Try to picture a college campus without T-shirts.
From displaying designer brand names to showcasing witty comments, T-shirts allow students to speak their minds without opening their mouths.
Julian Howard, a freshman studying musical performance, saw an entrepreneurial opportunity at Ohio University and founded Late Arrival Apparel, a clothing brand that provides items such as T-shirts, V-necks and hats.
“I love marketing and a friend of mine loves graphic design, so we collaborated together and formed a clothing line,” Howard said.
John Dean, a freshman studying business marketing, also started a clothing brand named Renowned Clothing because of his interest in fashion and love for design.
The two entrepreneurs frequently sport their designs and students often stop them around campus.
“Every time I go out, people always stop me and ask where I got my T-shirt,” Howard said.
Howard and Dean both use social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook to advertise their brand names around campus. Each of their Facebook pages has more than 1,000 “likes.”
“I do a lot of marketing using social media, especially Facebook,” Dean said. “I also hand out lots of flyers in person.”
To keep his fans interested, Dean said he is always trying to create new designs.
“I usually start with just envisioning something I like, then I try to incorporate my logo,” Dean said. “I am inspired a lot by vintage clothing and artists and try to incorporate the new with the old.”
After creating their designs, Dean and Howard chose websites to sell their work.
“I use Big Cartel for my website,” Howard said. “I love it, and it is one of the best e-commercial websites out there.”
Dean, however, utilizes the website Storenvy to sell his designs.
“I use Storenvy and connect my Web store through Facebook and integrate the two sites together,” Dean said. “Because of Storenvy, I now have a huge
online market.”
Dean and Howard said they are forced to compete with each other and T-shirt shops on Court Street.
“My creativity and the way I present my merchandise is what sticks me out from the rest,” Howard said. “I believe it is all about presentation and the design.”
Dean said he also stands behind his product.
“I try and focus on quality and a more personal approach,” he said. “I believe my designs are up there, but I also want to have a better customer one-on-one relationship.”
So far, Howard hasn’t made any profit from Late Arrival Apparel.
“Out of the two years of I have been at this, I haven’t made a single cent,” Howard said. “I love my brand and put all the money back into my business. My fan base has been growing slowly but surely. Hopefully the business will eventually take off.”
Howard also holds non-profit events throughout the year to raise funds for organizations like the Ronald McDonald House.
“I love helping out any way that I can,” he said. “One year, I even played music for children at the Ronald McDonald House in Cincinnati and got the best feeling out of it. I just love seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces.”
Dean also said he wants to give back.
“I love fashion, and I want to help give back and see people succeed with what they do,” he said. “Renowned Clothing means famous or well celebrated. I believe everyone should feel like a celebrity, and by wearing my designs, people can feel famous.”
Both Dean and Howard said they would love to continue with their clothing lines after college.
“I plan to open a boutique within a couple of years with all sorts of apparel and clothing,” Howard said.
bc822010@ohiou.edu
