College courses, late night projects and pizza was my life all through college. After a few years studying Graphic Design, I finally graduated! Straight into the field of...freelance and sub shops. The promise of a “career” was farfetched to say the least. But designing was still the passion after all these years. With fashion as more of a hobby, the two started to collide in the best possible way.
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After working through freelance for several years, I picked up a job at local screen printer. While learning the ins and outs of screen printing, I continued with multiple freelance projects. After finally getting a career in my field as a graphic designer, I realized it wasn't fulfilling as I thought it would be. I needed something of my own, something to put my name own and say "I own this"...
From a small garage in North Carolina, The LAAB came to be. It started out as an art collective with several mediums including music, design, photography etc. That was the purpose of the brand from the beginning. There were artists creating multiple projects under one roof. As each artist would join, or just stop by, the phrase "I'm going to the lab" became more and more common.
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For those who don't know, "the lab" was a common term, mostly from creatives, that established a location or space for their work. Like when a rapper is in a studio for instance. The LAAB (Life • And • Art • Balance) was created in essence of that saying and stands for creatives who need that space.
Now with the name established, we wanted to expand our vision. Along with creating our own art, we decided to create for others. Screen printing was the best outlet for us to explore since I had a background in printing from working in a print shop previously, so it made perfect since.
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So we gathered all the necessary equipment to start printing. Job after job, orders were coming in left and right. We began to expand our business based off the amount of work that we received. After a short amount of time I realized I could print my own art! With the creativity and talent I developed over the years, along with the business since that started with The LAAB, it fell right into place after all our work.
In 2015, The LAAB was established and trademarked. I've been creating several shirt designs while exploring other materials like hats, stickers, mask etc. So, The LAAB will be much broader than just t-shirts. Even more than just clothing, at some point. The plan was always to create a brand that's not just a company, but a movement. Which makes getting established that much more important.
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Now with everything in place, The LAAB will continue to grow and produce. The creativity and care put into each piece of the brand is our main focus. We are not just 'selling shirts' we're selling our vision and we appreciate the support everyone has shown. We will continue to produce quality apparel and showcase our creativity that represents us and The LAAB.