GRILLS&GEAR
By Carroll R. Walton, carroll@insidetailgating.com
TELLUM + CHOP A New Fashion Line Built for Tailgating
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hris White, CEO of Shinesty.com (pictured right), has made a name for himself creating outrageous event and party clothes. This fall he has expanded into collegiate apparel with a brand dubbed Tellum + Chop. That means tailgaters across the country are about to up their game. We’re not talking about school logos slapped on T-shirts and hats. This new line outfits fans in bright Tennessee orange overalls with checkerboard print, Oklahoma State Hawaiian shirts with graphic “Pistol Petes” all over them, and Crimsoncolored sport coat and pant suits dotted in Alabama script “As.” This is fun, high quality clothing made with the traditions of each school in mind. And they are show-stoppers. “This is a huge statement piece at a game,” White said. “It’s literally built for tailgating. It’s why we did it.” White caught up with Inside Tailgating just before the launch of Tellum + Chop. With personality as colorful as the clothing he creates, White detailed how his personal quest for great party wear as a college student laid the groundwork for building a successful apparel business. They are based in Boulder, Colo.
Q. Is it inappropriate to ask what you’re wearing? A. (Laughs) Today I’m wearing a pretty pedestrian pair of normal gray pants and just a normal shirt because I’m in Jackson Hole for a friend’s wedding. But normally you’d catch me in some sort of strange pair of overalls, a kimono perhaps. My underwear is always Shinesty. I never stray from that, so I always have some sort of animal in an inappropriate place. Q. From what I understand, the idea to make outlandish party clothes dates back to your time at DePauw (Ind.) University and your own search for what to wear to a party?
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A. That’s the original impetus for the brand. What was say is we exist to force the world to take itself less seriously. That’s our driving cultural value that we use internally. It informs everything we do, from marketing, even writing copy, taking pictures for the website. We try to do it in a way, even if you’re not in the market for that specific product, it still gives you something and that thing it’s giving to you is humor. So as long as you’re someone who doesn’t take everything super seriously, you’ll laugh. Q. Give me an ensemble you wore to a college party that knocked everybody’s socks off? A. One time we decided to dress up as the two figure skaters from that Will Ferrell movie “Blades of Glory.” We were able to find male dance costumes and then bedazzle them so they looked like skater suits, and we wore roller blades around. We went full in. Q. Was that a Halloween party or something? A. That was just a normal Tuesday.
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