By Daniel Brount
When graphic arts management major Chris Moak started his clothing company High Top Society Co., he drew inspiration from the skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing lifestyle that he grew up around.
High Top Society Co. is the sophomore’s second clothing line. His first, Love Never Fails, was a Christian-based company, but did not start off successfully.
“I was worried to start again,” Moak said.
Moak often found himself drawing in class, impelling him to make use of the art he created. From there, he began planning High Top Society Co.
“You’re young, living everything that you can and making sure you don’t regret missing out on things,” Moak said. “It’s the lifestyle behind it. High top shoes, skinny jeans, skate kind of feel. Skating, snowboarding, surfing. That’s just stuff I grew up around, and that’s the kind of life that I lived.”
Though it took a while for him to get the company off the ground, his love for the lifestyle and the art allowed him to push through and find the resources he needed to succeed.
Initially, Moak focused on designing. Once he felt he had enough, he began to put design templates onto shirts and started looking for a screen printer that was willing to work with him. He now has about 200 completed designs.
“I wanted to create a company kind of like the stuff that you see in Pac Sun, but more affordable for college kids,” he said. “You can still portray the style and still have that feeling, but you’re not breaking the bank for it.”
Since beginning the company, Moak has had about 50 customers. Many of them are repeat customers who help spread the word about the products to their friends. Though sometimes he struggles to find time for both education and his company, he feels the extra work is worth it.
“I think honestly seeing something that I designed making other people happy or helping them progress in their life – that’s the coolest reward you can have,” he said.
Moak started to do graphic design work for others while living in Fort Wayne. He designed a logo for a company owned by his dad’s friend, whiched peaked his interest in design.
“I really like designing, so why not do it for other people?” he said. “Right now it’s for the passion and experience and for my portfolio, not so much the money.”
Though Moak does all of the designing and management of High Top Society Co. himself, he has friends to help him with other aspects of the company, such as modeling and photoshoots.
Brian Poling, a sophomore architecture major and Moak’s roommate, supports Moak by critiquing designs and buying some of the products.
“I think he’s putting the effort into it that you should see out of the more popular clothing lines,” Poling said. “He takes that and puts the whole college experience spin on it and makes it his own thing.”
To help promote his products, Moak planned a photoshoot. Poling acted as one of the models for it. Moak said that Poling feels comfortable in front of the camera and fits the style well.
Sophomore business administration major Elijah Phenicie worked behind the camera for High Top Society Co.’s photoshoot. The first part of the photoshoot portrayed the skating lifestyle, and the second showed an apartment party.
“The photoshoot was to capture the wanderlusting lifestyle and to inspire people to enjoy life to the fullest, especially in their youthful years,” Phenicie said. “We created a lot of fun images from that. Photoshoots are not just about the photo, but the experience the models have and the image the company presents.”
Using the photoshoot as a promotion tool, Moak hopes to see his company continue to expand and gain a wider customer base.
“It’s just a great thing that I want to see become more widely known,” Poling said. “I want other people to be able to see what goes on with it and experience it like we do. It takes a spark to get there. I believe we’re getting there, so I’m excited to see what it ends up as.”
After college, Moak plans to continue working as a freelance graphic designer or to find a job at a firm. Along with that, he wants to run High Top Society Co. on the side until he feels it is stable. If the company succeeds, he hopes to sponsor professional BMX riders and skateboarders to further his connection to the lifestyle that has inspired him.
