Fresno clothing designer set to drop new 'Experiment' collection on Friday

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Fresno native's clothing brand has gone worldwide, but he hasn't forgotten his roots.

Shawn Rojas found his passion for art, specifically designing clothes, as a student at Central High School.

"It was being in a band and needing to design merch for our band," Rojas said. "So once I kind of learned how to do that, and learned that it wasn't impossible to do, I just kind of went from there."

In 2014, Rojas graduated from high school with "Experiment" - a clothing brand he shared with the Fresno community.

"We opened up a pop-up shop in downtown Fresno," he said. "We did that every month for Art Hop. So we did that with a warehouse called Art House."

Rojas's designs impressed a well-known skate company. In 2017, he took his talents to the Los Angeles area, where he managed the company's clothing designs.

However, on the side, Rojas was always focused on growing his own brand.

"We've got a big audience in New York, Florida, throughout the Midwest," Rojas said. "Then just recently, in the past year, we've been shipping overseas."

Behind the fabric, the stitching and the graphics -- Rojas said his brand is rooted in his love for his community.

"Fresno is my home, no matter where I'm at," he said.

Everyday he's grateful to have an opportunity to share Fresno with the world.

"They typically have the same response like 'Fresno? We didn't know anything was happening out there.' So it's really exciting to kind of show that there is quality stuff happening here, that it isn't just a little farm town, that we have a community, we have creatives," said Rojas.

The clothing designer makes an effort to come back to Fresno every time he drops a new clothing collection.

On Friday, he'll host a pop-up shop at Root General in downtown Fresno from 7-10 p.m.

Stay up to date with the brand on Experiment's website or Instagram.