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FISHY, continued from page 6
myself. That's something I'm looking
forward to shifting back towards in the
future.”
Rockett is studying business at
Carnegie Mellon, and he says he’s always
been interested in entrepreneurship.
Skebenga is the first business he’s started
that’s actually taken hold.
“Since middle school, I was always
starting businesses and selling things, and
business has always been something I've
been extremely passionate about,” he says.
“I’m definitely glad to see that one of
these businesses I’ve started has kind of
materialized into something successful.”
Sales thus far have been “pretty
good,” Rockett says, though they dipped
in the winter as the appetite for fishing
and boating decreased. Since the brand
launched in June, Skebenga has grossed
$1,300.
Rockett says he keeps prices low in an
effort to make his clothes accessible. For
now, Rockett says Skebenga is less about
making money and more about seeing
people wear his clothes.
“When I see somebody wearing
something that I made, it makes me
really happy,” he says.
Skebenga’s most popular design also
happens to be Rockett’s favorite — the
tuna wave design, which shows a curling
wave and a contorted tuna along with the
words “Skebenga Apparel Co.”
While running a business from his
dorm room has proved challenging,
Rockett says it hasn’t been a chore. He
said a lot of the business is online, and
that his dad and younger brother have
been a huge help in ensuring it stays
running.
“It's a fun way to escape my
schoolwork to keep running my
business,” he said.
As Skebenga grows, Rockett hopes
to branch out beyond Swampscott
and Greater Boston into the fishing
community on the east coast writ large.
Friends of his from college are already
angling to join the business, with the goal
of introducing Skebenga to Florida.
“The dream for me is to expand
it to be a big fishing brand,” he says,
explaining that he draws inspiration from
the brand Salty Crew.
“One thing we’re going to do in the
future is we’re going to start donating a
portion of our proceeds to charity,” he
added. “Obviously, that's a big part of a
brand that's centered on fishing and the
ocean is environmental conservation. It’s
extremely important.”
Swampscott native Tyler Rockett launched his Skebenga clothing line in June.
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