Art and fashion collide in UVic student's business venture

The company’s stated philosophy is that fashion should be based on individualism and self-expression, rather than focusing solely on current trends. (21 Street Club)

What started off as a class project for a University of Victoria student has now turned into a growing business.

Nelson Walusimbi started his 21 Street Club brand last fall, collaborating with university art and fashion design students to create limited-run streetwear like T-shirts and hoodies.

The company’s philosophy is that fashion should be based on individualism and self-expression, rather than focusing solely on current trends.

The company's made-to-order model reduces waste, produces a smaller carbon footprint and benefits the artists financially and through exposure for their work.

“There’s really a lot of talented kids doing art and design and we would like to show off their work as much as possible and have them earn from their work as well,” says Walusimbi.

The UVic student is pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and came up with the idea for his marketing class after talking with artist friends at the university who were not only having a hard time getting exposure for their art, but were also struggling financially while still in school.

“I’ve always been interested in art and fashion – comfortable fashion – especially clothes that make you feel good and comfortable, and being able to join those two things is really fulfilling to me," he says.

Each piece of apparel featured on the 21 Street Club website is accompanied by the artist's profile and a statement about what the piece represents. Works are featured for 21 days on the website before being swapped out for another piece of street fashion wear.

“We will take their work, print it on some fashion items and market it and ship it out to whoever buys it and they make 50 per cent of the profit of their work," Walusimbi says.

Walusimbi is only working with university art and design students from across Canada right now and has had several hundred sales so far, with demand growing.

He hopes to expand his business though an online fundraising campaign in the near future so he can collaborate with more student artists and grow the business.