RUIZ CLOTHING: THE BASICS VICTORIA CAVAZOS acting business manager
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tarting up a small business from scratch isn’t easy, but junior Ivan Ruiz lives it. Balancing academics, a job, designing, creating and managing money for upcoming projects is something Ruiz does in a manner that seems almost effortless. Ruiz always had a vision to build a brand of street-wear for himself, and in April of 2017, that vision became a reality. “I’ve always liked clothes even when I was little,” Ruiz said “I used to do sketches of things that I liked and eventually I figured ‘why not do it for real?’” Once he was set on his idea, he immediately began talking to T-shirt shops in his area. Deals were made, a logo was created, sweatshirts were printed and the rest is history. Ruiz says his inspirations vary from rapper ASAP Rocky to Tyler, the Creator, but his biggest and most noteworthy inspiration comes from his father. “My parents let me develop my own style, and my dad was always showing me how to mix and match things that looked good together. He always dressed weird, but I liked it,” Ruiz said. He emphasizes how important it is to let parents encourage their children into exploring the things they enjoy, and says that his passion for clothing design and his brand come from just that. “They let us explore things we enjoyed and because of that I came into my own,” Ruiz said. “I had this desire and these images in my head and decided to put that on paper.” Fishbowl Tee Yellow ruizclothing.com
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Ruiz is currently working these drawings and ideas into his next collection, which he plans to release in the next few months. As of right now, there are people on social media looking to promote the next collection. He’s also seeking collaborations with other brands similar to his. “It is so exciting to be able to do this, but it’s weird because I’m seen as this entrepreneur, and I don’t see it that way. I just enjoy creating and designing things. That’s it,” Ruiz said. Being in high school with big business plans for the future sounds intimidating, but Ruiz seems to have a good grip on it. In addition to focusing on graduating and attending business school, Ruiz is looking for manufacturers to supply him with the needed materials in order to produce more than just hats, T-shirts and hoodies. Ruiz has designs for pants, accessories and other garments that he hopes to release in the near future. “Sometimes I’ll be in class and I get an idea but I can’t do much about it because I don’t have anything I need with me, but I’ve gotten into this rhythm of time management and I’d like to think I’m getting better at it,” Ruiz said. If you ask Ruiz if he’d like his brand to be worldwide someday, he’ll giggle and say that the only things he really wants are to make clothing, travel the planet and live comfortably. “I don’t know if this is something I’d like to blow up worldwide because as soon as things get corporate the creator seems to lose control. I’d like to get to that point if it meant that I’d still be in control of what I love to do,” Ruiz said. C
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august 2016 feature
