Les gens d’abord.
People come first.
TRPKL STORM is the culmination of an individual’s quest to address the world’s humanitarian issues meeting his intrigue for art, expression and design. Our Founder, Shamar E. Gaskin, is multi-faceted in his approach. This chapter is best summarised as philanthropy through storytelling and fashion.
Shamar was largely inspired to delve into the world of fashion by his best friend, Taydra Fahie, who first launched her own apparel brand, Taysdaze, and has since established her own system of giving through the Taizdaze Charity. She has also established the boutique brand Building An Empire (BAE) and continues to expand her horizon.
TRPKL STORM was born neither to directly collaborate nor to compete. Shamar quite simply wanted to personally explore the immense world of fashion he felt an undying need to pay attention to, with a desire to innovate at any level of his process. Further to this, Shamar enjoyed the design elements of both luxury and streetwear fashion and is set on executing the best of both worlds.
While Shamar was a student in early 2017, TRPKL STORM had its start by way of prototype designs being posted to the official social media pages as an experimental digital showcase. This was seen as a great way to combine market research with early promotion. He knew there was a steep learning curve and several thousands of hours of hard work ahead. This thrilled him.
He first tested the features of an online storefront via Teespring, as he saw their dropshipping model as the perfect way to explore production in a sustainable, made-to-order fashion. This storefront remains live as our reserve aisle and is a proud part of our legacy.
In September 2017, several Caribbean nations were devastated by the deadly, record-breaking hurricanes Irma and Maria. Having survived a direct hit from peak Hurricane Irma, witnessing the destruction in its aftermath and participating in the relief efforts on Anguilla, Shamar’s giving nature received a morale boost. This solidified philanthropy and humanitarianism as his life mission.
Now faced with the awkward prospect of the brand being named after the natural phenomena which had just wreaked havoc on his home nation and several of its neighbours, Shamar decided to make TRPKL STORM the official flagship of his humanitarian efforts. This idea was first intended to take form as the TS Disaster Relief Fund, which was a planned effort to provide relief aid following natural disasters in the Caribbean. It has since expanded to today’s TS Charity, which aims to not only provide relief aid, but also cover several other global initiatives.
The Summer of 2018 was met with bold confidence. This marked the first time Shamar produced a tangible design, opting for a local print of the now highly sought after “fetelord.” t-shirt, making its debut at Eyes Wide Shut (Anguilla, 2018). Aisle One – fetelord.com is named in celebration of this milestone.
Eyes Wide Shut is an independent annual event by Creative Entertainment, Anguilla.