Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Lynch.
Michael, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Southern California, surfing, skating and creating art. I was lucky to spend time outside loving my surroundings and becoming inspired by the beauty that lives all around us here in San Diego. I was always infatuated with surf, skate and fashion brands at a young age as there was so much expression and style to be shared. That led to getting a business degree from Villanova University and ultimately starting my own business right after graduating. I started in the global fashion and outdoor retail industry as a creative consultant managing sales, marketing campaigns and product development about ten years ago.
The agency I started one year after graduating, Creative Priority, is still my everyday practice and the main way I sharpen my creative tools on a daily basis. Through my consulting over the years, I’ve learned how to ‘ground floor’ manage small and large brands and early on in my career, I began to identify white space within the two industries I was working between. After many successful and unsuccessful jobs, I began to realize that I wanted to build my own lifestyle brand for both artistic, personal and worldly reasons; a subject greater than myself began to manifest via my daily surroundings and very naturally, that became something called, Imperfects.
Imperfects is ultimately, a very simple idea: to manifest goodness through self-acceptance. Furthermore, Imperfects stands for creativity via difference. We manufacture slow, small batch apparel, handmade surfboards and handmade skateboards all right here in Southern California.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The path to having something worthwhile is never a smooth ride. The amount of times I have faced failure heavier than my willingness to get back up, is too many to count.
In creative consulting-based work, you suffer from the major dilemma of doing your job all too well so that you are no longer needed or not doing your job well enough where in fact, you are again, no longer needed. The amount of times that I have experienced greed and dis-trust in my industry is dis-heartening, even to this day. However, the goodness I experienced along the way, coupled with my natural infatuation and love of process, has kept me going. It’s the simple inspiration you find along the way that ends up being the most profound and more so, it is the fatigue and failure you witness or experience that defines whether you are willing to succeed or not.
Imperfects, LLC – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
At Imperfects, we set out with a really simple mission a few years ago. To highlight the good in humanity by focusing on our imperfections. It’s actually the opposite of what you are used to hearing in the world today yet it’s so obvious and significant to celebrate your imperfections or in other words, your uniqueness. We ended up applying that methodology to our everyday approach and before we knew it, conversations with all kinds of beautiful people were forming into creative collaborations and new product development. It was an overwhelming realization that creativity is truly at the backbone of what we are doing because it is the ultimate way of putting oneself out into the world for all to see.
To embrace your imperfections is perfect and it allows you to share the value of your approach and your opinion – that is why we mindfully curate goods that are capable of bettering your human experience. We believe, Creation comes from Imperfection.
What sets us apart at Imperfects is our process – we are fully and entirely immersed in our way of life and in the idea of producing products we see suitable for that lifestyle. We focus in on the details and we strive to be completely Organic in our output; though our inspiration comes from many different angles, we always strive to be original.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Absolutely. I have to start with my Mother, not only my biggest emotional supporter throughout my lifetime but the one person who truly taught me and showed me, how to believe in myself. Next, my wife, Christina. The most profound partner any entrepreneur or artist could wish for.
Finally, my best pal, Jack. A very talented creative who produces music and incredible graphic design – known as Humble Goods on Spotify and Instagram – Jack is the reason Imperfects exists. We, together, landed on the idea of Imperfects as a life mantra about seven years ago; it was a beautiful discovery of believing in ourselves and our creative super powers as our only actual ability to stand-out and be the difference we wanted to see in the world. Imperfects was simply a life mantra before it was ever a brand; both Jack and I have the word tattooed on our ribs and he hand drew the logo we still use today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.imperfects.co
- Email: mike@imperfects.me
- Instagram: @imperfects_
Image Credit:
@Titus_anthony
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