One hand on the paper to hold it steady, his pen winds around and around. A slash down, and then up, and then more marks are set next to it. As the logo begins to take shape, so does the dream in front of him.

For the past six months, sophomore Sebastian Pelz has been the sole founder and owner of his clothing line, Basti Clothing and Design. He started the business in May of 2023, and has been in production since, with the first clothing piece open for orders on November 20.

“I’m a guy who hates the feeling of being stagnant in life,” Pelz said. “Starting a clothing brand was a way for me to grow, get better, and chase a goal in a field I’m passionate about. It brings me stability and joy knowing I’m slowly working towards something I love.”

Pelz originated the idea of starting his own apparel line after co-owning a clothing business with friend Chase Delk. They started by thrifting clothes and reselling them online, which led to Pelz finding inspiration in the pieces he was exposed to.

“I think that he found a passion in clothing and as he had a bunch of clothes around him, he figured ‘well, there’s all this stuff I want to do with this’,” Delk said.

Pelz’s clothing pieces currently carry trendy themes popular to many high school students, such as camouflage and waffle knit patterns, but he takes further inspiration from the vintage clothes he’s dealt with previously.

“I’m trying to bring a kind of retro style.” Pelz said. “It’s more modern, because most of the vintage clothing you find are actually vintage, and you can’t buy it new. So, I’m trying to bring some of that flare into modern clothing.”

While Pelz does not sew himself, he is still an integral part of the clothing design process. This consists of him either online or physically illustrating mock-ups of his items, and then partnering with a manufacturer overseas, who is able to produce his ideas.

“I design and hand draw each one of the products using inspiration from my imagination, other brands, and vintage clothing,” Pelz said. “Sometimes I research the article of clothing, or find small details I enjoy about certain pieces and incorporate them into my sketches.”

Pelz has manufactured three high quality pieces so far. His Basti Waffle Knit Shirt is dropping next month, and he has produced a pair of loose sweatpants and a hoodie that have yet to be released.

“There are so many sketches I hate and so many I love,” Pelz said. “I sort through the ones I love and those become real pieces.”

The Basti catalog can be found on the online store, shopbasti.com. Pelz designed the website by partnering with Shopify, a commerce platform that allows him to sell his products, build a website, handle all monetary transactions, and ship the orders.

“I’m a high school student, so I don’t have a lot of money, and I have to work for it,” Pelz said. “There’s a lot of trial and error in a business, which means a lot of that money goes to waste. But it’s worth it.”

As Pelz is under 18, navigating the choppy waters of finances, licenses, and taxes is additionally difficult. He is currently in the process of attaining his Employer Identification Number (EIN), which is required for the government to issue him the appropriate taxes.

“It’s harder for me to gather the information I need for finances and government tax purposes, but I get my parents or my sister to help,” Pelz said.

Outside of his family members, Pelz has a supporter in his basketball coach, Nathaniel Haynes. Athletics and fashion are usually considered to have a divide, but the junior varsity coach dispels this theory.

“I think any athlete has a great chance to make it in business because you face a lot of the same adversities starting and maintaining a business that you do starting and maintaining an athletic career,” Haynes said. “To be successful at either one, you must outwork the competition.”

When not on the basketball court, Pelz focuses on his own personal clothing style, which he has been cultivating since middle school.

“In seventh grade, that’s when I started to gather inspirations, develop my fashion taste, my style, and it’s much different than it is now,” Pelz said.

Pelz’s fashion translates into his athletic life in an unconventional way. When the team is dressed in uniform, Pelz finds a way to portray his unique expression through the way he holds himself.

“I usually see him in practice gear, but I would expect him to have a good sense of fashion based on his personality,” Haynes said.

Of this personality, both Pelz’s coach and friends give strong statements about, and how it only furthers his chances of success as a business owner.

“He’s a caring guy,” Delk said. “He’s been my friend for a long time, and he’s trustworthy.”

Delk has been crucial in the Basti design process, giving Pelz advice and critiques on his work. Pelz states that the Basti brand has affected his social life as well, with people approaching him about the brand showing interest. 

“Running a business has impacted my life heavily as it has become a part of my everyday life,” Pelz said. “It’s something I work on everyday, if it’s making videos and ads, reaching out to content creators, working on my website, working with my manufacturer, and working with finances.”

Pelz has spent the past six months laboring over his project, learning the monetary tasks and legalities of business, to create real-life designs in a field he loves. He eagerly anticipates the release of his first piece and the reaction surrounding it.

“If I saw someone wearing my piece of clothing it would mean so much to me,” Pelz said. “Watching someone wear and enjoy the work I’ve worked so hard at for months would bring so much joy.” 

This story was originally published on The Dispatch on December 5, 2024.