With a flair for fashion and a knack for catchy slogans, Jackson Tarbox ’26 has spun his creativity into an apparel line.
He fondly recalls the inspiration behind his first T-shirt design, which he’s sold over 2o of since launching his business four weeks ago. In total, he has sold three times as many custom designs, each at $12 a T-shirt.
“I was inspired by a phrase a friend shared with me: ‘On The Villains.’ I aimed for a design that was straightforward and minimalist,” Tarbox said. “It’s a phrase that not a lot of people have heard, and everybody always asked me what is it or what does it mean. It was just a phrase I found funny and something that could make people laugh and have fun.”
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Owen Haglund ’26 with his OTV T-Shirt
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Binyam Tsegai ’26 with his OTV T-Shirt
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Windston Legentus ’26 with his OTV customized name T shirt
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Ryan Sserunkuma ’26 with his OTV T-Shirt
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Andre Mills ’24 with his OTV customized name T-Shirt
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“For those who have me added on Snapchat, I tend to post promotion videos of people wearing the shirts,” Tarbox said. “Usually, it is photos of people who just bought the T-shirts, but I try to post as much as I can to push it out to people.”
As the popularity of his brand increases, Tarbox is excited for the future.
“I have some new up-and-coming ideas,” Tarbox said. “Right now, I just produced my first sticker, and I just released bubble text where people can add their own names or nicknames to their merchandise. My next up-and-coming products are tank tops, socks, and female T-shirts to appeal more to that audience.”
Brimmer gave me the whole foundation,” Tarbox said. “It gave me the whole space to create. I used all of the machines, and they gave me everything I needed to create one T-Shirt.”
Tarbox founded his brand here at School, in the Maker Space, with the support from students and faculty members, who provided him the resources to make his prototypes.
As his brand has progressed, Tarbox invested more significantly in his business. He purchased a heat press and a cutter, enabling him to produce his apparel at home. By sourcing materials at affordable prices, Tarbox said, he has expanded his operations.
“Eventually, I bought all the machines and vinyl for myself and took everything back to my house to grow the brand,” Tarbox said.
Tarbox is planning on releasing new merchandise such as shorts, tank tops, socks, and hats.
