01 / RA APPAREL
A brand built by hand.
I started RA Apparel at sixteen and built it from a logo in a notebook into a self-funded clothing brand worn by Bam Margera, Halsey, Action Bronson, Frankie Muniz, New Found Glory, and others.
The idea came out of my first real heartbreak. At first, the clothing reflected the interests and identity I was trying to put into words. It soon attracted other people who wanted to wear those interests openly, and the brand grew around them.
I had no investors, industry experience, audience, or useful contacts. I took a job at Marshalls and used the paycheck to fund samples, inventory, photography, promotion, and events. Working there also gave me a daily look at how established brands presented themselves and what customers noticed.
I handled nearly every part of the company: product direction, design and production, inventory, campaigns, retail outreach, events, and relationships with musicians, artists, photographers, stores, and other collaborators.
I was selective about placements. Sending a shirt to anyone with a following would have made the brand look random. I approached people whose work or audience had a natural connection to it. That put RA Apparel into skate shops, photoshoots, concerts, festivals, and community events and made each later introduction easier.
The clearest sign that the brand meant something to people came when a customer tattooed the RA Apparel logo on his wrist. A mark I had drawn in a notebook had become part of someone else's identity.
Almost everything the company earned went back into inventory, creative work, and promotion. Eventually it needed more capital than I could responsibly provide from a retail paycheck. I closed that chapter and moved to Florida to work for Disney.
