By, The Curator
The other day I found an interesting looking brand on Instagram, which seems to be the way I’ve been finding most of the brands I’ve interviewed. What stood out to me was the brand’s name, No Choice, and the fact that it only had a few pictures on its feed. That does not sound like much at first, but the pictures were of some very well designed and pattern-heavy products that were unlike anything I had recently seen. After talking to No Choice’s owner, Mitch, I learned that he had a really intriguing and uncommon story. Make sure you read his story for yourself below!
The Curator Blog (TCB): What’s your name and where are you from originally?
No Choice (NC): My name is Mitch. I am left handed and from the Chicago suburbs.
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TCB: How long have you been running No Choice?
NC: I started it a year ago, but it just launched recently.
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TCB: What’s the story behind No Choice?
NC: No Choice means you don’t have a choice. What inspired the name is that my friend and I would always just say “No Choice” when we came across a time when we were deciding if we should do something or not, and we would always say “No Choice” and end up doing what ever it was. Then one day while we were homeless in Florida we both got No Choice tatted on the inside of our middle fingers. Later I was looking at the tattoo and decided I wanted to turn the idea of No Choice into a clothing brand since it was part of how we lived our lives. I just had an overwhelming feeling that I had No Choice, but to make this idea happen.
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TCB: Tell me a bit about yourself outside of No Choice. What’s your story?
NC: I’m a 20 year old from Chicago. I was smart, but a trouble maker as a kid. I got kicked out of my high school so I graduated from an alternative school. After that I worked at O’Hare Airport loading bags onto airplanes. I wanted to make more money so I decided to go to school to be an aircraft mechanic. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long because my apartment got robbed and there were too many things going on in my life… it wasn’t my passion anyway. Then I moved to Florida with my best friend to live at this house that a girl we knew had. A few months later we got kicked out, but we refused to go back to Chicago. We ended up in the Key West for a bit before we changed our minds and decided to go back haha. The idea to start No Choice came to me during that journey and now here we are.
TCB: What did you do before you started No Choice and what do you think you would be doing if you hadn’t?
NC: Before I started No Choice I was just chillin. If I hadn’t started it, I would have still came up with another great idea. I’m very creative and won’t settle for less.
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TCB: Do you have a team or is it just you?
NC: I’m the one that turned it into a clothing brand and runs No Choice, but my other friend that I mentioned earlier supports me a lot.
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TCB: What aspects of the brand are your favorite to handle or take care of?
NC: Well I’m still very new to this, but so far I like designing new pieces and bringing ideas to life.
TCB: What is your design process like?
NC: I’ll usually just randomly think of something during the day. Then I’ll write it down in my notes on my phone so I can come back to it another time. Later when I get the chance I go on the computer and use Adobe Illustrator to bring my idea to life.
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TCB: Do you produce your designs by yourself or outsource the work?
NC: I work with a manufacturer. First I send them the designs. Then they make a sample for me to see what it looks like. If the sample is good, I’ll put in a bulk order and then it’s time to sell.
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TCB: Did you learn how to do this through school, an internship, or are you self taught?
NC: I’m completely self taught. I’ve always been super creative and a go getter. No Choice is my first company. Every design is created by me. Everything I have done is self-taught. It’s in my DNA to become an entrepreneur. My great-grandparents, grandparents and parents started companies from the bottom up. No it’s my turn, I have No Choice.
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TCB: What are one or two things that you have learned from your time running No Choice?
NC: Well it’s only been 3 days since i dropped these designs, but I’ve been working on this for about a year. I got the trademark about a year ago knowing I definitely wanted to do this. Then I just came up with the final logo and designs about 3 months ago… so I’ve learned it definitely takes time and patience to bring a brand to life.
TCB: Are there any people or brands that you would like to collaborate with?
NC: Yes, I would like to collab with Off-White because I like their style and Virgil Abloh is from Rockford, Illinois which is where I used to live. I wouldn’t mind working with pretty much any designer brand though.
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TCB: Where do you see yourself and where do you see your brand two years from now?
NC: In two years I see No Choice becoming as popular as Off-White, Bape, and Supreme.
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TCB: Is there anything else you would like to say, announce, or anyone you would like to shoutout?
NC: I would like to shout out my brother Cannon. If it wasn’t for our adventures, No Choice wouldn’t exist. Also shout out to my boy Kyle cause he’s a real one and has been helping me put my shit out there.
Make sure you go check out No Choice and support Mitch’s brand if you like his designs!
Website: https://www.nochoicestore.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nochoiceco/
The Curator 
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