributed to a lot of our thinking. what I've been calling the "separate but together" strategy.

As for the Kids store rationale, it's quite simple really. We feel that our original Threadless store has been a great extension to our business - it's allowed to create a real-world experience that draws in many aspects of the Threadless online community and as such, it's been a good marketing vehicle for Threadless.com, a successful business on its own, and a lot of fun, particularly with the gallery upstairs and the rotating exhibitions we have there. Threadless Kids is a different brand product, but we felt it could also have the similar benefits that the original Threadless store had. I'm not sure if you've seen it in person or online yet, but we were able to do a lot on a very lean budget, which is great in a retail economy like the one we're in. the store looks amazing and really represents the brand well.

GTS: I think Jake had written something about how the Kids store was scaled back from the original concept but sometimes less is more.

Tom: That's true. We had originally looked at a much more involved design concept. It was cool, but very expensive. Even though I'm sure it would have looked great, it would have been too costly and, ultimately, we feel the brand is much better represented by the more thrifty design and path we took. So, yeah, sometimes less is definitely more.

GTS: Right on. Could you talk a little bit about what you were doing before you joined up with Threadless and how you came to be CEO?

Tom: As for my background, I've been working in online entertainment for most of my career primarily music. I founded an early (way too early!) mp3 music retailer called Cductive in 1996 which was acquired and formed a major part of eMusic. I founded a music label and also worked at Virgin Mobile USA and EMI Music, where I ran the global digital business.

I have always been drawn to entrepreneurial companies that combine creative arts and web technology, and decided my brief corporate stint wasn't for me. So I left EMI looking at either starting or joining such a company, and had been following Threadless for a while. A guy who was on the board of Cductive was an advisor to Threadless and told me last winter that Jake was looking to bring someone in to help him. I jumped at the chance and flew out to Chicago, and started here in May.

GTS: How is the t-shirt business different than the music business?

Tom: I don't really see us as in the t-shirt business. Sure, we sell a lot of t-shirts, but I see us as being in the design community business. I see a lot of similarities between music and design, particularly on the web side. We and our community have created a platform for designers from anywhere in the world to submit and share ideas, get feedback, and earn recognition and compensation. So, I think it's analogous in many ways to bringing musicians together and selling their music online.

Of course, our model is different than a retailer/distributor in that we are hosting design challenges where only certain designs get printed, but it's not worlds apart. The fundamentally important parts of the business are similar - giving the creative people a desirable place to come and get involved and giving fans and customers a great experience where they can get close to the artists, participate and buy quality products. But, I will admit that moving atoms around can be more difficult than moving bits!

GTS: I've only been a member of Threadless community for two years but it feels like things have evolved pretty quickly. Are there more changes/updates in store in the near/distant future?

Tom: There are plenty of changes and updates on the horizon. Certain things we will announce closer to the launch date, but I can tell you we are very excited about the international oppportunity. We already have a huge international community and customer base, and they've basically come to us based on word-of-mouth and had to deal with sites only in English.

Actively managing our international growth and making the Threadless experience very accessible to people in countries and languages around the world is a high priority - and a lot of work!

GTS: I can only imagine. Is there a possibility of international retail openings?

Tom: There's always that possibility, but it's not a priority right now. There is so much we can do on the web, and we can reach so many more people around the world by focusing on that first

GTS: I've asked other Threadless bloggers to submit questions for you. Ready?

Tom: absolutely!

GTS: The first question comes from tracerbullet: Since you're the CEO, do you have to wear a tie to work? If so, what's your favorite tie?

Tom: Haha! I have not HAD to wear a tie to work since my first job in the early '90s, but I do like ties. I have a few nice ones - one's fancy by Valentino, but I am not sure how to describe it. It's blue with a red pattern. I'll see if I can take a picture of it and post it to the blog.

GTS: the czar asked: How much do the opinions of the folks on the blogs influence the company?

Tom: The opinions of folks on the blogs are of huge importance to us. We've always listened closely to them, and are really grateful for their input. Threadless wouldn't be what it is without that input and without us listening to it. Of course, sometime there are many opinions, often conflicting. And, of course, there are only so many things we can act on, but we are paying close attention and we try to do what we feel the community would want. "What would the community want/think/do?" is a question that comes up in most meetings about changes we are thinking about.

GTS: Very cool. littlem posed the following question: Dear mr. CEO, what's the best practical joke you've played on someone?

Tom: My favorite one was a practical joke I played on my father. I was about 10 years old and we were at a big Easter dinner in Garrison, NY near where I grew up. It was at a fairly stuff restaurant, and we were all dressed up, and the waiter was straight out of a cliche snooty restaurant. The place was called Monte Verde and a few of their signature dishes were named Monte Verde, like Chateau Briande Monte Verde or something. So my Dad was doing all the ordering for everyone and it became a very serious affair and I asked him to order me a specific soda - a 7 Up Monte Verde.

He asked the waiter for it, and the waiter sneered and said "I'm sorry sir, we only have plain old 7 Up, no 7 Up Monte Verde" and the whole family got a huge kick out of it. Maybe you had to be there, or maybe I love this one so much because it was the first practical joke I played on my Dad in public, but I still get a kick out of thinking about that one.

GTS: Anytime you can pull a fast one on your parents, it's a good time.

Tom: Word.

GTS: jess4002 asked: If you weren't the CEO, what job position within skinnycorp/Threadless would you choose? (customer service, creative production, etc.)

Tom: I have to admit, I'd love to do more creative stuff. I think it's why I've always used my business background to work in creative industries.I'd love to be able to design tees, and I find myself submitting slogans on TypeTees for that creative outlet. So, yeah, I'd probably be up for swapping jobs with Ross sometime if I ever learn how to use Illustrator and Photoshop.

GTS: mimi wants to know: If you were a Threadless tee, which one would you be and why?

Tom: Easy one. I’d be the TypeTee “Pickles are Cucumbers Soaked in Evil”. I have a fear of vinegar and all its derivatives as anyone who knows me (or has even shared one meal with me) knows. That means no condiments or anything with vinegar in it. Pickles are like Kryptonite to me.

GTS: You're missing out! chipmnk wants to know: How do you feel about scarves?

Tom: Love scarves, and as a newcomer to Chicago that's probably a good thing! In fact, I'm in the market for a good scarf now. It's getting c-c-cold here.

GTS: Scarves would be an awesome addition to the Naked & Angry line-up!

Tom: Very true!

GTS: Our last question comes from iDanSimpson - What is your Quest?

Tom: My quest for SkinnyCorp is to build on our success and to make our business the best global community and company for crowdsourced design. That means doing whatever I can to make this an amazing place for our designers, community members, customers, and employees. And it means having a lot of fun in the process. So far so good!

GTS: It's time to play Pick One. Are you familiar with the rules?

Tom: no. well, maybe is it picking between two tough things?

GTS: Essentially yes - I'll give you two choices pertaining to a random category and you pick one.

Tom: ok - fire away

GTS: #1 Quit Harping On Me: Harp or Harpsichord

Tom: Harp

GTS: #2 Wintry Brew: Beamish or Guinness

Tom: Tough one - I am a beer fanatic and Irish American. I have to go with Guinness though. It's the classic pint.

GTS: #3 Bust A Move: Moonwalk or The Robot

Tom: The Robot. Love Herbie and Michael, but Robot rules.

GTS: #4 Trash TV: Jerry Springer or Cops

Tom: Cops

GTS: #5 Craving Coffee: Black or Light & Sweet

Tom: Light & Sweet

GTS: #6 Fix It Now: Health Care or Education

Tom: Education

GTS: #7 Power Up: Invisibility or X-Ray Vision?

Tom: Invisibility

GTS: #8 Mathtastic: Pythagorean Theorem or Law of Modus Tollens

Tom: Pythagorean Theorem

GTS: #9 Easy Listening: MP3 or Vinyl?

Tom: Impossible for me to answer - I was one of the very first to sell mp3s and love the technology but I have 3000 record vinyl collection. which I love equally

GTS: Holy schikes - that's a lot of vinyl. We'll call that one a tie.

Tom: thanks!

GTS: #10 Other Dudes With A First Name As Their Last Name: Paul Simon or Bob Dylan

Tom: Bob Dylan

GTS: Well Tom, that just about does it for our time today. Just two more things before I let you off the hook. First, which Threadless staffer should I interview next and secondly, do you have any parting words of wisdom?

Tom: Thanks - I really enjoyed this. Have you spoken to John Festa?

GTS: Not yet.

Tom: He's the other Festa, so might be fun to compare and contrast with Charlie.

GTS: The Other Festa it shall be.

Tom: As for parting words of wisdom, I think it's always important to do what you love doing. It's often said, and sometimes sounds hokey, but it's sooooo important and so many people don't follow their heart. I have let other things guide me before and it's been a mistake. You have to love what you do each day, or you need to make a switch, and fast!

GTS: Amen to that! Tom, thanks again for taking the time so down with me and keep up the good work!

Tom: My pleasure, Andrew. Good luck with everything, and if you ever stop by our office, please let me know so I can say hello in person!