Expect Nothing, Deserve Everything: Interview with Derek Wells of CCC

An interview with Derek Wells, co-founder of Coalition Clothing Company

By Rick Emrith, staff writer

Coalition Clothing Company is a streetwear clothing company founded by three entrepreneurs: Derek Wells, Tyler Kotsopolous and Garrett McGuire. The Toronto based company has grown exponentially in the last year. One of the companies mottos, “nothing is given to you, you have to earn it,” is displayed throughout the hard work of these three gentlemen. Recently, I had a chance to talk with Derek Wells and find out what it takes to start a business and achieve success at such a young age.

Q: Where did the idea to start your own clothing company come from?

I think the idea came from us being artists and [we] chose clothing to be our canvas or way to express our art/thoughts. When we started the brand we wanted it to make sense and have a meaning. Every design released we stand behind and think it has a message that people can relate to and believe in. From slogans like ‘expect nothing, deserve everything’ to shirts like Quit Quitting or Rivals, we try to really create pieces with meaningful messages behind clean, bold designs.

[pullquote]Every design released we stand behind and think it has a message that people can relate to and believe in[/pullquote]

Q: When you first started out, what was one of the biggest challenges you had to overcome and how did you do it?

Um, defiantly getting people to take us seriously. I think for the first little while people thought we were some young kids trying to make a quick dollar or win some popularity contest. I guess we had to pay our dues over the last 2 years to show what we are really about and how serious we are.

Courtesy of Coalition Clothing

Q: How big has the support of friends and family been throughout the years?

Without the support of our friends and family, we would be nothing. Their support really keeps us motivated, so big shout out to everyone that’s been supporting our vision. We owe you.

Q:  At what point did you guys start to see your hard work paying off?

Yelawolf wearing our coaches’ jacket on stage at Wakestock this past summer was probably our biggest accomplishment. That was very motivational and showed us that our brand is going in the right direction.  There is still a lot of hard work to be done so expect to see some bigger and better milestones in the near future.

Q: What can we expect in the next year from Coalition?

There is so much planned for the brand, but in the near future you can expect our upcoming Dienasty collection releasing mid-May, a collaboration with Upscale brand and Coalition in some new retailers.