Don’t distress, the denim duo has got you covered.
Junior Lauren Taylor, an accounting major and junior Garrett Johnson, a visual communications major, have recently laid the groundwork for their clothing line.
Gawd Bless Denim is new and the pair is still working on creating their image.
“We’re still trying to figure out what the aesthetics are going to be for them,” Johnson said. “I like to go with bold designs that are also simple.”
“Give us any garment and I’ll throw a design on it for $20."
Garrett Johnson, co-creator of Gawd Bless Denim
The method of making the jackets goes through two processes. Once Taylor distresses and/or acid washes the denim, they are then passed on to Johnson who paints the permanent designs on them.
Taylor can spend up to a week distressing one piece, using sandpaper to create the worn-out look.
“It’s easy until you are still sitting there with the sandpaper four hours later,” Taylor said.
Johnson spends around an hour to two hours creating the designs. He said as an artist, he enjoys the process.
“I’ve just been doing this for fun, it’s actually really enjoyable,” Johnson said.
There is an option for customers to request a custom design.
“I kind of just go crazy, so it will change a lot. But people can give me a loose idea of what they want and I can go with that,” Johnson said. “Every piece we do is one-of-a-kind, we don’t repeat any designs.”
Taylor got the idea of selling denim from a previously failed clothing line she tried to create when she was in middle school. Taylor acquired the fabric through her family members, which is where the duo gets their surplus of denim.
Gawd Bless Denim was born after Taylor pitched a ‘get rich quick’ idea to Johnson over the phone.
Johnson is an artist who uses more than one medium of expression. Taylor knew he would be just the right guy to do the designs.
“I’d seen Garrett tag the inside of our friends jacket because he left it at his house, and I was like, ‘That looks pretty cool,’” Johnson said.
After that, Taylor and Johnson got to work.
“[Lauren] showed up with all her old paints from a while ago and gave me some denim and said, ‘Start making a design,’” Johnson said.
Their plan is to post pictures on their Instagram account to gain a following, but also mention the clothes in the pictures are for sale.
“We’ll probably start out in the Instagram store, and then have the purchases through PayPal,” Taylor said. “So, if someone is scared we’re not going to give them the jacket, the money will be in escrow until they actually get it. We don’t want people to be sketched out.”
Pricing depends on each individual piece because they are one-of-a-kind. They plan to sell their jackets between $40 and $60 and pants anywhere from $30 to $70. The quality of the denim will influence the price as well.
For custom pieces, the cost is determined by the amount of painting and distressing done for each article of clothing.
“Give us any garment and I’ll throw a design on it for $20,” Johnson said.
Since the idea was formed just after spring break, this is just the beginning for Johnson and Taylor, and Gawd Bless Denim. The denim duo hope to expand later into having a website for their denim and to ‘get rich quick,’ like Taylor said from the start.
