Bearden senior creates T-shirt company on Instagram

Colby Moldrup says that his spark for an idea this summer just came out of boredom.

Moldrup started creating unique T-shirt designs, and before he knew it, he was running an Instagram company.

“I saw something online about how you can design your own T-shirts using bleach, so I thought, that sounds fun,” the Bearden senior– said. “I tested it out early in summer and immediately loved it.

“I designed a few shirts for myself, and soon people were saying they would be interested in buying them.”

The unique process to create these shirts, which leaves no two exactly the same, has been a huge selling point for Moldrup’s tees. Shirts are $15.00 and are available in all sizes and most colors. The most popular of his bleached designs includes the Knoxville skyline, but Moldrup has many other patterns and takes custom orders as well.

While bleaching these shirts may sound simple, it is actually extremely time consuming.

“The process includes sketching the design out on freezer paper then cutting the image out carefully,” Moldrup said. “You iron the freezer paper onto the shirt and apply bleach, and once you have the desired color, you soak the shirt in cold water to stop the reaction.”

Moldrup is putting the money he makes from selling these T-shirts back toward buying more materials in hopes of keeping his business up and running.

Anyone interested in purchasing Moldrup’s wearable art can direct message @moldytees on Instagram for more details.