Jason Matheny and Monty Collier chose an unlikely spot to launch their business, which is tucked in a storefront next to the Waffle House just across the river in Covington.
But when the two
Thomas More College graduates found out about a vacancy in the spot, its very unlikeliness seemed a perfect tie-in for the brand they had worked together to create:
Modern Misfit Classic Genius.
They opened
TK's House of Misfits in June and haven't looked back.
Part hip graphic tee design company and part values-driven lifestyle brand, MMCG experiments with the notion that fashion can be about more than aesthetics. One shirt, for example, features the words "Byootefel Luhvle," or "Beautiful Lovely," in a script typeface.
The company's young founders understand that people who see things differently than others often see themselves as misfits. Only by embracing their authentic selves can they unleash their own geniuses.
"Modern Misfit Classic Genius is an inspirational brand that uses design as a main avenue to inspire people to embrace the misfit and become the genius," says Matheny, who graduated from Thomas More with a graphic design degree in 2012.
"We offer a line that really has meaning," says Collier, who graduated in 2011 with an accounting degree and minors in both art and business administration. "Our whole purpose is to change the way people behave."
Collier adds that the business is about more than selling t-shirts; through the designs, he wants people to be able to express both who they are and who they want to become.
The core values that inspire the brand—passion, loyalty, intelligence, confidence and humility—serve as the basis for the company's first fall collection, set to debut Oct. 20.
Collier says the new products, which will be for sale in the Covington shop, include more limited edition designs as well as crew-neck sweaters, hoodies and henleys.
By Elissa Yancey
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