It all began with a stack of vintage, sun bleached surf magazines surrounding junior Marek Kessler’s floor. Flipping through them, to catch inspiration for his clothing brand.
Surfing has always been Kessler’s passion, and clothing being his interest; so merging the two together into a brand came naturally. Kessler clothing business, Unsurfaced, continues to grow, expanding into surf shops like ET Surfboards in Hermosa Beach.
“All my designs come from old surfing magazines, so I screen print them and put them on the clothes,” said Kessler.
Kessler’s interest in screenprinting designs began freshman year in his printmaking class, then expanded into to AP Studio Art, where he continued to experiment with designs until the process was perfected.
“ It took me a few times through trial and error, but now, I’m pretty good at it,” Kessler said. “I just keep doing it.”
To ensure the highest quality products, Kessler sources his clothing items through wholesale accounts, traveling as far as Long Beach, where he tried on hoodie blends until he found the perfect one. With a growing fan base and quality materials, Kessler began to think bigger.
“I want to get to other stores, I think Unsurfaced has the possibility of being big,” Kessler said. “ I mean, a lot of people want it.”
The turning point came when Unsurfaced landed in ET Surfboards, the southbay surf shop Marek has gone to since he was little. Unsurfaced dropped in the new location right before Christmas, just in time for holiday shopping.
“I’ve been going there since I was little, so they know me. I just told them I have a clothing brand, and asked if I can put some of it up on the racks,” Kessler said. “On the 1st day, half of them sold.”
Photoshoots have grown to be a strong marketing tactic for Unsurfaced, with most models consisting of Kessler’s friends who collaborate on social media posts to help spread the word. Kessler’s next focus has shifted towards building a website for his brand, hoping to expand his brand into new shops and eventually grow more manufacturing opportunities.
“People see our posts online and become curious about it, click onto our page, and then I get more people to see it,” Kessler shared. “It’s awesome. I want to expand the brand, because I can make more clothes.”
Unsurfaced is available for purchase at ET Surfboards in Hermosa Beach, or @unsurfacedclothing on Instagram.
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