Chapter 1: Before the Beginning

What Really Happened Before the First Drop

Before Shifty went online, before anyone knew the name or a single stitch was sewn, there was just an idea. No budget. No plan. Just a feeling that there was no streetwear brand that really made cool basketball streetwear clothing.

The First Sketches – and Even More Questions

I remember those first sketches clearly. They were messy, uneven and full of hope. I sketched in notebooks, on the backs of important documents, on my iPad. Pretty much anywhere I could find space. The ideas came fast and unfiltered, often in the middle of the night. But with every sketch, things became clearer. I didn’t just want to make clothes. I wanted to start a movement.

And still, the doubts were loud.
Does the world really need another streetwear brand?
Who are you to think you can bring something new to this scene?
How are you going to handle it all? Production, design, marketing – with zero experience?
But those were exactly the questions that kept me going. Because when you don’t have the answers, you’re forced to find them.

The Search for Identity and Why It Mattered More Than Any Logo

Before I could truly name Shifty, I had to understand what the brand was really about.

It was never just about basketball. It was about the feeling the game creates, movement, energy, focus. Being outside on the court in the middle of summer. That moment between games, when you sit down and breathe for a second.

Shifty became more than a name. It became a state of being.

A lifestyle between motion and pause. Between nostalgia and what’s next.

I went through countless moodboards, color palettes, fabrics. I tested fits, gathered feedback, scrapped everything again. It was a constant back-and-forth between “almost right” and “not quite yet.” But that’s where the magic was.