Today we’d like to introduce you to Karla Rivers Johnson.
Karla, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started off as a game designer in college and in the midst of those courses, I took a graphic design class and instantly fell in love. I quickly switched majors and shortly after, my dad gave me my first gig designing shirts for his fraternity’s centennial. Seeing the people’s reactions to my designs was the best feeling ever. A year after graduating, in October of 2016, I came up with an idea to create my own shirt brand. I wanted to create something that people could relate to and feel proud of wearing. I wanted to do something I’m passionate about — giving people a voice through my art.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not. Starting off was so tough trying to get people to recognize my brand. There were times I’d go days, MONTHS even, without getting a single sale. There were times where I was down to just a few bucks in my business account because I’m trying all of these different things to market myself and I was failing. And then there was my fight with postpartum depression, which almost took away my desire to do shirts anymore. But I kept pressing on and didn’t give up, and now I’m consistently getting orders everyday.
Please tell us about The KRIVE Shop.
When it comes to The KRIVE Shop, our shirts are a whole mood. The shirts are made with the people in mind. So whether you’re feeling goofy, political, wanting to raise awareness or proud of the skin you’re in, we have a shirt for you.
I’m most proud of the reactions that we’ve gotten from our shirts. There are many people out there that really relate to what I design and that’s the most rewarding thing about my brand. What sets us apart from others is that 99% of our shirt sayings and designs are unique to our brand. I work hard to make sure that there aren’t other brands doing the same shirts we’re doing. I wanted people to look out our shirts and say, “that’s a KRIVE Shop shirt.”
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I don’t have one specific memory, but have you ever been to Chicago during the summer? It’s a whole vibe. The BBQs, sitting out on the porch without a care in the world as it rains, riding my bike around the neighborhood while my father rollerblades next to my brother and me, and my mom taking me to the Art Institute for art classes.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thekriveshop.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thekriveshop
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thekriveshop
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