Oneflow

By Elazar Chertow

As if its cutting-edge designs were not enough, Oneflow, a startup clothing brand, is likely to surprise customers in more than one way: the company’s CEO may very well sit next to you in physics class.

Oneflow is a clothing line headed by senior Avery Nicastro-Aikman, though it was originally started by Avery’s younger brother, senior Towers Nicastro-Aikman. Towers had the idea of starting a clothing company in December, 2010, and a week later Oneflow was born. The company purchases new plain clothing in bulk from a wholesaler, and tweaks each item, adding either the company name or the company’s logo, a penguin drawn in graffiti style. The logo was the inspiration for the name Oneflow, since the design can be created essentially in “one flow,” a common graffiti term for a design that can be drawn without lifting one’s pen.

For the first few months after the start of the company, Towers was in charge of creating designs, selling merchandise and ordering supplies. But as the product line expanded, transitioning from t-shirts to hoodies, to zip-ups and crew necks, running the company became increasingly time-consuming for Towers. “I started helping, trying to make more people aware of the business,” Avery said.

After Oneflow ran into debt because revenue was being used for personal expenses, Avery invested funds to clear the debt, then bought the rights to both the name Oneflow and the penguin, both of which had been copyrighted by Towers. Besides conceiving new products which compound either the name Oneflow or the company logo with more complex designs, Avery’s primary responsibilities became managing the money in a dedicated bank account and company credit card. Enough funds are reinvested into Oneflow to keep it turning a profit.

When it comes to finding inspiration, the Nicastro-Aikman brothers need merely open their closet doors and peek at their own wardrobes. “I’m mainly basing Oneflow off of companies like Stussy and Huf,” said Avery, who is a fan of both businesses which also re-brands clothing with a single logo or name only.

Both of those companies started small, but eventually grew to have stores in cities across the world. Although Avery doesn’t anticipate Oneflow reaching the status and prominence of either well-established businesses, he plans to keep it going in college, though not as a career.

Now, however, he admits to enjoying the feeling of seeing his product being worn. “The best thing is when I see someone I don’t know wearing a Oneflow shirt in the hallway,” Avery said. “My goal is that one day I can walk around San Francisco and see that.”

Wallets

By Mara Woods-Robinson

Looking for a unique way to stow your cash? Something that’s funky and functional? If so, senior Nicole Gee’s colorful duct tape wallets might be just the answer.

Gee started making wallets during the summer of 2010, when she found an old homemade wallet in her room. “I had tried making a wallet before when I was in middle school, and it didn’t really turn out,” Gee said. “I used too much tape, so the sides were really thick and it couldn’t fit in your pocket when it was folded. I decided to try again, and after I made a couple they started turning out nice. I looked at some pictures of wallets on the Internet to get ideas, but I basically just taught myself.”

At first, Gee just made the wallets for herself, but with her friends’ encouragement, she began branching out into entrepreneurship. “After a while, friends started saying, ‘Oh hey, that’s cool, could you make one for me?’” she said. “I made a few at first, but I had to buy materials and the wallets were pretty time-consuming, so I decided to sell them.”

Gee’s wallets come in two different styles: a basic bi-fold wallet, which sells for ten dollars, or a bigger letter wallet, which sells at fifteen. She uses two contrasting colors of duct tape — sometimes more if the order is customized — which she folds over and cuts with an Exacto knife to create a distinctive combination of patterns and pockets for each wallet. “It’s pretty tedious sometimes, and it takes about an hour and a half to make one,” she said. “But after I finish a wallet and give it to someone, it’s really rewarding to see them use it and know they like it.”

Senior Kenny Leung bought a wallet from Gee last September. “The personal style she incorporated into the design made it really unique,” Leung said. “The front of the wallet features two bold, blue-and-white athletic stripes, as well as neatly stacked pockets and a personalized coin compartment — Nicole knows I take the bus too often. She definitely puts a lot of thought and effort into making every design special. I love my Nicole Gee wallet!”

Even though she has not advertised much, Gee says she’s sold about twenty wallets since she began, enough to fill her own wallet with a bit of spending money. “I made one post on Tumblr about it and got a few orders from that,” she said. “But mostly people just ask me for them and I make them. It’s pretty informal.”

The wallet project isn’t Gee’s only artistic venture. As the class of 2012’s former public relations officer and current class president, she has honed her skill in graphic design while creating numerous posters and flyers for school dances and events.

Just before winter break, Gee started fashioning rings out of artistic wire after seeing pictures of wire jewelry online. Using her fingers, she shapes the wire into a variety of different designs — one ring features an infinity sign, which she achieved by wrapping the wire around a pencil. “I’m proud of my designs,” Gee said. “I haven’t sold any yet, but I’d definitely be open to that if people are interested.”

Gee says she’d like to keep working on projects like her wallets and rings in college and beyond, but she’s not too serious about it as a business. “I’m not trying to make it into a career or anything,” she said. “I actually want to go into the health sciences. I like art, but it’s mostly just for fun.”

A version of this article first appeared in the Jan. 27, 2012 print edition of The Lowell.