2019 Gumbo final - Book - Page 83
Garage for Clothes
If you’re looking for an oil change from a man
named Tim, you’re about to be sorely disappointed.
If you’re looking for an oil change from a man named Tim, you’re about to
be sorely disappointed.
Brad Jensen, owner of Tim’s Garage, is a creator of clothing and designs
anyone can appreciate. From vintage-inspired LSU gear to Illuminati-esque
logo prints, this boutique has a t-shirt for any Baton Rouge resident.
Tim’s Garage is Jensen’s brainchild, a culmination of his projects all the
way from his college career to now. The store carries all seven of his
brands, and even allows Jensen to support other local businesses and
stock their merchandise as well. Essentially, the store can be whatever he
wants it to be.
The LSU alumnus said his interest in fashion spawned from his love of
BMX. As a kid growing up in the small town of Haughton, Louisiana, he
had little exposure to the world of art and design. BMX opened that door
for him.
“I spent most of my time in between the races going to t-shirt vendors,”
he said. “When I was in high school, I got into that. That really sparked my
interest in design.”
Once it came time for college, Jensen decided to turn that interest into
a career. While pursuing his degree in graphic design, he started his first
t-shirt brand, Icon. He worked at a printing shop, learned to print his own
shirts, and began
producing merchandise.
Though his career began in BMX, the designer slowly began to expand
into more universal designs after a friend wanted a shirt, but didn’t ride
bikes.
Jensen decided then that if he ever owned a boutique, that would be the
name. Now, the eccentric namesake sparks a fair dose of curiosity, but
also allows the owner to make the business whatever he wants it to be.
“It’s like your garage in your house,” he said. “You find a little bit of
everything in it. I thought that the theme of that would allow me to have a
lot of
flexibility.”
Now, Jensen uses that flexibility to his advantage. He doesn’t just
produce one type of design. Instead, his brands draw from a plethora of
inspirations, especially vintage aesthetics.
“Design that was produced in the 1950’s or 60s when the printing process
was a little bit more crude and the capabilities of the production were
limited,” he said. “I think that has translated into my eye for design.”
In the future, the designer wants to use his involvement in the small
business community to help rebuild Mid-City and encourage more people
to appreciate what it’s becoming, especially students at the University.
“I want to help drive more people to this area,” he said. “It’s all about being
part of a business culture that can help reshape this area that is yearning
for it.”
New designs and upcoming events can be found on Tim’s Garage
Instagram account, @timsgaragebr. Current stock can be found at www.
timsgaragebr.com.
“I started thinking about my brand,” he said, “Kind of simultaneously,
I learned about street art and turned my Icon t-shirt brand into an art
moniker.”
In 2009, Jensen opened up an art gallery called Bricks and Bombs. He
used the space to more formally display his own art, as well as feature
other local artists’ work and build the community around creativity.
Story // Masie O’Toole
Photo // Bella Biondini
Design // Chloe Bryars
He began making shirts as merchandise to promote the gallery, and
soon enough, the gallery became a clothing brand itself. From there, his
collection of designs only grew. The gallery evolved into a retail space,
and in October 2017, Jensen moved to his current location and decided to
rebrand. Now, we have Tim’s Garage.
Though the name may seem bizarre, it’s actually been a long time coming.
In high school, a friend of Jensen’s always showed up with unique clothing
uncommon to small town Louisiana. They were hand-me-downs from a
friend. Every time Jensen would ask where he got something, he got the
same
response — “From Tim’s garage.”
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