Not many twenty-year-olds can say they have their own LLC. Sprai Apparel began two years ago in a basement with nothing but paper cut outs, an airbrush and a whole lot of passion.
Grayden Roper, CSU sophomore, the drive behind Sprai Apparel, started his company from a “severe love” of street art. This love translated into drawings and graphics with a street art feel. Street art then transformed into street wear when Roper began putting these graphics on T-shirts.
As the T-shirts gained attention, Roper decided to go full force and created his company Sprai Apparel. One-of-a-kind t-shirts that Roper himself designs the graphics for and creates the prototypes.
At the start of his college career, Roper considered pursuing a degree in graphic design. But since making his graphics into t-shirts, his love for designing grew to include apparel. This new love for apparel led him to pursue a degree in Apparel Design, and Production.
With college came new opportunities to spread his brand. Roper came to school with about 25 one-of-a-kind T-shirts that he quickly sold to students around the dorms. Sprai Apparel took off and what better place to spread his company than a college campus.
The company has without a doubt taken off. You have probably seen stickers and T-shirts sporting the Sprai logo across campus. If not around campus, you may have seen the Sprai merchandise at Market Skateboards in downtown Fort Collins or Sol Skateboards in Longmont. For those who haven’t been lucky enough to see any Sprai, you can visit the company’s website www.spraiapparel.com.
Now working on his fourth line, Roper is looking ahead at what the future holds for his company. “Someone told me not to give on my dream. I can’t see myself ever quitting; it has become a true passion. I lose sleep over it,” Roper said.
Expanding beyond T-shirts into hoodies, hats and female apparel is where Roper would like to see Sprai go. And even further, expanding to cut and sew outerwear and street wear. To help take the company to this next level Sprai Apparel will launch a project on Kickstarter at the start of spring semester.
Show your support until then by visiting the Sprai Apparel website where you can order your own Sprai T-shirt. An added bonus, there will be a holiday sale in November. Everything on the website will be under $20 and shipping is free. So check it out and help spread the word about this up and coming company.
College Avenue reporter Nicole Leicht can be reached at collegeavenue@collegian.com
