Rising Stars: Meet Ty McBride

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ty McBride.

Hi Ty, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I moved to Los Angeles in 2014 and found a home I loved and rented in Highland Park. After one month of being in Los Angeles, I lost my job which I had held for 6 years, found myself in a new city, new home, with no job. After several weeks of untangling a pesky non-compete, I traveled to the factories and started working on the first collection. The early days of the brand were an interesting, difficult and beautiful time. Launching a brand with very little funds on the back side creates an interesting working environment. I had to get really creative to make those first deliveries come together, hustling around the world to sell shoes, create and expand my network and develop buzz out of literally thin air.

After working in the footwear industry for about 12 years, I was excited to try and launch into something on my own, more in my own wheelhouse style-wise, and create something that I saw missing in the market. Flash forward to 2022 and the line is sold in over 120 specialty and chain stores around the world…and on the shelves of our own site and our retail store in Hudson, NY.

Our Los Angeles boutique is currently shuttered, still from covid, but we have our sites on re-opening in 2023 as we work out our covid-kinks in production, logistics and fine-tune our approach! Los Angeles is tricky for retail! Which neighborhood! Which area! Is it close to iced coffee! Can a human park! It’s in the details folks!

Being a queer brand, an indie-facing label and a brand that is continually trying to scale, brand out and reach new levels has made this journey very interesting, rewarding, and powerful. Stay tuned for my memoire.

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?
When people ask me about starting their own brand, my advice is almost always the same….”Do it first on somebody else’s money. Get a job with someone growing, a small start-up, wear a lot of hats and learn.” I think that my main obstacle is that accepting change is very hard for me personally—and then that spills over into work. I am anxious, I doubt things, then it turns out and it works! You have to adjust along the way! I think a lot of creative people have similar fears—and I try to let those fears be part of my creative process.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
“INTENTIONALLY _________.” has evolved over the last 9 years exactly how I have intended it to–forging its own way as the market as shifted, changed, and even when it came to a screeching halt. Creating footwear that works as accessories and serve as a means of expression of personal style is what I am passionate about. We are known for wearable, comfortable shoes that are tied to vintage classics but often made fresh and current with ironic twists, pops of color, or new shapes. Being a queer-owned brand is a huge part of what I bring to the table, it’s part of my POV–I am out here very proud but also kind of shocked at times that the brand has grown to where it is. I am a small-town gay from the middle of nowhere Eastern Oregon—here I am, staying the course.

How do you think about happiness?
What Makes Me Happy, a List:

HOUSE PARTIES
CHANCE ENCOUNTERS
THE TEAM AT INTENTIONALLY BLANK
WELL DESIGNED SPACES
EXPLORING UPSTATE NY
MY RETAIL STORE
A COOL DUVET
BOW/EDISON WASHINGTON
DINNER WITH MY GAYS

Pricing:

• Our shoes retail from 169-230 USD
• Our boots retail from 179-300 USD
• Our slogan hats are 30 USD

Contact Info:

• Website: www.intentionallyblank.us
• Instagram: @iamintentionallyblank

Image Credits
Store Photos, HUDSON NY, Shot by Autumn Jordan IB fashion editorials shot by Arianna Velazquez and Madeline Tolle