When my first company, BriSco Branding Solutions, was getting off the ground in 2007, profits were being reinvested into a line of jerseys I was developing on the side. In those early years, free time and operating capital were at a premium – so when the jersey line became bogged down with trademark and licensing issues, the company fell apart before it ever really got started. But my desire to create a clothing line never went away. I continued to stockpile resources. I continued to search for the best factories, best blanks, best trim, best decorators – all the tricks of the trade I knew I would, one day, put to good use.
Shortly after I launched my second company, Brandsmith (2011), I was contacted by an old college friend. He had been creating t-shirts in his garage and he wanted to see if I had any thoughts on the best blank garments to use. I asked him to stop by my office to see some samples. It turned out, I was really impressed by what he had to say at our meeting. He had a great vision, a great style, and most importantly he shared my passion to create amazing clothes. With his aesthetic, my tool kit, and our shared fire, it was a natural partnership. So, in the fall of 2011, Brandsmith began working with our first apparel line.
Little did we know, what would grow from that partnership would become one of the most widely respected, game changing streetwear lines in the Bay Area: Nine Strands.
Fast forward 5 years… Treadlight has now helped develop numerous lines, all keying on a guiding principal that we learned in those early years working with Nine Strands – and it’s a lesson that I wish to impart to anyone considering a promotional marketing project: Too often promotional apparel is thought of as trash. Something you wear once at an event or a trade show and then throw away. This does not have to be the case. There is no line in the sand that separates promotional apparel from fashion. Treadlight is eager to work with clients that recognize they have the ability to brand their companies in truly amazing ways. -Scott
