‘Clean’ shirts pay off

Josh Baltezar used to be the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back. Now you will probably have to buy it.

While consumers are sheepishly buying up the common brands, Baltezar has been spearheading a creative new label he calls Clean Clothing.
Baltezar said he saw shirt designs at some of his favorite stores and wanted to create clothing just as good or even better.
“I wanted to prove to myself I could do it,” said the 20-year-old business major.
At first Baltezar branded his shirts with the acronym JBC (Josue Baltezar Custom) for his custom t-shirt patterns and pictures.
“It took me one year to create my first shirt, Chief Buddha, in 2009,” he said. “I decided just to get one box of shirts made and give them to my friends and family, but then everyone wanted one.”
Baltezar said he sent shirts to relatives and buddies throughout Southern California and Tijuana. Soon friends of those friends were asking where they could get their hands on one.

After creating his website cleanclothing09.com, he decided to move on to social networking.

“I made a page on Facebook for Clean,” he said. “People kept adding the page and asking if they could buy a shirt.”

Samantha Tellez, 20, English major, said she was one of those people.

“I first saw his label on campus at SWC (last year),” she said. “A student walked past me with Josh’s Buddha shirt on and I knew I wanted one.”

Shipping problems are making growth hard, but Baltezar said he opened a PayPal account for the label.

“I personally deliver the shirts,” he laughed. “I don’t having shipping on the website, so I have to right now.”

Even though he had difficulty putting together a website where people can shop and place orders, consumers have been very supportive, he said.

“I work at the Brigantine and sometimes I tell the customers about my designs,” he said. “One time I had a former Marine ask me if I had a website. He left the restaurant, checked out my stuff and came back to give me some thoughts on what I was working on.”

His newfound success got a push from his friends, Baltezar said, one of whom encouraged him to put the design on more than just paper.

“I bought a shirt for him to put the Buddha design on,” said Breanna Legg, 20. “I just kept asking him to do it until he finally did.”

Alyssa Tucker, 20, said she has known Baltezar for seven years and realized he was exceptionally artistic since they were kids.

“He’s always been creative,” she said. “There is something behind every design which is the cool part.”

Tucker said she has been active in supporting his label, even owns one of his rose t-shirts.

“Besides his captivating designs, the style of it does too,” she said. “It’s very modern.”

Baltezar said the support he received is more than he expected.

“It’s something that I really like to do, so why not make a living out of it?” he said. “I want people to like my brand and I want it to be successful, but I’m not impatient for it.”

Josh Baltezar used to be the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back. Now you will probably have to buy it.

While consumers are sheepishly buying up the common brands, Baltezar has been spearheading a creative new label he calls Clean Clothing.
Baltezar said he saw shirt designs at some of his favorite stores and wanted to create clothing just as good or even better.
“I wanted to prove to myself I could do it,” said the 20-year-old business major.
At first Baltezar branded his shirts with the acronym JBC (Josue Baltezar Custom) for his custom t-shirt patterns and pictures.
“It took me one year to create my first shirt, Chief Buddha, in 2009,” he said. “I decided just to get one box of shirts made and give them to my friends and family, but then everyone wanted one.”
Baltezar said he sent shirts to relatives and buddies throughout Southern California and Tijuana. Soon friends of those friends were asking where they could get their hands on one.

After creating his website cleanclothing09.com, he decided to move on to social networking.

“I made a page on Facebook for Clean,” he said. “People kept adding the page and asking if they could buy a shirt.”

Samantha Tellez, 20, English major, said she was one of those people.

“I first saw his label on campus at SWC (last year),” she said. “A student walked past me with Josh’s Buddha shirt on and I knew I wanted one.”

Shipping problems are making growth hard, but Baltezar said he opened a PayPal account for the label.

“I personally deliver the shirts,” he laughed. “I don’t having shipping on the website, so I have to right now.”

Even though he had difficulty putting together a website where people can shop and place orders, consumers have been very supportive, he said.

“I work at the Brigantine and sometimes I tell the customers about my designs,” he said. “One time I had a former Marine ask me if I had a website. He left the restaurant, checked out my stuff and came back to give me some thoughts on what I was working on.”

His newfound success got a push from his friends, Baltezar said, one of whom encouraged him to put the design on more than just paper.

“I bought a shirt for him to put the Buddha design on,” said Breanna Legg, 20. “I just kept asking him to do it until he finally did.”

Alyssa Tucker, 20, said she has known Baltezar for seven years and realized he was exceptionally artistic since they were kids.

“He’s always been creative,” she said. “There is something behind every design which is the cool part.”

Tucker said she has been active in supporting his label, even owns one of his rose t-shirts.

“Besides his captivating designs, the style of it does too,” she said. “It’s very modern.”

Baltezar said the support he received is more than he expected.

“It’s something that I really like to do, so why not make a living out of it?” he said. “I want people to like my brand and I want it to be successful, but I’m not impatient for it.”