Community Highlights: Meet Jon Atwell of Cactus Johnny

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Atwell.

Hi Jon, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hey! I’m Jon Atwell, founder of Cactus Johnny.

Cactus Johnny officially started in 2023, but the seed was planted way earlier. When I was a freshman in college at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, I tried launching a little apparel idea called “The Idea Society.” I had no clue what I was doing. The printer wouldn’t do less than 40 shirts, so I basically ran around the dorms asking people to commit so I wouldn’t lose money as a broke college kid. Somehow, I pulled it off. We got the shirts printed, got them out into the world — and just like that, it lived and died in one drop.

But that experience taught me that I loved creating something from nothing and seeing people wear it.

Fast forward to 2023. I was about a year into riding motorcycles, living in Los Angeles, and couldn’t get enough of anything to do with motorcycles. I kept looking for brands that matched how I was actually living. I wanted something that felt adventurous and Americana-inspired but not overly aggressive or “tough guy.”

And one day it just clicked.

Cactus Johnny was born! And now, three years later, still at it, making clothes that are meant to get people out into the world, and spend more time doing what they love.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road but I don’t think anything meaningful ever is. In fact, one of my mantras is “Nothing good comes easy.” It rang so true that I ended up putting it on a shirt.

The biggest challenge came in 2025. I was self-funding the brand, had just invested heavily in a spring drop, and then I got laid off. That was a real gut-check moment. I had inventory on the way, bills to pay, and suddenly a lot of uncertainty.

It was scary but instead of pulling back, I decided to lean all the way in. I poured everything I had into that release; the photography, the storytelling, the social rollout. I treated it like it mattered more than anything, because…ya boy had bills to pay!

Ironically, that ended up being my favorite drop to date. Not just because of how it looked, but because of what it represented. It taught me that pressure shows who you really are.

What I learned is simple: anything worth building will challenge you. It will stretch you. But if you stay with it, those seasons become the foundation for something stronger.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Cactus Johnny?
Cactus Johnny is a lifestyle apparel brand. We design vintage-inspired, Americana-meets-adventure pieces that feel lived-in and intentional. I want to make the first shirt you grab for a ride, a weekend trip, or even a date (go get em tiger!).

The focus is on small-batch drops, thoughtful design, and quality. Everything is inspired by how I actually spend my time — motorcycles, photography, boxing, and travel. The designs come straight from the experiences shaping my life right now.

Brand-wise, I’m most proud of the storytelling behind each drop, especially the photography and visuals that place the designs seamlessly into the environments and moments they’re meant for. The most recent drop we ran around the town of Merzouga in Morocco to chase down a dirt bike so that we could shoot the shirts on a bike in the dunes of the Sahara Desert. I am very committed to making sure the “lifestyle” part of the brand is lived.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I LOVE LA! And not in like a Randy Newman type of way. I’m originally from Minnesota and so for me LA was always this magic place that seemed to be filled with endless possibilities instead of snow. When I visited for the first time at 16, it was always my goal to live here. Since being in LA, my view has never changed. I love this city so much. It’s a city that requires you to know how you feel about it. LA is not easy to live in; it’s expensive, parts are dirty, and it’s been known to spontaneously combust from time to time, but all of the challenging parts of LA make you choose to be here, and that’s one of the things I’ve always loved. It is a city that matches your energy. It’s cheesy but it really gives you back when you give it. And i mean…the weather’s perfect.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cactusjohnny.shop/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cactusjohnny__/

Image Credits
Photographer: Jon Atwell