In the dim light over his head, he sat hunched over his cluttered desk, lost in the sketches of his upcoming creative piece. The soft hum of his creativity blended with the silence of his bedroom as he crafted the threads of his vision into pixels.

Each drawing represented something. With every click, he wasn’t just designing a shirt; he was weaving the fabric of his brand, stitching together dreams that would soon be worn by everyone. He was transferring his imagination into something tangible, creating a wearable masterpiece for all to see.

During their high school years, students often seek opportunities to engage in creative hobbies that allow them to express themselves and develop their skills alongside academic studies. One such activity picked by students is running their own clothing brand.

Junior Desmond Dhaenens started his brand Bandemic during the pandemic when there wasn’t anything for him to do. His love for design and drawing pulled him towards starting his own clothing brand. Now that he has started this journey, he feels it definitely takes a lot to manage, but determination helps him succeed.

“It takes a lot of time during your day, you have to spend countless nights even getting good. You got to perfect your artwork. It’s just determination. If you want to make a brand, you have to stick to it and keep on grinding or it’s never going to come true,” Dhaenens said.

Senior Jack Johnson has witnessed the efforts of his friend Dhaenens. He believes Dhaenens is embarking on something truly remarkable by starting his clothing brand.

“Just him putting in work for his brand is what makes him unique. I don’t really see a lot of high school kids making their own brands and stuff like that when they’re 16 or 17. So I just think it’s kind of impressive that he’s making this and doing it by himself,” Johnson said.

The design process is challenging and takes a lot of time and effort. The process begins with a vision for the clothing piece, followed by brainstorming and sketching multiple ideas in a notebook or on an iPad. From these ideas, the best design is chosen. Once the design is sketched on the iPad, decisions on printing style and fabric are made.

“Nowadays, there are more bland designs like one word on a T-shirt. I like to add a bunch of characters and just unique stuff,” Dhaenen said.

Finally, everything is conveyed to the manufacturer to start the production process. Dhaenens’s manufacturer lives in Pakistan and his name is Muhammad. Dhaenens sends him his ideas and he makes all of the clothing come to life.

Dhaenens believes that designs carry messages and that is what continues to inspire him.

“Something that inspires my designs is the message that I am giving through my designs. I want people to wear my clothing for a reason,” Dhaenens said.

Just recently, in October, he organized a brand celebration that more than 300 people attended. At this event, people got to dance, eat, and know each other. Everyone got to hear about the next upcoming brand designs. Everything was planned with great detail so that the audience could get the best experience.

Among the many people who attended the event was senior Franklin White, who believes that the event was wonderfully organized.

“There are not really a lot of people at Desmond’s age doing this type of work. Everyone from the Bandemic is very young. The event was very big and I hadn’t gone to such a big party before. It was a lot of fun and I am very proud of him, ” White said.

Dhaenens currently gets customers from 20 different states, however, he doesn’t wish to stop just here.

“I have some expansion plans. My hope for the future is to have buyers from all 50 states. I also would love to have the chance to promote my clothing at big events here in Nebraska. Lastly, I want the world to know my brand and know what we stand for,” Dhaenens said.