The Origin:
Here at GoodBuddyClothing I do things a bit different than most other clothing companies. I do everything myself and don’t plan to move to big production. This is because to me GoodBuddyClothing is more than just a clothing brand, it is a personal project that has allowed me to combine my passion for art and my desire to spread the message of being a good friend to others. In a world that is divided in so many ways, sometimes the most impactful thing we can do is be a good buddy to those around us.
The whole process of making each piece of clothing is connected. I start with brainstorming a whole bunch of different designs and then sketch them out to see which ones I like the best. I really try to get the right meaning into every design. For this second collection, planning to drop June, that meant I had someone help me out with a design to get it right (stay tuned for the ‘Featured Artist’ section). From there the design gets burned into a screen- this is how the stencil is created and how I transfer the images onto the clothing. I stick with just one color for my designs for simplicity sake because I want most of the focus to be on the design itself. Then I flash heat over top the ink to cure the ink into the clothing to make it durable. The ink has to be hit with 350 degrees to properly cure. Then it’s ready to go and whatever happens next is beyond me.
This whole procedure is what allows everything to be hand done, custom, and unique. This connection with the process is something that I value more than selling mass amount of product. Being fully involved with every step along the way provides me with the opportunity to constantly problem solve, learn, and evolve this project into something that is truly one of a kind.
Every buddy that supports what I do makes this process fun and allows me to continue growing. Support doesn’t have to come in the form of buying - words of encouragement, sharing ideas, or just being a good buddy to someone would make all the work I do worth it.
These past few months I’ve had about a thousand different ideas of what this could turn into. It’s cool because none of those ideas came to be. Instead of having grand ideas of what my destination looks like in the future, I’ve learned to have ideas that make the current journey better. Starting GoodBuddyClothing has allowed me to create something bigger than me, it is an ever-changing project that has no guidelines, letting me create without limitations. Every grand mistake or deviation from the original set plan has guided me towards doing this in my own unique way and that is how GoodBuddyClothing will continue to grow.