Rising Stars: Meet Zachary Dial of Memphis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zachary Dial.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Honestly, Future Monsters started the same way most of my creative stuff does… as a hobby I took way too seriously. I was a skater punk growing up, and it turned out it wasn’t just a phase. I was influenced early on by rock n roll rebellion, Thrasher magazine, skaters like Jim Greco and Corey Duffel, and that whole punk rock DIY attitude. On top of that, I was horror obsessed from the time I was a little kid. I loved Godzilla and kaiju movies, and then it grew into the deeper cuts, all thanks to my cool uncle. “Don’t tell your mom” was his only rule. If I wasn’t doing fashion, I’d probably be trying my hand at directing or writing movies.

Fashion naturally became my way of expressing all of that. I liked standing out, I liked putting things together that maybe didn’t make sense on paper but felt right to me. My friends still remind me that even in my late teens I’d say things like “one day I’m going to start a brand,” even though I wasn’t totally sure what that meant yet.

Eventually I bought some basic screen-printing equipment, watched a ton of videos, read everything I could, and taught myself how to print in a two-bedroom apartment. I turned one room into a little makeshift print shop. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was more than I needed and it worked. Before long, the brand started making more money than the field I went to college for, which was funny because I never cared about the money anyway. I never started this to be successful or rich. I just wanted to make things for the right reasons.

That was the moment I realized I should probably run with it. I grew the brand the same way I started it… by being myself. My personality, my taste, my weird mix of horror movies, punk, and vintage rock style. People can feel when something’s genuine.

Social media helped, sure, but the biggest thing has always been connection. I’m a rejection of the modern business playbook. I remember my customers. I talk to them. A lot of them have become friends. I keep things affordable, I still handle customer service, and I care about the meaning behind the clothing as much as the clothing itself. I care about the fabrics, the construction, even the packaging. We use compostable mailers and our shirts are 100 percent cotton.

Future Monsters grew because I stayed consistent, treated people well, and kept trying to make things you can’t find anywhere else. Cool clothes are one thing, but clothes that actually mean something to someone… that’s the whole point to me.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Honestly, it’s been as smooth as it could be because of my mentality. I remind myself every day why I started this and what it means to me. If you stay grateful and keep challenging yourself, you can press the gas or pump the brakes without losing your mind. When you’re doing it for the right reasons, the money becomes a byproduct of the work. That might sound cheesy, but that’s been my experience.

That said, I’m not going to pretend there aren’t struggles. Eight years in and we’re hitting record months, but that comes with pressure. You want to keep wowing your fans, you want to outdo the fabrics and the styles you did last year, you want to evolve without losing what makes the brand special. Scaling isn’t always simple, and capital is always a tremendous challenge for an indie brand. Honestly, that’s probably our only issue holding us back. But you learn to adjust, make smart decisions, and keep moving forward.

The biggest thing is not letting yourself spiral. You can’t get too in your head or you’ll psych yourself out. I just stay the course, keep evolving, and keep doing the work.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m the owner and lead designer of Future Monsters. I wear a lot of hats. I usually describe myself as a humble idiot and a master of none, but the truth is I’m addicted to design. That’s the part of the job I never get tired of.

My inspirations are all over the place. High fashion brands and houses like ERD, Hermès and designers like Ann Demeulemeester and Vivienne Westwood shaped how I look at silhouettes and texture. On the other end of the spectrum, I’m obsessed with old horror magazines and posters from the 1950s through the 1970s, and a lot of my style comes from that gritty punk and street culture of the seventies.

All of that gets mashed together and filtered into what Future Monsters is known for: an alternative mix of horror, punk, goth, and weirdly elegant design choices that feel handmade and personal. The biggest thing that sets us apart is that everything we make is custom. Nothing is off-the-shelf. Most brands print on pre-made blank shirts. We make our own. Same with our hats, our button-ups, our bags, our pajama sets.

Every piece starts from scratch because I want the clothing to feel intentional, not generic. That focus on innovation has become one of our signatures. Our Lurker Cap, for example, doesn’t look like anything else on the market. Same with the belt we’re releasing soon. Even our pajama sets have really specific craftsmanship and features you won’t find elsewhere. That’s all on purpose. If something already exists, I’m not that interested in recreating it. It’s way more fun to push for something new and give people an experience they can’t get anywhere else. That challenge keeps me excited.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Don’t wait for the universe to hand you a sign. Make the thing you want to see in the world. Make it loud, make it weird, make it personal. Make it authentic. If it’s good, then people will show up. That’s how Future Monsters happened.

If you’re discovering Future Monsters for the first time, I hope what you take away is that fashion doesn’t have to be disposable or soulless. It can be fun, emotional, nostalgic, unsettling, or whatever you need it to be. My whole goal is to make pieces that feel like they come with a little story attached.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.futuremonsters.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futuremonsters/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/futuremonsters