In the summer of 2012, John and I started RSVLTS at a kitchen table in our Jersey City apartment building.
At the time we were producing experiential marketing campaigns for brand partners like Unilever, Microsoft, Wheat Thins, and a few others who took a chance on us. While we freakin' loved the Baseball Bucket List campaign we were producing for Microsoft at the time, it was our goal to one day have a brand of own. Something that we could put all our creative and marketing weight into.
Way back in summer 2012 we didn't have a clear cut plan on how to get our own brand off the ground but what we did have was a kick ass logo that John whipped together so we decided to print some t-shirts.
It felt like a good place to start.
Our jump into tees started somewhat unceremoniously with "The Original." The first run was a light heather gray t-shirt with no custom RSVLTS neck labels like we do now. Not long after giving those 48 shirts away to family and friends we did a few different color ways of The Original in green, royal, red, and dark heather gray.
Time flies because it feels like just yesterday we were constantly backing up John's car at the loading dock of the printer in Secaucus to receive those Original tees and the other early designs we did like The Butcher, FCK VWLS, Golden Punch Out. I believe it was around this time that the small flame of the brand we would eventually build started burning.
Now with our 10th anniversary just around the corner, and to celebrate Dare Mighty Tees drop number 10 at 12PM ET today, we're bringing back The Original along with the summer 2012 color-ways... and some new colors as well!
If anyone out there still has a series one of The Original, or the additional Original colors, or the special edition Mumford and Sons shirts,... or the other early t-shirt designs, please please send a photos to me on Twitter @SteveRSVLTS. I know it's a long shot but would love to see some photos of those early throwbacks.
Photos: John and I messing around at a Coachella party way back in the day when we were still a blog called RSVLTS.