I was a freshman living in the dorms, loving school and having the best time of my life. Then the pandemic hit and I was sent home for the remainder of the year. I had already secured my summer job working the front desk at my favorite gym, but as time went on I realized, my job and the gym were most likely not going to happen.
It had been three months since the quarantine had started, and to say I was losing my mind was an understatement. There are only so many puzzles you can finish before you come to realize that it’s time to make a change.
As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whenever the opportunity arises, I wear my school colors, but I always found that there weren’t enough trendy or affordable options.
Suddenly the idea hit me, I could make my own custom clothes. I began to do some research and with days of trial and error, I eventually was able to create a custom Wisconsin t-shirt that was one of a kind. Proud of what I had done, I posted it to my social media.
The next morning I woke to my phone blowing up. I got an overwhelming response from my friends, all loving the T-shirts I had made.
I had dozens of requests, and I had the time, so I figured I could make some more. Little did I know this would be the beginning of a business I would soon call “aroseandclothes.”
The orders were coming in faster then I could make them and with the use of social media, I was reaching an audience that expanded across the country. I was working day and night and even began to receive orders from real businesses that were interested in having shirts made.
It’s safe to say, I will never forget the moment my friend called me and said, “hey, someone just came up to me on the street and asked if I was wearing aroseandclothes.”
The summer was coming to an end and it was time to head back to Wisconsin. I posted that I would only be accepting orders 10 days prior to leaving, but I ended up using every spare second I had, even if that meant being a few minutes late to the airport.
It was hard to say “good-bye” to the business I had created, but I not only made some really cool shirts, I also gained valuable experience that I will never forget.
