Senior Matt Rios designs his way into the fashion world

By Jessica Miller
Staff Writer

Senior Matt Rios proves that not every student has to wait until he or she graduates from college to start a career.

Rios recently started his own clothing line. After having had a passion for fashion since elementary school, Rios started drawing clothing designs during his sophomore year at Costa. Rios released his first design in October by publishing it on social media websites, such as Facebook and Instagram, where customers could comment if they want to make a purchase.

“I’ve always had a passion for clothes, but I didn’t know how to start a clothing line,” Rios said. “During my sophomore year, I started to draw out some designs but never officially pursued it until now.”

Although the name is not officially trademarked, Rios named his line “Philosophy” due to its relation to hip-hop music. Rios is working on creating a website where he can share his designs, but for now he is advertising on his Instagram account called “CoPhilosophy.”

“My father played a lot of music when I was little, and I get a lot of inspiration from hip-hop artists,” Rios said. “Hip-hop and philosophy work together in that they break apart problems connected to reality, which ultimately inspire my designs.”

Although Rios has only released one design, thus far he has received positive feedback. After completing his design, Rios sent it to a website called customink.com, where he was able to print the design on t-shirts and sell his shirts for $50 a piece.

“Matt has talked about starting a [clothing] line since freshman year, but now he has taken action and started building his line,” senior Malik Johnson said. “He has some really cool and unique designs coming out soon.”

According to Rios, his family and friends are extremely supportive and encourage him to pursue his dream. Rios is also influenced by Pharrell Williams’ clothing brand, “Ice Cream,” because of its vibrant use of colors.

“I want to share my ideas with the world,” Rios said. “I am not a famous designer right now, but the best advice I can give is if you love something, start early, and one day you can be successful.”

Rios started the line for his personal enjoyment and to express his personal style. In the future, he hopes he will be able to open up a clothing store of his own.

“I’m simply having fun with what I love to do, and I hope I can share that love with others,” Rios said. “Being able to express myself through clothes makes me feel good.”