Make way for student businesses! Lamant is the new clothing brand that is taking Dedham by storm. The brand, started by DHS students Alex Torres, Danny Caba and Lamar Brookins, features original designs on a variety of different colored t-shirts.

The trio first formed in Mr. Willey’s App Programming class, where they were introduced to the world of graphic design. According to the brand's founders, Brookins walked into class one day and declared, “I want to start a business!” This led to the group talking about ideas, ultimately settling on a clothing brand.

Once the boys had decided on the name of the brand, which is a combination of Torres' initials and Brookins' name, the boys went about determining how to actually create their products. While in App Programming class, they learned how to illustrate and use Photoshop by creating characters for a game they were designing. They started making their first designs in October of this school year.

Prior to meeting Brookins and Caba in App Programming, Torres had an interest in art and design, and says that their inspiration for many of their designs come from their own experiences and conversations. For example, one of their newest designs, the lion (seen at the bottom left), came from a conversation between Torres and Brookins about spirit animals. While Torres is one of the main illustrators of the group, Caba, who transferred to DHS last year, is responsible for getting Torres' vision onto the computer.

Using their own money, the boys began researching how to obtain the resources they needed to get their designs onto clothing. “It’s one of the most overlooked parts,'' Torres says. "You can put anything on a shirt, but we needed to evaluate resources and know what we were doing.”

Today, the boys are working on creating an operational Lamant website and Instagram account for publicity. Their Instagram page posts regular updates on their new products. Students are now approaching the young entrepreneurs to talk about the clothing and what’s next for the Lamant brand.

While the boys have come along way with this endeavor, they admit that they are still in the process of learning how to run a business. One of their biggest challenges is meeting-up to discuss ideas because of conflicting schedules.

While there are already a wide assortment of designs, the brand is only getting bigger and more creative with new options and themes in the works. In the near future, the boys want to have, as Caba describes it, a “flavor of the month” with seasonal designs and different themes, such as their newest jungle theme. While they work on their business, they are also hoping to inspire and help other students start their own businesses.

Caroline Goggin, Class of 2020, is the editor-in-chief of the Dedham Mirror. She is also a Marauder cheerleader and tennis player. Outside of school, Caroline loves to hang out with her friends and listen to music. She works as a camp counselor in the summer.