Born in Ukraine and raised in Spain and California, Gleb Rabizo is an Ohio State first-year in logistics with a fresh start-up clothing brand.
Rabizo said the brand, Changemakers, currently features one limited edition T-shirt with a quote that reads “Mom, I am a rich man” printed across the back in a red spray-paint design, layered over an old newspaper backdrop. The front of the shirt is much simpler, with just three pink stars and “Changemakers” written across the front.
Rabizo said he chose this simple design for the front because of his love for a fresh, clean look.
“I always like the combination with, like pink and white, so that's why I chose those colors for my first t-shirt,” Rabizo said.
Rabizo said the red spray paint, layered over the newspaper design is meant to convey a rebellion against traditional thinking. However, if one examines the shirt closely, there are words of inspiration in the newsprint, something Rabizo said solidified his goal of motivating others to be themselves, no matter their distance or gender.
Rabizo said he chose this famous quote from a 1996 interview Dateline conducted with Cher. He said he chose it in order to inspire a younger generation to strive for their goals, no matter how big.
“I grew up in Europe, and there, parents tell women you need a rich man in order to be successful,” Rabizo said. ”For me, it's just by saying try many things [and] see what you like and then just follow your passion and, one day something will work.”
Rabizo said at the end of the day, the message is meant to tell others that they can do what they want all on their own.
“I'm just trying to say that you don't need [another] person to be successful,” Rabizo said. “You can just do your things yourself, promote yourself.”
Rabizo said he was working as a marketing intern at a Spanish-owned streetwear brand, NUDE PROJECT, when he was first inspired to start the brand. He said he was inspired by the two owners, Bruno Casanovas and Alejandro Benlloch, who started their brand in college, selling only a limited number of shirts, which eventually led their brand to take off.
"This summer, I also met, finally, the owners of the company,” Rabizo said. “They inspired me to start this brand. They started with [about] €600. They spent their last money [and] printed 20 T-shirts. This brand always motivated me"
Rabizo said one of his goals is to collaborate with NUDE PROJECT in the future to make more limited T-shirt designs.
Rabizo said the shirts are all produced with 100% cotton. He said this is because he wants to ensure good quality products for his customers. However, Rabizo said because of Changemakers' vast manufacturing warehouses — 12 warehouses in seven countries including Australia, Canada, Sweden and Poland — the feeling of cotton varies from place to place. He said he is still testing out the feel of the material in washers and dryers in order to ensure his products are the best quality they can be.
“What I'm doing right now is I'm testing,” Rabizo said. “I'm putting [them in] the washing machine [and] drying machine, and then, also, it's all cotton, but from different companies, so it feels different. I'm testing which one I want because I really want my customers to wear a high-quality T-shirt."
Rabizo said he also had the opportunity to collaborate with Sofia Farghadain, a high school senior at OC Academy — a private academy located in Corona Del Mar, Orange County, California — to help design the T-shirt.
Farghadain said Rabizo approached her with a business idea, asking if she would be willing to help.
“We chatted about it and we wanted to do a ‘Mom I’m a rich man’ quote,” Farghadain said.
Farghadain said her experience with design began in high school.
“I used to do brochures, fliers and business marketing stuff for the school,” Farghadain said. “It's not something related to fashion design but it is related [to design itself.]”
After going back and forth on sketches and ideas for two weeks, Farghadain said she and Rabizo were able to come up with the finalized design. She said one of the most challenging aspects was creating something that was completely unique.
“I remember when we looked at logos, we wanted to make something that wasn’t created by anyone else,” Farghadain said.”It was kind of hard, there is always something created by somebody else too. We wanted to find something that reminds you, ‘Oh yeah that’s Changemakers.’”
However, Farghadain said these challenges brought about lots of passion.
“Personally, I really believe that women can be powerful and can make money for [themselves] so they don't need to marry someone to be successful, [which is] what society always tells women to do,” Farghadain said. “I really like to work and I hope to be somebody, to be a rich woman. So when [Rabizo] told me he had this idea, I was like, ‘Yeah that is definitely my goal.’”
Rabizo said the joy he felt when he launched his company in May of 2024 was unmatched, adding that he will continue to work on the brand every day to continue to build it up. He said he started this business not to make money, but instead to motivate people through his passion.
"The [fashion] market is overloaded,” Rabizo said. “A lot of people are trying to do fashion and most people are trying to do this, just because they want to. For me, it's not about money. I'm just trying to motivate people."
Rabizo said he plans to release the brand’s next collection in January 2025 in which he hopes to incorporate hats, hoodies and other T-shirt designs.
More information about Changemakers can be found on the brand’s Instagram page.
