By Jacob Engels
One of the first articles we published on the East Orlando Post was about a UCF student fleeing Central Florida to stay in a communal sustainable living community in Canada. Jordan Lejuwann, one of the other residents of Valhalla, caught my attention with his new project RaveNectar. RaveNectar is an upstart clothing outfit that produces t-shirts that are made using sublimation printing. They are uniquely fascinating and trippy (in a good way) and I was able to chat with him last week about how RaveNectar came about.
Below is my Q&A with Jordan —
Where did the idea for RaveNectar come from and what’s is its goal?
1) Invoke the human sense of wonder through breathtaking clothing
We use a new type of printing called ‘Sublimation’ that allows us to print ALL over shirts in stupidly vibrant colors. This is how you’ve always wished your shirts would look.
2) Support independent artists!
All of our designs come from independent artists from around the world. Each artist keeps 20% of the price of the shirt. This is wearable art.
We provide an avenue for artists to be rewarded and appreciated for their work who would otherwise have a tough time finding paying customers. That way they can keep making this world more beautiful without worrying about having the cash to do it.
Explain why your t-shirts are different from other t-shirts?
I think anyone who sees one of these shirts knows why they’re different from other shirts. They are pieces of ART you can wear on your body. They’re colorful, vibrant and obnoxious that people cannot help but stare. They bring clothing to a new level of expression.
How do you come up with the designs? Can someone submit a design?
All of the designs come from independent artists around the web. I found them via portfolio websites like DeviantArt and proposed the idea to them. I’m not quite talented enough yet with art to make designs like the ones on RaveNectar shirts, but I’m working on a few 🙂
I noticed you have a kickstarter campaign. How has the response on there and in general for the idea been so far?
The response has been fantastic. At this moment, we’ve been pledged over $32,000 in just 14 days. People love these shirts because they’re unlike anything they’ve seen before. Everyone seems to love at least one of the designs.
How long do you think it will be before you can start to produce, sell, and ship the shirts on a larger scale?
The current ETA is June, but that depends on how long it takes for the printer to ship from Germany. At that point, it’s just a matter of ordering more and more printers to keep up with demand. But even one of these printers can handle a fairly large volume of shirts. The sky is the limit.
What can we look forward to seeing down the road from RaveNectar?
In terms of apparel, the immediate goals are in the following order: tank tops/v-necks, crop-tops/dresses, hoodies, hats.
The ultimate goal for RaveNectar is to sponsor and eventually host music festivals. But in true RaveNectar fashion, these festivals will be unlike any other festival. I want to create truly communal experiences to create an almost tangible sense of oneness amongst the event-goers. I won’t reveal everything I have in mind just yet, but know they will be mind-blowing 🙂
To learn more about RaveNectar, click here.
Jacob Engels, is the Founder of East Orlando Post. Along with the Post, he owns several other businesses and is currently enrolled at Valencia College. Jacob has lived in Avalon Park since it’s founding and enjoys playing with his black Labradoodle Jasper, listening to indie rock, and seeking out new business ventures. He can be reached at info@eastorlandopost.com
