A Tainted Saint

Zach Troyetsky's middle school yearbook is packed with pictures.

Underneath the pictures of his sixth graders classmates are one-word titles that sums up their dreams. While most students wished to be a doctor, a teacher, a scientist, or a baseball player, Troyetsky's word sets him apart from his class.

Famous.

Troyetsky, a junior geography major with a concentration in international business and world trade, is working toward that dream. He created his own clothing line called Tainted Saints Incorporated.

A tainted saint is someone who knows how to balance work and play. Troyestsky identified himself as one – "someone who scrapes his or her knee in the name of fun."

After working as a cabana boy at a beach club on the South Shore of Long Island for five years, Troyetsky saved up enough money to begin his journey in the T-shirt making business without relying on funds from his parents.

Every day after work, Troyetsky went to the printing store and worked on T-shirt designs.

Troyetsky and his friends had discussed creating a clothing line since he was a junior in high school, but he was the only one who took the idea seriously. He thought he had the potential to make it a successful company.

The debut of his designs was at the ULTRA Music Festival in Miami, Fla. He brought 36 tank tops that said ‘Rolling Face' on the front, using the ‘Rolling Stones' classic logo, and sold them for $20 apiece.

"I waited for the feedback and I saw what sort of response I got back. It was more than what I expected, so it just took off from there," Troyetsky said. "I love seeing other people's reactions because I come up with these designs…I make my designs on screen shots and power points. I don't use Photoshop, I piece this together and make it look the way I want and it works."

The trademarked logo of Tainted Saints is handcuffs with wings attached to the top. The wings represent the ‘saint' and the handcuffs signify letting go at times and understanding the importance of having fun, according to Troyetsky.

Troyetsky finds inspiration for shirt designs based on personal experiences. His second tank top read ‘Friend or Foe' on the front.

"It was basically me saying, ‘this is what I'm doing. If you're with it you're with it, if you're not you're not,'" Troyetsky said. "The aim of that design was to show people what direction I was going with: simple yet bold and to the point."

Other slogans such as ‘Throw 5's' and ‘YOLO' are printed on his shirts.

"Throw 5's is a universal well-known term; it's to all the weed smokers out there, it's to all the people who want to throw high-fives," Troyetsky said. "I want to use innuendos where people can make shirts mean whatever they want them to mean."

‘YOLO' stands for ‘You Only Live Once' and Troyetsky is a true believer of the philosophy.

Troyetsky had invested a few thousand dollars into his company and broke even. His clothing line has made it into five different locations of a popular store called Mixology. All the money Troyetsky has made he has reinvested into his company.

Next semester, Troyetsky plans to study abroad in Italy and hopes to spread his company's name overseas. When he returns for the summer, he plans on quitting his job at the beach club and giving a 100 percent effort to Tainted Saints.

His parents, Lenny and Lauren Troyetsky, wear his clothing in support of his company and believe that their son has the potential to be whatever he wants.

"Everything in life that my son has ever wanted he's gotten…He applied for one job six years ago...out of 100 kids, he got that job," Lenny said. "[He] is a high achiever. When he wants something, he makes it happen."

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