2019-2024 - Brand + Design Direction, Team + Project Management, Apparel Design + Sourcing + Developement.

Founded by Mike Cherman as an ode to bootleg culture from around the world, the studio mixed humor, social commentary, and relatability in an era where streetwear felt reserved, exclusive and aloof. They forced the fashion world to reevaluate what it meant to be a brand through their unique approach of IP remixing, customization, rapid concept-to-market releases, and a pioneering approach to content that blurred the lines between customer and audience.

As the company grew, As Of Right Now was brought in to help scale creative and product operations. We built and managed a highly efficient and dynamic team, directing campaigns, product launches, and establishing processes that contributed to a remarkable 3x revenue growth over 2 years. At the peak, the design and development teams delivered over 2000 unique styles and 3500 SKUs annually across all categories resulting in over $50 million in total sales. Additionally, we renegotiating vendor contracts resulting in a cost reduction of over 50%.

“As Design Director at MARKET STUDIOS (formerly Chinatown Market), Graham was instrumental in increasing our revenue from $10M to $30M. His strategic vision and design expertise significantly enhanced our products and market presence.

Graham fostered a culture of creativity and innovation, encouraging the team to push boundaries and set new industry benchmarks. During the global pandemic, he demonstrated exceptional leadership, maintaining high morale and productivity. The design team's output under his guidance was unparalleled.

Graham's approach to design not only focused on aesthetics but also on driving the company forward, propelling us to the next level. I wholeheartedly recommend Graham Nystrom for any position that requires a top-tier design professional and innovative leader.”

Michael Cherman - Founder, Market Studios

Inspired by the splashy asymmetrical designs of 90s Nascar sponsor gear, the Paint Dept capsule featured pieces that simultaneously played into the streetwear parody world with the printables, while looking at home in contemporary looks with the sweater.

Frequently working with novel decoration techniques, the Rose Denim jeans imprinted an oversized photo print into an abstract weathering pattern.

As the whole team were avid campers, we leaned into a campy vision of 80s “Good-Ol-Raisins-n-Peanuts” Outdoor gear inspired by aerial photos of snowy mountains, crunchy gear exchange shops, vintage patch collections and boot tracks in the mud room.

We leaned heavily into incorporating unlikely themes into contemporary silhouettes that resulted in unique pieces only found through Market. This best-selling rodeo inspired capsule was a frontrunner of the current western trend.

The Fauxtree Cardigan emulated a modern hunting camo through the lens of a vintage mohair sweater.

Through the company’s agency arm, the creative team conceptualized and produced marketing campaigns, brand initiatives, events, and product offerings for brands such as Swarovski, NBA, Warner Music, Crocs, Puma, McDonalds, Reebok, Tommy Hilfiger, Disney, Fox, Havianas, Smirnoff, Activision, Riot Games, KX Labs, and many more.

We worked with a large array of heritage intellectual properties, leveraging the brand’s reputation and unique perspective to expand the universe of our partners.

Team:

Creative Direction: Mike Cherman, Graham Nystrom, Alec Wiens
Apparel Design: Graham Nystrom, Pat Palacio, Emily Schwartz, Ruben Perez, Miles Julius, Benjie Escobar, Jake Golden, Colin Vest
Development: Kyle Kennedy, Ryan Holash, Graham Nystrom, Jake Golden
Art Direction: Alec Wiens, Eleanor Schiltz
Graphic Design: Alec Wiens, Eleanor Schiltz
Production: Kam Kasey