Meet Thomas Kernan of Gold Apparel LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Kernan.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Thomas. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
Gold Apparel LA was founded in 2017. My objective for Gold Apparel LA was aimed to create something that captured the true shine of Los Angeles translated and expressed through art and design. I design because of a true passion in creating which I pursued relentlessly. In 2005, I earned my degree in digital art from The Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois.

Taking this passion to the west coast, I drove to Los Angeles, CA in pursuit of my dream. I eventually worked my way into the film industry and had the privilege to work on movies such as Tron Legacy, Oblivion, Thor, Xmen, Deadpool, Fast & Furious 8, Beauty and the Beast, and most recently Avengers: Infinity War.

My creative passion was heavily influenced by my love for art and design through various disciplines including drawing, 3d design, streetwear fashion, sculpture, and photography. Tattoo, street culture, and the pure grit and hustle of Los Angeles, CA has also been a huge creative influence.

I found streetwear as a staple I wanted to cross-pollinate art and vision of the California lifestyle.

Great, 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?
I face struggles and losses on a daily basis. It was and still is just me wearing most of the hats since I never had access to a lot of start-up capital and couldn’t afford bringing on full-time staff. I had to get creative when it came to spending money whether that was through bartering, gifting free product, or leveraging an existing network.

Having a bootstrapping mentality allowed me to sustain the momentum that I needed everyday. Early on in building my business I understood that nobody would necessarily see my vision, so I had to triple down and focus on the acquisition of new skill sets and obtain knowledge that I didn’t know along the way.

You don’t have to have it all figured out to keep moving forward. Failures are common so having the clarity to understand this was a huge upside for me. I was able to embrace failure and more importantly learn from it and pivot quickly. You have absolutely no excuse in this day of age.

The ability to access the world through a device in the palm of your hand and reach anything and anyone at any time is truly beyond value.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Gold Apparel LA – what should we know?
We focus on translating art and design through streetwear with minimalistic and monochromatic aesthetics. My passion for art and design runs deep in my DNA. I focus mainly on the art and creative side from designing pieces, aligning creative collaborations, photography, and content creation.

Although I love the creative side, I can quickly find myself spending time on business development, sales and marketing, and customer support when needed. The most gratifying aspect of Gold Apparel LA that I’m most proud of are the incredibly talented people that we have crossed paths with.

The ability to collaborate with people and bringing creative minds together to create something special has been a blessing. Our goal is to allow our minimalistic and monochrome design approach to set us apart and resonate through every aspect of our creative process.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Having that support system, relentless self-belief and discipline are the most important factors that kept me moving in the right direction. Its only people who lose belief that quit.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.goldapparella.com
• Email: info@goldapparella.com
• Instagram: @goldapparel_la
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goldapparella/

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