Started amongst a couple friends, Mint and essential custom wear are fast growing clothing brands developed right here in London Ontario. Tomas Alvarez, Juan Gutierrez, and Eric Garcia came together to start their company during the current COVID-19 Pandemic.
The group of friends just wanted something to do during the pandemic, so they came together and started their clothing brand. Juan Gutierrez of Mint had more to say about how the brand came about.
“We all came together with an idea of what fashion was going to be, and what kind of cool things we could do once the whole COVID thing happened. So we made a little fun concept of clothing. We would say were a lifestyle fashion brand. With this whole breakdown of everything that’s going on in the world we just found a way to enjoy doing something while on lockdown.”
When the brand first came out, Gutierrez admits he did not know what to expect, especially during a pandemic. Since then, the brand has continuously grown. With an Instagram account with over 500 followers and plenty of Londoners posting to social media with their merchandise, Mint is becoming the talk of the town.
“We did not know how it was going to turn out, like many other businesses, but the response and feedback were getting from people is absolutely astonishing. Making things customizable and personalized is probably one of our biggest focus.”
Juan added that the brand receives plenty of great feedback from customers, along with pictures of their merchandise, and posting the brand, which has helped with the marketing aspect of the business.
All the production is done by Juan, Tomas and Eric, and they’re looking to expand their product line, adding an embroidery machine. With the pandemic altering and affecting businesses all over the world, Juan feels like Mint would be in a much different place without COVID.
“We’d be skyrocketing. We can’t really go above and beyond to where our brand really wants to be at. We can’t do commercials; we plan on doing commercials. We’re trying to be different and make names of ourselves. If COVID wasn’t in the way, and this lockdown wasn’t in the way, we definitely could be doing something different. Were exactly where we want to be right now!”
Tomas and Juan added that they hope to continue to expand locally, eventually reaching a national, then global audience. In addition, the brand will be adding custom embroidery in hopes of attracting a larger following.
Mint is also looking to help out other brands reach their goals. Saying a lot of people don’t have the option to create their own merchandise etc, and Mint is willing to help other small businesses chase their dreams.
For more information on the brand and their products, you can follow them on Instagram @mintteees
