Sachem Alums Start New Clothing Line

In December, Dan Piampiano and Tom Donohue were at a bar in Patchogue and started talking about fashion trends. A month later their friend and now business partner Ian Crocker got into the conversation and before they knew it they had a name, logo trademarking and the standard elements of a modern start up business in place.

Illustris Clothing Co. specializes in street wear, “that can be worn by anyone from the old school hip hop fiend to the new age skater kid.”

Uniquely, they do not source the art work out to other designers. Piampiano and Donohue take care of the grunt work themselves.

“We project a certain kind of minimalism and class, while remaining true to our roots as a street wear brand,” said Piampiano.

All tee-shirts are designed and printed on Long Island and the company’s founders said their prices are competitive compared to other big name street brand outfits.

All three founders attended Sachem schools – Donohue and Crocker graduated from Sachem East in 2007, while Dan graduated from Sachem North the same year.

“We've known each other since we we're 10 years old and have always shared a common sense of style,” said Piampiano.

Their short-team goal was to make some cool shirts for their friends and family, but it has evolved into much more.

“We are working tirelessly to get this brand off the ground, putting in long nights designing shirts and updating our Facebook and Twitter, gaining followers and likes,” Piampiano said.

They’re also working on a website which should be up shortly, a web store, a blog, and they are putting together a live music event in St. James to sponsor in late February with their friends at Show and Tell Recordings.

“In the long term, we hope to branch out a lot more and become a brand recognized by everyone,” Piampiano said.

You can contact Illustris directly at ILLustrisClothingCo@gmail.com. Follow Illustris Clothing Co. via Facebook