What a young mind can do

How a Sequoia student’s passion project turned into a real brand

BY RYLAN BUTT Co Editor-In-Chief

Young Minds, a colorful, trendy clothing brand founded in the summer of 2022 by Sequoia junior Robinson Hirano, started off as just an idea but has evolved into a money making business. Hirano’s passion for graphic design and desire to create something for the world inspired him to make clothes, but he says the brand is more about the message than the product.

“People obviously think it’s about age but really it’s not, it’s more about a state of mindset that you could have[...] If you can just let [limitations] go let your creativity shine. I feel like that’s what it means to be a young mind,” Hirano said.

The latest drop in January included colorful button up t-shirts with a cloud print for $65, regular cotton tees for $35 and a Young Minds branded letter man jacket for $350, making the prices comparable to mainstream brands.

“People do say the price is high a lot, but I think that is a great thing because I want them to go out and make their own clothes in the rice range they want,” Hirano said.

Hirano confirmed that Young Minds was making a profit but would not disclose any specific numbers.

The brand mainly sells shirts but has also branched into jackets and accessories, all of which are personally designed by Hirano.

“Maybe I’ll have a piece of paper with me. I’ll take a photo of something [...] I just take ideas I have either on paper or my phone, then just make a quick sketch. That’s all I need,” Hirano said.

The process of starting a clothing brand or any business in general can be confusing, especially for young students who haven’t had the opportunity to learn about business management yet. Hirano, like most people would, turned to the internet for help.

“You can learn most of it online, but it is it’s a confusing thing to go through,” Hirano said.

Once a design is made, Hirano finds measurements that are comfortable then matches his design to the measurements of the product. The next step in the process is to find a manufacturer who can create samples then full stock if the samples turn out good.

Despite Young Minds being a one-man mission, Hirano still asks his friends for favors to save money where he can.

“I’ll ask my friends for favors like modeling. I feel like I just have to be more creative with my resources because I don’t have models at my disposal. [...] I’ll get someone that knows how to work your camera or is interested in photography to [take pictures] of my friends having fun dressed in the clothes,” Hirano said.

A hidden challenge that can easily be overseen when starting an idea like this are small technicalities like legal work.

“It’s crazy amounts of [legal work]. It’s very confusing. You have to come up with an LLC but mostly everything you can learn online,” Hirano said.

Although Young Minds is a full fledged business with an online webstore, Hirano tries to keep it fun and not super stressful.

“I see [YoungMinds] as less of a clothing brand and more as a hobby in a way because although it is about clothing, it’s more of an interest that I have about just having an idea and putting it out there into the world,” Hirano said.

The best Sequoia animal is the squirrel. Squirrels are cutest animals on campus, and not as annoying as pigeons or seagulls. Squirrels are masters of parkour, running and jumping through trees. It can be entertaining to watch Squirrels chase one another.

“I think of them as delectable fuzzy tree rats,” senior Jack Lanham said.

However, the one detraction I’ll give squirrels is that they can be blind while crossing the road, leading to a squirrel pancake. Because of their cuteness and