By Julia DiFiori
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Amidst the various trendy outfits in the Costa halls, junior Jackson Carey combined his artistic skill with his desire to stand out as an individual when he started his own clothing company, Fill the Void Apparel.
Carey says that he started to pay more attention to the way he dressed in the fall of last year. Rather than following the traditional fashion trends, he decided to develop his own style, which is skate-boarding influenced. He describes it as having a cartoon-like aspect. The name Fill the Void Apparel describes Carey’s personal goal to express himself.
“I noticed a lot of people at Costa were wearing the same shirts and things, so I would stop wearing a shirt if I saw someone else wearing it,” Carey said. “I started to stand out with what I was wearing, and I wanted to be a unique individual.”
Carey began by drawing anything that was on his mind during some of the boring moments in class, but he soon realized that he could turn his sketches into clothing and share them with other people who seek out to dress uniquely like him.
He has since connected with a graphic designer over the internet who digitizes his skateboarding-influenced images so they can be printed onto t-shirts. His designs include colorful tie-dye shirts as well as simpler black-and-white ones.
“When I had all these crazy designs on a piece of paper, I started thinking that I wanted to start a company, and I got the idea to put the designs on shirts,” Carey said. “I really wanted to make a new company with my sort of style, and I also wanted to see other people wearing my merchandise, too.”
Carey’s shirts are sold on the Trove Streetwear Marketplace’s website, an online retail marketplace that charges companies a small fee to feature their apparel. The prices range from $15-$20. Carey also has a few designs for his own hats, which will soon be featured on the site with his shirts as well.
Since starting his clothing company, Carey has aimed to have his skate-inspired clothing sold in stores, such as Tilly’s, Zumiez and Active.
“I have felt like I have been searching for something that I have been missing, and no matter what I do, I can’t find it,” Carey said. “It’s like I’m trying to fill a void; that’s kind of the meaning behind [the name].”
Chris Carey, Jackson’s father, is helping him get Fill the Void Apparel up and running by investing money in the business in order to start up the company and get the product on the market. Once Jackson earns back what his father has invested, he plans to pay him back, along with a percentage of the profits.
“My dad’s investing in it, but he does not want me to sit back and just let him invest in it,” Carey said. “He wants me to work for it and earn the money through my work.”
Additionally, Carey also plans to use the money he earns from working at Super Sports in the Manhattan Village to support and develop his company.
Although he took a few art classes when he was younger, Carey does not use any formal techniques when he creates his designs. Instead, he draws what sparks his imagination.
“My inspiration is pretty much from everything that is around me,” Carey said. “I have been drawing eyes for the past month or so, and I have been trying to incorporate those new sketches into many of my designs that I am now working on.”
Over this upcoming summer, Carey will be attending a class at the Southern California Regional Occupational Center in Torrance to learn how to use Adobe Illustrator, enabling him to be more independent and make designs at a faster pace because they will be mass produced digitally on the computer program.
“Once I learn how to use Adobe Illustrator, I can create my designs directly on the program,” Carey said. “I am really excited to see where Fill the Void Apparel is going in the future.”
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