Stereotypical perceptions of a male fashion designer usually include Italian leather shoes and fitted jeans by a designer with a name too difficult to pronounce. For 21-year-old business major Justin Acuna, this simply isn’t the case. Wearing a loose T-shirt with a self-designed logo, skater tennis shoes and loose fitting jeans, Acuna breaks any preconceived notions of a fashion designer. ?

“I’m starting out with just silk screening on T-shirts, but later I want to get into custom-made clothing like flannel, snowboard and denim jackets, sweatshirts and pretty much everything in between,” Acuna said.?

The skateboarding and snowboarding enthusiast designs clothing that tailors to that demographic as well as hard core, grunge styles typical to rock concert goers, Acuna said.

Though many fashion line ideas and logos preoccupy his mind, his main focus is his latest fashion line titled “Remidy Streetwear.” He began pursuing this concept after graduating from Mira Costa High School in 2006.

“It’s about encouraging people to have pride in themselves. I believe everybody has a remedy that makes them feel like life is OK. This is my remedy,” Acuna said.

With his late grandmother’s inheritance money and help from his parents, Acuna purchased his own silk screening press and a flash dryer used to dry the ink on finished T-shirts, Acuna said.

“I’ve been doing custom silk screening for about two years now and saving up the money from that. My dad owns a powder coating company that specializes in metal paint finishing, so I’ve also been working there as well,” Acuna said.

Star Silk Screening owner Chuck Rust is a friend of Acuna’s father and introduced him to the craft. Located in Hawthorne, the shop gave Acuna the opportunity to meet other professional silk screeners and develop his own ideas and concepts.

“They took me in and taught me everything. I felt like I’d known them forever,” Acuna said.

Acuna is currently designing T-shirts for the Tailor Made Fashion Club’s upcoming spring fashion show and the Hip-Hop Club.

He hopes to eventually showcase his work at the Agenda Trade show in Huntington Beach and the Magic Marketplace in Las Vegas. Both are large venues where designers display their collections to international buyers, Acuna said.

“I try to encourage others to think outside of the box. Live for yourself and don’t be afraid to do something,” Acuna said.