Joshua Alan Ensler
News editor
A desire to bring his art to the masses inspired senior Cameron Galloway to create Teddy Bear Collective, an apparel company.
This is the second apparel company Galloway has created. His first business, Anthem Apparel, folded during his efforts to secure admission to Linfield, he said.
Galloway, a business major with a concentration in marketing and studio art minor, sought to gain experience in both business and design for a future career in advertising.
His company, Teddy Bear Collective, is a step toward making this goal a reality.
“This started as a way to build my portfolio but ended up something more,” Galloway said. “This is something I can take into post-graduation.”
Galloway said he creates T-shirts that are based on issues he feels are important for people to hear about or are inspired by other companies that he feels make innovative designs.
“I get inspiration from their styles, but I would never directly copy their idea or message,” he said.
He started Teddy Bear Collective with the help of Liz Obert, professor of art, visual culture and electronic arts.
She offered an opportunity to conduct an independent study, and with this he said he chose to revive his dreams.
Galloway is from Seattle, Wash., and will return there with hopes of opening a physical location for his line. He is also creating a Web site, which should be online this summer.
In addition to his search for a location, Galloway is also trying to get small retailers to carry some of his clothing designs. As of yet, no T-shirts have been printed because he is still sorting out the details involved in acquiring printing equipment.
There are more than five different T-shirt designs available from Teddy Bear Collective with several more in varying stages of planning.
Galloway has also managed to acquire a number of pre-orders, all from Linfield College. No one outside of the college has purchased his T-shirts.
He said his efforts are not without reward in the real world.
“In this economy, it’s difficult to find a job,” Galloway said. “This is something that has room for growth, and I could possibly get into small retailers. It’s just a good creative outlet for me.”
Those real-world benefits may prove helpful in his attempts to get retail space. Galloway said he believes that with his connections from Anthem Apparel, he will be able to accomplish his goal.
His process for making T-shirts is now much different than when he created T-shirts for Anthem. Then, he said he did not have access to design programs on a computer. Now, Galloway uses Adobe Creative Suite to create all his designs.
Galloway thinks the outlook is good for Teddy Bear Collective.
“Hopefully, it’ll get big,” he said.