The Lantern

Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Arts

Danielle Meadows/The Lantern Homage Clothing founder Ryan Vesler enjoys a round of bowling in his unique attire.

Metallic silver and blue bowling shoes, bright red, extremely short shorts, a pair of Rec Specs goggles and a "Bernie Kosar For President" vintage tee that he designed.

This was the outfit worn by Ryan Vesler during a recent afternoon of bowling. The 24-year-old Columbus native, who describes himself as a "goof ball," is the creator of Homage Clothing, a line of vintage T-shirts.

"Besides these Rec Specs and shorts, there is a business out there and I'm going to do it, I'm going to hustle," said Vesler, who is not a typical suit-and-tie businessman. His new business seems to be taking off, helped by a recent purchase from Jimmy Kimmel and a licensing agreement with Ohio State.

Rick Van Brimmer, OSU's director of trademark and licensing services, said in an e-mail that, "Ryan has put a different spin on the look and feel of his clothing line. I'd call it 'retro chic.' We haven't seen a lot of apparel that is designed specifically for, or by, this age category."

Homage offers a range of basic tees emblazoned with a variety of old-school words, logos and people on them. Examples include a white tee with "White Men Can't Jump" printed in orange letters, a blue tee with "Woody" in red and "Thanks for the memories" in dark blue and a gray tee featuring "Dr." Julius Erving.

Vesler's tees are American-made and he personally attaches the tags in the basement of his parents' home, where his company is housed. The T-shirts cost $32 on his Web site.

Vesler earned a bachelor's degree in Spanish at Ohio University because he said he loved the language and the culture. "It's a beautiful thing," he said, adding that he uses it when talking to buyers in California.

Homage Clothing began in the spring when Vesler decided he did not like the current state of the vintage T-shirt market.

"I like old-school T-shirts, and no one makes them right, so I thought I'd kick it back to the old school and be eclectic," he said.

His hobby of shopping for vintage tees was soon transformed into a business.

Brittany Gerena, a senior in communication, bought her first Homage T-shirt in November 2007 at Dr. Mojoe in Polaris Mall.

"His concept is really different, consumers are looking for that," Gerena said, adding she liked the tee that featured the Ohio script. She said Vesler has the fit and comfort down really well, especially for girls. "In fact, you can sleep in that tee. I sometimes do."

Vesler said he is not totally into fashion, but instead likes the entrepreneur aspects of running a clothing business.

"I love doing things by myself, but it's getting harder and harder," he said.

Vesler is extremely excited that he finally received his OSU trademark license, and cannot wait to begin designing more T-shirts catered toward the university.

"The OSU license was really difficult. I'm very fortunate to have this, especially since the brand is good. OSU clothing, it's all the same and sometimes poorly made, and people are going to buy it because it's here, but I want to provide something new and fresh the students will love to wear," Vesler said.

Van Brimmer said he believes Vesler's designs will mostly be appreciated by the college and young crowd. "It has a younger, more fashion-forward look than the traditional licensed apparel," Van Brimmer said.

"Ryan is a nice young man, but what impressed me most were his passion and his vision for what he wants to do with his line and his life. We see lots of great products and ideas, but you need to have that passion and vision to be successful," said Van Brimmer.

For Vesler, running a business is not just about the money but having a connection to his shirts.

"I'm trying to deliver substance to people, because that's what consumers want," Vesler said.

For information, visit homageclothing.com.

Danielle Meadows can be reached at meadows.107@osu.edu.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools