The idea behind Just Be is that it is a state of mind, way of life, and a philosophy. Just Be is a line of apparel and accessories not meant to inspire…but to Just Be. Just Be gear allows people to express how they feel or how they would like to feel.

The Idea

I was teaching at a local art college and the students were creating t-shirts as a class project. I found a local silkscreening company who had a digital t-shirt printer to print the student's shirts for them. Not only did he print the shirts for them, but he also gave the students a personal tour of his facilities. I formed a pretty good relationship with the owner of the company and one day he asked me if I ever had any design ideas for t-shirts. Well, I don't even remember driving home that day! My mind was racing and that's when the Just Be idea popped into my head. A few weeks later I showed him my designs for a few of the Just Be shirts. He loved them and it’s been non-stop ever since.

The Community

The Just Be community is a place online where not just tweeners, teenagers and twenty-somethings can hang out, but their parents as well. Just Be products speak to a wide range of ages and from kids to adults.

What sets Just Be apparel and accessories apart from other gear is that it is built around an online community for people to share how they Just Be. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are used, along with a customized website and blog. People share and show how they Just Be by uploading photos and videos to the blog and the other social networking sites.

The Just Be community and gear allows people to be who they want to be or would like to be. They can show the world that it’s terrific being just who they are by wearing Just Be gear and sharing their Just Be stories online. So, even if you’re a geek, a nerd, a jock, a bookworm, a punk, a sk8r or anywhere in between, there will be a Just Be shirt for them.

This Just Be community allows the consumer to interact and participate in the creation of Just Be gear. I welcome people to suggest sayings they would like to see on Just Be gear. These suggestions either come in person when I’m out at events or online through the website. When I tell someone they have a great idea and that it may one day become a Just Be product, you can feel and see their excitement.

Look Who’s Wearing Just Be Tees

Just Be tees were featured in the Oscars gift bags given to celebrities at the Academy Awards in February 2009. From that event, Just Be organic tees were specifically asked for to be featured in Closet Cyclers, a new documentary focusing on Hollywood, celebrities and green products for a better environment. The celebrities, such as Mycole Metcalf, Jenny McCarthy, Kate Winslet and Daryl Hannah (just to name a few), will be wearing the tees during the filming of the documentary.

Just Be was also selected to be featured in the official Sport Emmy Awards gift bags given to all the attendees at the awards ceremony in April 2009. These gift bags were the official bags sanctioned by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Just Be was selected to participate in “Back to School Celebrity Kids Gift Bags”, which included some of the most hip, useful and fun back to school items. These gift bags went to some of the hottest celebrities’ kids, such as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Faith Hill, Will Smith, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mark Wahlberg, Gweneth Paltrow, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, and David and Victoria Beckham.

In response to receiving a gift bag, Just Be received a personal thank you note from Coco Arquette, daughter of Courtney Cox and David Arquette.

The Design

Each Just Be item has its own Just Be saying--be beautiful, be organic, be flirty, be sweet, be cool, be green, be punk, be a sk8r, be natural, etc. Some of the sayings are paired with large illustrations inspired by a vintage poster designs or styles from the 1920s to the 1980s--from art deco to pop art to punk.

There is apparel for the whole family--men, women, kids and infants. The line is also quickly expanding to include accessories like bibs, bags and other products.

Live Life &…Just Be