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Wearable Art

He’s just a kid, but Ryan Smith is one of Springfield’s newest fashion designers.

Photo Kevin O'Riley

Wearable art is a money-making business for one local high school student. Ryan Smith, a senior at Hillcrest High School in Springfield, started his line of unique clothing right after his sixteenth birthday.

“I spent lots of years as a child scribbling with crayons,” he says. “I guess that’s where I got interested in design elements.”

Smith isn’t a typical high schooler. “I didn’t want to be average,” Smith says. “I want to do something that’s meaningful.”

The 18-year-old Smith sells his screen-printed and hand-painted designs both locally and on the internet under the name Rottix. Smith hand-draws the screen-printed designs before uploading them onto a computer. After he has touched up and edited the designs, he takes them to a local screen-printing shop to be created. He only prints 20 T-shirts of each design. “I’ve found that a limited supply makes people want the designs more,” Smith says. “When they’re gone, that’s it.”

High-quality materials also increase demand for the designs, Smith says. “I don’t use cheap, flimsy material,” he says. “Everything we print on is the highest quality.”

Smith also commissions hand-painted designs, created with a paint brush. Smith says his influences include graffiti and underground urban art. “My clothing is something you are more likely to see in New York City or Los Angeles than here,” Smith says.

His goal is to create original designs without the mass-assembled look of stores found in the local mall. “I don’t ever want it to be unoriginal,” Smith says.

Many of his designs feature rhinestones, which are time-consuming to apply. “The items with rhinestones are usually a bit higher in price due to the detailed work that goes into them,” Smith says.

The opening page of his website features edgy photographs of urban teens, each wearing several Rottix designs. Along with custom T-shirts, Smith designs caps and shoes, each with his own touch and many glittering with rhinestones.

Clothing has been shipped as far as Michigan and California, and even to a movie director. David Lehre, who directed both the Myspace Movie and the Facebook Movie, recently ordered some Rottix designs, Smith says.

Screen-printed T-shirts average $20, while custom-painted shirts are closer to $30.Caps start at $20, while shoes go for $50 and higher.

With low overhead, Rottix has stayed in business for more than two years. “I don’t pay anyone to do anything,” Smith says. “I do my own photography, graphic design, advertising, everything.” He has invested in a high-quality digital camera has allowed Smith to expand his repertoire of design skills.
The brand has gained popularity partially due to Smith’s “guerilla” marketing techniques. “It’s a kind of advertising where everywhere you go you drop business cards or stickers,” Smith says.

Many stickers featuring the Rottix logo can be seen plastered around the Battlefield Mall, Smith says. Smith has become active in the local arts community, which has helped raise awareness of the band. He co-sponsored a hip-hop show in February and has participated in several Art Walks. He was also the first person to be featured on the cover of Art Walk’s brochure.

The future for Rottix is uncertain, but Smith has his priorities for the coming year. He’d like to release three or four new screen-printed designs, along with trying some new advertising techniques. He plans to attend college for business or marketing, along with some focus on art. However, college isn’t his ultimate goal in life. “I don’t really see why you have to attend college to gain respect, but you do,” Smith says.

Wherever he decides to go in the future, Smith has already accomplished a lot.  “I don’t see myself ever not designing,” he says. “There’s nowhere to go but up.”