The Project.
EXP started as a simple creative project. Clothing has always been a huge part of my life but I have no professional background in the industry whatsoever. I am making this shit up as I go.
That being said I know what I want and how I want it to look. Every time I looked at buying clothing I liked, it always felt like there was a part of it I had to put up with. If the graphic is nice then the fit is off or the fit is nice but the quality is low. Or if all 3 boxes are ticked then it is astronomically expensive. I decided the best resolution would be to design some clothing myself. That's where the ideas started flowing. I wanted something to wear that I liked not only the look but the feel and the fit too.
I spent countless hours putting design packs together, talking to manufacturers and getting told to rework parts of the design to cut costs. So I took a big risk and purchased the equipment to be able to embroider and print the designs myself. At least then I can oversee the finish and make sure it's done to a standard in which I am happy with.
Months of teaching myself how to operate an embroidery machine, countless test prints, and even more expensive mistakes made whilst fine tuning all of the parameters to ensure the garments both look and feel good. This is where I was confident enough in the quality that I could start to wear some of the pieces I made and show the people around me what I can do. Their reactions are what made me believe the hard work is starting to pay off. When friends began trusting me to make them shirts, it felt insane seeing people wearing clothes with my designs that started out as a simple sketch on a post it note.
The Brand.
This is when I realised that the idea could become a reality and EXP was created.
I went back to the drawing board, fine tuned the entire process and came up with some more designs. There was so much more for me to learn than I expected. From running multiple social media accounts to figuring out how to properly portray the brands message in the packaging. Every single detail was thought about, tried and then tested to make sure it aligned with the quality of the rest.
There have been many ups and downs throughout putting all of this together but I'd be lying if I didn't say I've loved every second. I am excited to see what you guys think and even more excited for many more things to come in the future, we're only just getting started.
Thanks for looking.
Ethan.
[EXP.]
