Today we’d like to introduce you to Will Phresh
Hi Will, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I had been on a Vegas with some friends and on the way back to California one of them had to make a stop to grab their bags. They went in the house to grab their bags and they came back out wearing a graphic sweater. The name was “Likeable A–holes”. The name was dope to me. I couldn’t get over it, but the logo wasn’t appealing to say the least. I immediately turned to my friend and told him, “We can do this!” I contemplated about it the entire trip home. I followed up with my friend the next day and he didn’t seem too interested so i decided to do it alone. I knew that i wanted to create a brand that both men and women would like and I also wanted a brand that wasn’t just a name but it would also be a lifestyle, and not just a moment in time or a fad. I wanted to create something that would last and stand the test of time. Believe itor not, it took me about 15 minutes and I had come up with the name, “Cocky & Sadity”. I felt very pleased with the name but i didn’t have a logo or an identity yet and that’s what i felt would make or. break the brand. I finally came up with a logo and it was time to make a few shirts and get the response. Let’s just say the response was very underwhelming to say the least. One 4th of July I had a one of one t-shirt made for myself. I left the “Sadity”out and in the word cocky I replaced the O with silhouette of a rooster. I simply just wanted to wear my brand on the 4th of July and nothing more or less. The response was crazy in a great way. I went home and immediately knew that I was going to rebrand even though i had just started and I was going to drop the “Sadity” and the Brand would be Cocky. The people had spoken. I hopped in Photoshop, and tweaked the Cocky logo a little and had 48 hoodies printed. The 1st day I sold all but 1 hoodie and i knew I had a brand.
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 has most definitely been a bumpy road. Name a problem that could possibly happen as a fashion designer with a brand and I have more than likely had it. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a Fashion Designer, known for my brand Cocky. Getting graphic tees made was my intro into the fashion scene but i have ventured off into the cut and sew world. Im specializing in Jackets and Denim. Im proud of the fact that it has been a long bumpy road and I didn’t quit when things were not looking promising.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
If i were to give someone advice about mentorship ad networking I would tell them this. “Network as much as possible. It can be who you know and not what you know. I was not lucky enough to have had a mentor yet so my advice to anyone who is like myself and doesn’t have a mentor, you consider everyone your mentor and you filter out what you need or want to use and what you don’t. You can learn from any and everyone.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecockyshop/?next=%2F
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/recess.playground/
