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Hi my name is Dean, Yes... THE Dean. Instead of the usual loud and disruptive antics I wanted to tell you a story of what 8THWNDR means to me. I remember when I had first modeled for 8THWNDR . My hair was wacky and long, I was so overweight - I was practically popping out of the skinny jeans (that I had no business wearing in the first place).
I was extremely self conscious but, when I put on the red roses t-shirt I felt empowered. It was that very moment, I knew no one else in our small town was doing anything (remotely) close to this. It was one of the first times I felt freedom, I felt my adolescence and I was able to embrace my youth and creativity. This is a side of me that often shuts down as I grow up.
You may find this hard to believe, but kids in schools would ridicule me for wearing 8THWNDR. They would tell me things like “8THWNDR isn’t tough” and “It’s just unrealistic.”
I didn’t care though - I never felt insecure when people said these things, truthfully - I just felt sorry for them. You know the saying…they couldn’t see the vision. They were too stuck in a small-town point of view, doing what they were told, and keeping up with the joneses, instead of chasing dreams.
I recall one very specific night, Sal had at least 10-15 people over for fulfillment. This was toward the beginning of 8THWNDR gaining popularity. I got a chance to see the actual number of packages we were putting out… And in every single order I packed, I hoped that the customer had the same feeling I felt when I put on that red roses t-shirt.
Even after hours of hard work packing orders, I realized I wasn’t even tired. I was just excited to see 8THWNDR make an impact on kids all over the world. I could’ve packed another few thousand…Something about it all reminded me there thousands of people all over the world who did not want to follow the status quo - and that was inspiring.
Over the years of 8THWNDR, you may have seen me in commercials and videos, but I never understood my true purpose in this brand. I always reduced myself to “the funny guy” - And don’t get me wrong, I love making people laugh - but I think I wanted to make a bigger impact.
And of course, I would do my fair share when it came to packing orders, but I suppose that was expected of me to a certain point. But, as of lately I’ve been going through changes of my own and I think I have found where my place is in this company. Perhaps it is to tell the story of 8THWNDR. This month is very important to me because I was offered an internship as an 8THWNDR copywriter and found my purpose in the brand. April is an important month for me because I am more than excited to embark on a new journey for 8THWNDR. I hope you all are just excited as I am for the month of April and the years to come.
As I am writing this we actually just finished the April lookbook…and let me tell you - this drop blew me away. The graphic tees have never felt so comfortable and the artwork is remarkable.
And don’t forget to mention the astonishing quality of the french terry long sleeve. That jawn was cozy. This time around I wasn’t wearing skinny jeans that I couldn’t fit in, I was slipping quite comfortably in the brand new 8THWNDR contrast stitch work-pants. I felt so goddamn fresh.. The feeling of adolescence and creativity never went away; they've only grown stronger.
- Dean Diaz, Copywriting Intern
