Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stoney Love. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Stoney, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

For starters, every design we create comes from within. Our ideas come from the heart first that way if it doesn’t resonate with the masses, we’ll always love it. Everyone won’t always like your art, and sometimes they’ll love it later. We’ve had plenty of designs that didn’t do so well when released but became a huge success years down the line. It’s about creating timeless classics and our philosophy is to start from the heart. Our ‘Yup, Still Gay’ design was the first one created in which it derived from a question asked by our founders’ mother. Her reply was verbatim to the design and it was at that point that she decided to create apparel with the response. To this day, that remains our best seller!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Our founder Stoney Michelli Love got into the business by following her love for art and using it to fill a void in the apparel industry. In 2008, her frustration with department stores being divided by gender, clothes being made for only two genders, and the lack of size range in apparel led her to start a Gender & Size Free brand! She would go on to grow Stuzo, a brand that creates for and celebrates all body types, but most importantly all humans! The brand reflects the beliefs of the founders’ view of life and everything in it. It focuses on design and inclusivity, that way consumers can bring out their own individual styles. We’re very proud of how much the brand has grown in the last 16 years! We’ve assisted folks to come out to their loved ones, have pride for their culture(s), and most importantly be proud of who they are and were born to be via fashion! For us, no amount of money or accolades could ever compare.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

We started out manufacturing our designs through screen printing, a process we still use today! Stoney moved from New York to Los Angeles in 2010 to a two bedroom apartment and bought a four head silk screen press. She worked as a screen preparer at a print shop by day, learning all there was to know about preparing screens and printing on garments. While the physical pay was super subpar, the knowledge she received was priceless. She would use trial and error, with the ill equipped shop she created in her secondary bedroom, to learn how to successfully produce a screen and print on a t-shirt. After months, success was had and the ball was rolling on production. She’d go on to producing her own printed t-shirts for years and several events. She learned that the screen is the heart of the process, without it there is no outcome. Taking that position showed her the value she brought to the shop while simultaneously building the foundation for her global empire. Seeing the hand created designs on humans worldwide continues to be the biggest payout we’ve ever received! We have fortunately reached a point where we can outsource our printing, however it will always be our labor of love.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

We believe in simply being our authentic selves has built and sustained our reputation in the market. Consumers can sense when a brand is being authentic or just out to make money. We’ve grown in front of our customers, shared our stories and remained relatable to our fellow humans. That to us is what makes a long lasting brand.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: stuzoclothing
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stuzoclothing
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stoney-michelli-love-72a78657/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GQACLOTHING

Image Credits

Mariya Stangl
Molly Adams
El Von Images