If you ever thought learning algebra in high school was pointless, just remember that 18-year-old Pilar Fisher launched her streetwear brand using mathematical theories as her design inspiration.
It all started with a cat named Trips and an algebra test in the ninth grade.
Fisher drew a kitty character on the back of her in-class test, turning an equation into a face. The geometric cat that became the face of Trippy Kitty Co. has squinted eyes (like two negative signs) and a plus sign mouth.
When her friends started loving her fun characters that include Trips, Bob—“he’s a little guy with scythe hands”—The Long Johns and Gort, Fisher decided to start putting her drawings on clothes.
She started with a t-shirt but now offers sweatpants, stickers, socks, underwear and hats. Her biggest sellers are hoodies.
“It’s really I guess bolder than most streetwear or fast fashion is,” Fisher said of her clothing. She calls it a “meet in the middle style,” simple enough for those that don’t like to wear bold styles but also colorful enough for those that like to make a statement.
Since starting the clothing line, sold online at trippykittyco.com, her collection has grown to 23 recognizable characters.
She’s also sold over 300 pieces.
Fisher really knew she had started to make a splash when strangers on social media began sending her photos wearing the gear.
Her first customers were friends in Los Angeles, where she lived until six months ago. When her family relocated to Reno, she had to start generating word of mouth sales again and is still navigating a way into the local arts community. She admits she feels like a bit of an outsider in her new city.
Despite the potential setback, Fisher said, “Since I’ve been in Reno, it’s started to bloom again.”
And she’s not only designing and selling the clothes, she’s also making hand deliveries by customer request.
When she isn’t attending her high school classes or taking classes online at Pierce College in Los Angeles (where she will graduate with her AA in psychology at the same time as getting her high school diploma), Fisher is working on her brand.
Every dollar she makes goes back into the business, and she’s paid for the entire venture on her own, working odd jobs before she had the sales to support her vision.
In addition to designing the clothing and characters, Fisher relies on creative and collaborative marketing strategies to generate buzz. She says before looking for a professional to complete a task, she finds someone with passion but perhaps less experience to give them a chance. Fisher works with middle school, high school and college students to create the art, and others to write scripts for her ads or take videos. Even the models who stand in front of the camera are typically novices.
“I always push people who haven’t done it before to be the first in line,” Fisher said. “I’ve met a lot of people I can now call friends afterward.”
And Fisher has begun to incorporate her other passion, music, into the brand, too, using instrumentals created by her in the advertisements.
She also incorporates themes from her life, including Chicano culture and her dad’s goofy sense of humor.
So, what’s her goal with Trippy Kitty Co?
“To get as big as possible so that I can freaking get as many new people trying out new things as possible,” she said.
With high school finishing, Fisher is set up with an internship at Butterfly Creative Projects, a marketing firm in Nevada, and the owner has promised to help Fisher with her brand.
She’s hoping the efforts will help her find her footing in her new hometown. “I haven’t really been introduced into a lot of the creative community yet,” she said of living in Reno. “It’s just really, really different [here].”
If you want to order some gear, head to the website.
If you want to learn more about Trippy Kitty, follow along on social @trippy_kitty.co
If you’re interested in discovering Fisher’s musical talents, something she describes as Lauryn Hill neo-soul and jazz meets the hip-hop stylings of Childish Gambino, head to @athen._._
