Two and a half years ago WereNotReallyFree also known as Free At Last was just an idea. One year later Free At Last officially joined Instagram. After a year and a half Free At Last went from zero Instagram followers to almost a thousand followers and have released numerous clothing drops.
The founder of Free At Last is Andrew M. Gaona who is in charge of design and is involved with everything that runs through the business. Although Gaona is handling a lot of work, he does have help. Next is co-owner and co-designer Shayne Vision who helps with designs and brainstorming for the next drop.
Gaona states, “Shayne and I are both owners of Free at Last. We both curate the garments, posts, and designs! Though Free at Last was thought of by me, I was more than happy to bring Shayne on as co-owner of Free at Last!”
Shayne’s involvement in the company came as their friendship developed through gaming. As their friendship grew, they began to share their ideas about starting a clothing brand. As they all became serious about their new adventure, they decided they needed to get Shayne to California.
“Ultimately the brand was started by us moving me across the country from my home town in New Hampshire to the Bay Area. We drove across the country. Andrew and I had always had a creative and collaborative friendship, even with the distance,” stated Vision. They knew with Vision being closer their ideas and dreams could become a reality.
Free At Last’s final partner is Eric Ozburn, head photographer. Ozburn has been the photographer for Free At Last since the beginning. Gaona and Ozburn have had a friendship for over 15 years.
Ozburn shares, “In the beginning it was more of just a hobby. I didn’t think much of it but fast forwarding to now, they have relied on me for more than just casual photos and it has become more about creating images that really show off their amazing art work.”
Who is mass producing the designs for the next drop? All three of them are! As of right now this upcoming business is just three 25 year olds trying to live out their dream. Each drop the guys cut, sew, iron, stitch, and paint all of the garments for each drop and do it again the next time. It should be noted that all of this work is done in their three bedroom apartment.
Gaona explains, “We’ve faced plenty of challenges along the way because of the fact we built this from the ground up. We cut, sew and print in house, so learning all of these traits, as well as becoming a business, has been quite a challenge. Even to this day!”
Supporting small businesses has become more of a trend since the pandemic in 2020. Knowing where and how these clothes are being made, makes it easier for the consumer to buy their product and support their brand.
Free At Last is mainly advertised through Instagram, but does appear on Facebook when a new drop releases. The amount of success they’re bringing in just from Instagram alone, is just the tip of the iceberg for this young group. Just because they are popular on Instagram doesn’t mean you won’t find them on other social media outlets like TikTok and Discord.
This up and coming brand has just finished up a pop up shop on Sunday, December 15, 2022. This was their first pop up shop that they were involved in and hope it provides positive exposure for the brand. Pop up shops seem to be becoming more and more popular by the day. Pop up shops can occur at malls, flea markets, farmers markets, night markets, and even barbershops.
So what is next for this brand and its young owners? “We want to build a community around this brand. A huge goal has been to collaborate with other artists as well. We’ve worked with some super talented friends. We love to follow an artist’s creative vision and commission people we truly admire,” Gaona stated.
“We’re going to keep reaching to create beyond our limits and producing pieces that will live in your closet for a lifetime. We’ve always had big dreams for this from the start,” Gaona states as he visualizes what is in store for this up and coming brand.
These three young men are making sacrifices and taking risks to make their dreams come true, as they have chosen to be free to dream and create, and live by their name Free at Last!
