Those of you that know me personally, know that I love the Mad Gringo brand of casual clothing. The brand has a "I'd rather be at the beach than at work" kind of feel to it, which is completely consistent with the nature of the Thrillers I write. And it is completely consistent with how I feel, too.
The brand made a big splash back in 2008, but over the last couple of years it declined, with little new product being introduced and virtually no web presence.
Back in November I became aware of a Kickstarter campaign to send Mad Gringo off on into the sunset with a final pair of shirt designs. Once the campaign ended, it would be shut down.
An idea formed in my head.
I contacted the founder and learned how they ended up where they currently were, and concluded there was nothing at all wrong with the brand. He put me in touch with the current owner and a plan began to coalesce.
Fast forward to yesterday, when we re-introduced the Mad Gringo brand to the marketplace. The business is being run by the son of my partner at TEK Services (now known as Mad Evan,) and we house the business within the walls of TEK. Right now our offering consists of a number of themed tee-shirts, but we have some tropical (Hawaiian) shirts in the works -- they come from Asia, so it takes some time.
This was not a trivial effort. We had to buy a shirt printer, learn how to use it, find all the artwork files and figure out how to manipulate those, as well as get everything ready on the website (www.madgringo.com). Now things are looking really good.
So if you get a chance, check it out. There is probably someone out there you know that is...
"...pissed about the traffic. The stress. The ties you have to wear. He's telling you to chuck it all and go sleep on a beach in Mexico. Or Brazil. Make a compromise. Refuse to be a corporate robot. Wear a tropical shirt now and then. Vow to watch more sunsets. And if you can't go slow, at least go slower. Whatever you do, don't ignore your Mad Gringo. He just might do something crazy."
That someone probably needs a shirt or two that appeals to their inner Gringo.
