R-JENERATION: Students start own clothing line to help pay for college

Taking the initiative to help cushion the blow of college expenses, two Las Vegas teens have started their own clothing line of graphic T-shirts and hoodies.

"Initiative Apparel is a product of many long hours and hard work," co-founder Bryan Warner said.

Christian Murray, the other co-founder, said the business offers "clothing we know people will love."

Warner, a senior at Palo Verde High School, and Murray, a sophomore at College of Southern Nevada, spent last summer hunting for scholarships and realized that writing scholarship essays was something that they did not want to do. They got together and created Initiative Apparel, a business they are funding on their own.

"The name came from exactly what we are doing," Murray said. "Taking (the) initiative and doing something out of the ordinary and providing opportunities."

After two months of running the numbers and figuring out how to make everything work, they launched the brand.

"One of the scariest times in my life was telling my dad I wanted to start a business," Warner said. "I had to go to him with it all planned out first."

Warner and Murray started the venture by designing shirts on a computer program with just the brand's logo.

"We just got our own screen printing machine, so we hope to start pumping shirts out quick," Murray said.

The screen printing machine was purchased with the money they earned from the first batch of shirts, which were printed by another company.

They are now selling unisex hoodies and hope to expand in the spring with tank tops and girls' shorts. They will donate 10 percent of every item sold to create a "Take Control" scholarship for the class of 2013.

"The requirements are still in the works, but we can tell you it will involve an essay written about how the individual took control or 'initiative' in their education like we did," Warner said.

The business has grown by word of mouth and through social media such as Twitter and Facebook. Murray and Warner have a street team, which consists of teens from several high schools who help get the word out at their schools. Currently, they have reps at Bonanza, Sierra Vista, Spring Valley and Palo Verde high schools.

"We have been selling pretty much out of a back of a car, and we sold some at First Friday and Vegas StrEATS," Warner said.

Their targeted customer is anyone who wears streetwear from ages 15 to 24.

Not only is the venture helping pay for college, it also is teaching the young entrepreneurs a lesson. They both spend about three hours a night working on the business.

"It teaches me a lot about respect and time management," Warner said. "I have a job as an indoor soccer coach. (With) school and running this brand, it is a lot of work."

Warner and Murray plan to attend University of Nevada, Reno together and continue with the business.

Murray wants to study biomed/biochem engineering, and Warner would like to pursue a double major in business management and business administration.

Currently, the partners are spending about $300 for every set of shirts they make. They are always looking for more ways to expand the brand. They're also creating custom-made shirts. They can print three colors per shirt and up to 100 shirts with advance orders.

Warner and Murray not only sell clothes, but they make mixtapes, too. Their first one is expected to come out by summer.

"We believe music is a big part of our demographic, and we want to give people a good mixtape for the summer," Warner said.