Denim shorts are a summer staple. And customized jean shorts are the hottest trend this season since we know that day after day after day of ? plain jean shorts can get a little boring. When we saw a friend of ours, MC, had take our summer uniform of ? denim shorts to a new level, we knew we had to get the scoop and share it with you. ? Not only had she created her own shorts, she had started a business since all of her friends wanted their own jean shorts too! MC lives in paradise, otherwise known as the panhandle of Florida. ? If you've ever been there, you know what we mean: powdery white sand, crystal clear aqua blue waters, and sunshine 365 days of the year. These photos were probably taken in her backyard, lucky girl! So she knows her jean shorts since she can wear them most of the year... and she knows how to customize them. ? Here's her story... and if you'd like your own customized jean shorts by Denimc, contact her by email at cunningham.mcc [at] gmail.com.
Always has: A ponytail holder and a guitar pic. Lately the aroma of bleach, too.
Proudest of: My knowledge of the Na’vi (that’s right, Avatar) language.
Is thankful for: Electricity, cleanliness, and my family.
Is afraid of: Failure. And spiders.
Believes everyone should: not criticize what they themselves have not perfected.
Is embarrassed by: The fact that I genuinely had fun memorizing 500 digits of pi.
My style is: tucked in shirts, black nike socks, Denimc shorts, and a side ponytail. I also try to wear a blazer whenever possible.
Pet peeve: High season traffic on 30A.
What inspired you to start Denimc, and how is it pronounced? ? I was inspired to start Denimc after browsing Pinterest one day and stumbling upon a pair of bleached jean shorts. I thought they looked cool enough, but I wanted to make them better. After I posted a picture of the first shorts I made and got such positive feedback, I decided to start selling them!? It's funny you should ask, the pronunciation is my most frequently asked question. It is pronounced denim-see, kind of a combination of the word denim and my name.
Is it hard to keep up with school and Denimc? It is very hard! Since I’m only in the early stages of Denimc now, I’m all about finding a spot between school, sports, extracurricular, family, and friends for Denimc. I’m learning quickly that I need to be have exceptional time management skills and that I need to learn how to effectively prioritize.
Do you make everything by hand by yourself? Dyeing and printing? Yes, everything by Denimc is 100% made by MC Cunningham! I buy, bleach, and design the jeans.
We have an idea for a pair of pants, do you do custom work? I do in fact do custom work! Upon request, I will also make an entirely unique design for a pair of shorts that no one else will ever have.
How do you decide what patterns will work? To decide which patterns work, I design a few patterns on paper, poll my friends on which styles are their favorites, put them onto shorts, put pictures of those shorts onto instagram, facebook, and pinterest and observe which styles get the best feedback (in terms of likes, numbers of repins, etc.). Thankfully I haven’t had to cut a style yet!
Are the patterns across the front and the back? There is always a big pattern on the front, and on the back I put a smaller pattern (or sometimes just part of the pattern) onto each of the back pockets. This keeps the shorts consistent but not too overwhelming.
Can I wash and dry my pants and will the patterns stay the same after I do? You sure can and I encourage you too! I started out with sharpie, which can and will bleed over time. When people started to order the jeans I switched to fabric paint which is permanent. If any paint does come off however, I am happy to refund the customer or make them an entirely new pair of shorts.
What are your business goals? My goal as of right now is to sell enough shorts to get my own manufacturer. I also need a logo if there are any graphic designers interested in helping me with it!
Where do you currently sell your pants? All of my business is done via my macbook air and snail mail. I don’t have them in a store for now. If you were to order a pair today, we would either have to schedule a time to meet up or exchange money for shorts through the post office.
Do you plan to expand into t-shirts or other clothing items, or stay focused on your unique niche? I will probably stay within denim products as long as my company name is Denimc, but I think i would be cool to design denim button down shirts similar to the shorts I’m already selling! I’m not against designing other clothes, but shorts are already a handful for me.
What other interests do you have? Aside from Denimc, I love playing string instruments, playing basketball, and watching Kentucky basketball. I like to put art on things that wouldn’t usually have it, and I love songwriting! My biggest interest is to find a way to be different from the norm in every aspect of my life.
Congrats on the amazing success of your business, MC, and post some new styles of denim shorts to our Facebook page when you create them!