A clothing line with a storyline
by Matthew Harrington
It is not enough in the current economy to have a successful business with repeat patronage. Rather, it is also important to have a business that is unique, has a following and leaves the customer wanting more.
For 22-year old-old Stanislaus County resident, Luis Castillo has discovered that unique combination of having merchandise his customers want and being able to drum up repeat business.
The son of Mexican immigrants, Castillo’s parents encouraged him to seek higher levels.
“My parents always said I should go to college but they wanted me to go for business administration. Mostly for the reason that they own a business and that’s how they made their living,” Castillo said. “I liked business but I loved art and design even more.
” It was as a junior in high school that Castillo had the chance to meet teacher Tina Collier who helped him compete in a program called Skills USA, where he won medals for his graphic designs.
“I gave it a try and actually won best designer in the Central Valley. Then I got to go to Kansas City, Missouri to compete at the national level.” Castillo said. “It was amazing, I loved it. She told me that I was good and could make a lot of money doing design.
” After seeing how successful he could be at graphic design, Castillo enrolled at DeVry University, where he received a degree in multimedia design. And before he graduated from his program, he was able to obtain a job as a designer at Kaneshige Design Associates.
It was while working for Kaneshige, that Castillo found he had the desire to be his own boss.
“I was getting tired of doing the same pamphlets for companies or logos. I wanted something to call my own. I didn’t just want to be a designer, I wanted to create my own character and products,” Castillo said. “I wanted to inspire people with my art, by telling stories.
After a year of working for Kaneshige as a graphic designer, Castillo quit his job and started his own company with the help of his business partner George Dulos.
It was shortly thereafter that Bestia Story was born. It is a clothing line with a story line that has snippets of the story printed on each article of clothing.
“Basically we tell a story through shirts. Imagine a kid’s book with text on one page and a picture on the other,” Castillo said. “Now take the picture out and put it on a shirt. My goal is to not only make shirts but to entertain you with a story. I want to show you a different and amazing world, where Bestia, the main character, lives.
” With his business up and running, Castillo has begun working with the community. He is involved with the Peer Recovery Art Project gallery and also tutors students at Valley Charter High School in graphic design.
For more information about Castillo and Bestia Story, for more information visit www.bestiastory.com |
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