Our story
I’m low key. I like good design and well-made things. When I find something I like, I stick with it. I don’t need or want change all the time. I want dependability. I want simple things executed well.
I can sum up what I want in one word: consistency.
I started this company because the clothing industry was built on change. Every time I shopped, it felt like starting over. It was unnecessary. I viewed it as a fixable problem.
For me, getting dressed each morning set the tone for the day. I didn’t want highs and lows. I wanted a neutral experience, my expectations met.
Maybe a company that focused on consistency existed, but I didn’t know about it. If it had, I would not have started a clothing company.
After 20 years, I still don’t know of a company that does, or wants to do, what we do.
The early years
In 2000, I moved to New York after college to start Todd Shelton.
There were things about clothing I cared about more than normal.
I worked for a fashion brand during the day and enrolled in night classes at Parsons School of Design.
After three years, I released my first product: a long-sleeve t-shirt. It introduced a new concept: in-between sizes. I was between Small and Medium, and I knew many men were between Medium and Large, or Large and XL.
I wanted to sell directly to people, not stores, so I set up at street markets in Soho on weekends. We still have customers from those days.
In 2007, I built the first version of toddshelton.com and stopped selling on the streets.
By 2009, I was making five products in small factories across four states. I had around $75,000 in online sales. It was enough to leave my day job.
