7DV
T Shirt Brand
In 2005, I started a small shirt/clothing brand called 7DV. It was my first time trying to start and run a business. While it wasn’t wildly successful, I returned my investment, learned a lot while doing it, and had an amazing time working on and wearing it.
INITIAL RUN
The initial run of the 7DV shirts was in May 2006. I’d been working on designs that I wanted to see on shirts, and incorporated the “7” logo of the brand in interesting ways throughout the prints. It was the seed for the dandelion, the flowers of the cherry blossom tree, and the stingers for the man o’ war.
PRODUCT
I began by selling the shirts at fashion festivals and fairs around Boston. A good friend at New Balance and incredible color/materials expert, Suzanne (Piubini) Vu was the impetus for my first fair. I was blown away by the initial reception, and I was able to make back the intial run expense after my first show. I was also able to get a laser etched belt buckle done and sell those as well.
I built and launched an online store and sold through there until 2007 until it was time to move on to other things.
NEED TO GET BETTER SHOTS
7 DEADLY BRANDS
ENVY - WRATH - SLOTH - GLUTTONY - PRIDE - GREED - LUST
I had some friends from design school that I was working on these with. Ron Ruiz was a major influence on the concept to take the major fashion brands and align them with sins as a parody. The idea was to make our own clothing that would poke at the brands that were high-value labels with little substance, that burn their extra clothes, purses, and bags rather than have them be with an undesirable, and that hold themselves above others. The goal of this line of 7DV was to provide some of the new clothing to the homeless in California, New York, Boston, and Atlanta as a statement while also selling shirts to like-minded supporters.
Envy (NV): Louis Vuitton
Wrath: Diesel — with the bomb drop and weapons of mass creation
Gluttony: Burberry — the soldiers and the large lady
Sloth: Coach — a literal sloth (I didn’t have much here)
Greed: Gucci — G’s and dollar signs as an easy win
Lust: Dior — a love splatter across a heart
2ND RUN
The 2nd run of the brand never came to fruition. I’d moved across the country, and needed to focus on work and personal life. However, I still love a few of the concepts below. Taproot, the tree with the fruit on it, will always be a favorite. And while it feels a little unfinished, I always like the concept behind the Wargyle pattern with the barbed wire.
Ghost
7kulls
Giant
Spray
Buckifuknuck
No kings
Taproot
Wargyle
LESSONS
7DV was a great experiment in clothing, fashion, and design. While it never became a large brand, I gained an understanding of the necessary parts to running a business beyond making the designs. It drove home the importance of financial management, planning, advertising, sales, and operations.
Though I relocated and my personal life picked up in new way, in hindsight, I was a not a great salesperson. The experience really drove home for me how talented great salesmen are. If I were to do it over, I’d invest more time in cold calls and visits while trying to get into more cities and stores to expand the brand. Additionally, I should have launched an online campaign to spread awareness and participated in more events that were in line with the brand’s customers.