Alumni Story: From T-Shirts to Entrepreneurship

What began as a way to make money during college by producing T-shirts for fraternities and sororities turned into a full-fledged business once word spread. Brian brought fellow LJCDS lifer JT Levin ’03 (at the University of Missouri) on board, and Duds by Dudes was born. Brian and JT met the demand for shirts across both their college campuses and other colleges across the country in the Greek system and by fulfilling orders for sports teams and student organizations. 

Duds by Dudes continued to grow after the entrepreneurs graduated from college. They found a niche custom printing for area schools and Little League Baseball teams. Nearly 20 years later, Brian is at the helm of a business that has become an industry leader and now provides custom printing, embroidery and promotional products to major organizations, including the NFL, the NBA, the MLB, Google, Netflix, Disney, Tesla, Audi and Qualcomm.

When the pandemic hit, Duds by Dudes quickly switched gears, becoming one of the first businesses to develop an extensive product line of face masks in bulk. That nimbleness proved imperative, as the shift made up for the business from schools and teams that fizzled in the wake of the pandemic.

Brian finds being connected and tied into San Diego schools the most rewarding aspect of his work. He loves that Duds by Dudes keeps him involved in the community and interacting with people. Brian credits his experiences as a student at LJCDS with helping him negotiate in business, as well as navigate his work on school campuses daily. “I learned the power of networking at LJCDS,” he shares. “I built a very strong network there with both my peers and teachers that I still use almost daily, both personally and professionally. I think the focus on what was happening outside of the classroom just as much as inside the classroom is what really fuels that strong network today.”

Duds by Dudes proudly provides LJCDS’ PE uniforms and apparel and swag for athletics, the alumni office and more. In addition, Duds by Dudes has serviced at least 50 Torrey alumni—a true testament to the everlasting nature of the LJCDS alumni community.