Douglas Aldrich of Cincy Clothing
How did you start your business?
Cincy Clothing began with an admiration for Cincinnati sports, culture and history. I guess the genesis of Cincy Clothing is from the trips I made with my family to Cincinnati when I was a young kid going to Reds and Bengals games and staying downtown. Those were the first instances in my life where I distinctly remember experiencing a public spectacle, a sense of community and adulation for a city.
With Cincy Clothing, I’m trying to take that same childhood perspective of Cincinnati to create simple T-shirt designs that hopefully, people can relate to.
How did you come up the idea for your business?
I was looking for a Cincinnati sports themed T-shirt for myself. I found that a lot of the Cincinnati T-shirts available seemed like brand-heavy, homogenized commodities. I just didn’t want to wear the same old, over-produced corporate images anymore.
I decided to design my own T-shirt. I began by creating a list of Cincinnati themed T-shirt ideas, and I had two full pages of ideas in no time. That’s when I got the idea for Cincy Clothing. I think people appreciate things that are real. That’s why the ambition of Cincy Clothing is to offer T-shirts that are crafted instead of manufactured.
What resources here did you take advantage of and how did they help?
The pulse of Cincy Clothing is the city of Cincinnati. The way Cincy Clothing is going to grow is through the nourishment and inspiration of the community.
What inspires you?
My family and friends who support and believe in me and what I’m trying to create.
What’s next for you and your company?
Just launched in September 2012, Cincy Clothing is still a very new business. We are carefully crafting T-shirts for a community to wear. I think the next step is to hit the streets of Cincinnati and start selling T-shirts, but in the future, I’d like to get Cincy Clothing T-shirts into boutiques and small retail outlets in and around Cincinnati.
Interview by Robin Donovan