Take one look at Wisconsin basketball player Jason Chappell and a lot of things come to mind. Things such as \Wow, that guy is tall,"" and ""I wonder if he hits his head a lot,"" are probably the two most common.
But it's probably a safe bet that you wouldn't tab him as a fashion designer. You know what they say though, you can't judge a book by its cover-or in this case, by its couture.
Yes, that's right, as the sole creative force behind JCHEEZY Clothing, Chappell is Madison's most unlikely apparel creator. Chappell started printing his shirts three summers ago at his parents' screen-printing and embroidery store in New Berlin, Wisconsin.
""I wanted to make my own shirts and give them to my friends,"" Chappell said. ""So I just made a couple and started wearing them and people were like, 'Hey, that's pretty cool, you got any extras?'""
But what started as a novel concept in his parents' shop is on the verge of becoming a Madison phenomenon. Though the original distribution method was free handouts, the entrepreneur in Chappell says it's time to start cashing in on his merchandise. His days of charity are over.
He's already started selling some of his shirts for $10 and he wants to take the brand to the mainstream.
At this point, you're probably skeptical, wondering why anybody would want to buy T-shirts designed by a basketball player. I'll admit, I had my doubts too. I've seen some of the shirts on people at the library, but I didn't give them much attention.
When I ran into Chappell a few weeks ago at a fashion show, of all places, I asked him when I could expect to see the first JCHEEZY show. He said an actual show is still a few years off, but one of his companions mentioned that the line was ready to ""blow up"" and that I should write about it.
Now, I don't just jump into story ideas without doing a little research first. (By ""little,"" I of course mean ""very little,"" bordering on ""none at all."")
In any case, I checked out the best research tool available to a young journalist these days. That tool, of course, is thefacebook.com. After finding two groups dedicated solely to JCHEEZY, I decided a story was in order. (That, and because you just can't write about softball two weeks in a row.)
With the question of its legitimacy out of the way, you're probably wondering exactly what kind of clothing JCHEEZY is. Chappell refuses to stereotype it as any specific style, instead saying it appeals to all college students, from stinkiest hippy to the freshest frat boy.
At the moment, JCHEEZY Clothing is strictly T-shirts, but Chappell hopes to expand in the future. He even wants to create a more ""classy"" line for UW basketball head coach Bo Ryan to wear.
But for now, the focus is on keeping the kids happy. One such kid is C.J. Moebius, a dedicated JCHEEZY wearer. Despite being rejected as the official model for the line due to unruly arm-hair growth, Moebius has nothing but praise for the brand.
""I think that JCHEEZY has a bright future due to its appeal to the athletic/urban environment,"" Moebius said. ""To be honest, I just think it's crunk and original.""
The people have spoken.
To compliment Joe on his fashion sense, email him at jphasler@wisc.edu
