Somewhere along the line, some friends and I thought it would be fun to start a high-fashion line of the campiest, most outrageous T-shirts we could possibly design and see if we could sell then for $70/ea. Turns out, we totally could!
dawn + Relentless
We chose the name because the thing that bound us together as friends was a shared bond around workaholism. We started-up the company living across two countries and 12 time zones, so someone was always waking up or going to sleep and it was a great way for me to learn about sourcing and doing business in Asia.
Exploring Creative Boundaries
As a Managing Partner, I was primarily in charge of brand strategy and marketing. This put me in the position of learning to use my production skills to tell a brand story and to push my own creative professional boundaries. As with many of the projects in this portfolio, I worked with my old friend Tim Kemple, creating an original look in a crowded world of fashion.
Directing a photoshoot in the Utah Salt Flats back in my long hair days
Taking Risks
One of the most important skills anyone can have in business is the ability to evaluate risk. And like any skill, you can only learn with practice. This leads to the uncomfortable truth that you can only be good at evaluating risks if you are comfortable taking them in the first place. dawn + Relentless was far outside my comfort zone, and yet, also one of the more rewarding professional experiences of my career. Proving to me that with the right attitude and effort, a positive evolution is inevitable.
Photos from top left: 1 & 2. Images I produced for dawn + Relentless in print. 3 & 4. Our first catalog was shot in the style of a dark graphic novel, telling a comic book story of protagonists (Dawn & Relentless) on the run. 5. Taking my turn modeling the first d+R hooded jacket. 6. d+R catalog 20097. d+R catalog, 2008. 8. Featured in a story about dream jobs in the climbing world. Mine was #1 and, I believe, the only job that was self-created (Photo: Leland Marshall).