Cartoons to streetwear, a step into Brynn McIntosh’s artistic journey

Ideas are not hard to find — the real challenge is to find someone who will turn those ideas into something real.

That’s exactly what Brynn McIntosh did. The senior majoring in media arts and practice with a concentration in film production was able to expand her various interests into complementary forms of art — and at a young age, was able to create a successful business out of it. 

Her exclusive streetwear clothing brand 10.25 gets its name from McIntosh’s birthday and offers mainly graphic pieces, including hoodies and sweatpants. It is a reflection of her personality, as Brynn, a childhood “sneakerhead,’’ considers simplicity and comfort her priorities. Still, it says a lot about Brynn’s beliefs and causes, and all the repercussions associated with it. 

“I can’t really control who’s gonna find my work as educational or offensive,” McIntosh said. “All I do is share my perspective and my voice in terms of race and class and whatever I feel like I’m representing.” 

McIntosh’s journey began at an early age, long before she moved to Los Angeles, and in a somewhat unexpected place: cartoons. The simplicity and timelessness of cartoons such as SpongeBob became an essential part of the designer’s own style. 

“L.A. has definitely inspired the streetwear aspect, but I think the simple design is always the inspiration for my cartoons. It has always been there,” McIntosh said. 

Still, she recognizes that the city has also inspired her artistic view and served as a catalyst for her brand. 

“There are so many different hustles within L.A., so it was definitely inspiring,” McIntosh said. “And then I was like, ‘You know what? I want to have something of my own.’” 

After seeing a friend from high school launch his own clothing line, McIntosh decided it was time for her to take the first step, so she created the logo for her brand — still present on her designs — and her dream started to become a reality not just an idea. 

However, the turning point was during the summer of her junior year at USC, when her brother, Alec, suggested she print her design on a shirt at a market on Melrose Avenue. 

“Just seeing it right there, it was so simple,” McIntosh said. “It took this guy five minutes, it wasn’t scary … No one else had it, it’s my own thing, [the only] one in its existence.’’ 

With that first leap of courage and support from her brother, 10.25 came to life.  

“I would say my brother was the launching pad for me, because I still wanted to put this stuff out but I was too scared, so he was a really nice support system for me,” McIntosh said. “He was just like, ‘Yeah, lets just put your design up there,” and I was like, ‘Wow, what?’’’

Having passed this initial phase, McIntosh established 10.25. 

“I am already working on getting my own tags [and] my own shopping bags … I have my own packaging now,” McIntosh said. “Very small steps, but, the next thing you know, you are fully in the business.”

Managing a rigorous curriculum in parallel with a growing business, the aspiring designer used her major as a basis for her job. 

“My major has definitely helped me just open all artistic aspects of myself, even though not every single class is related to my brand,’’ McIntosh said. 

One class that stood out to her was “Originating and Developing Ideas for Film,” in which she learned how to surface her creativity. 

“It’s almost like exercising your mind,’’ McIntosh said.  

Mcintosh is definitely a one-woman show, but she still considers support to be a major pillar of her success.

“USC has helped me meet a lot of important people [and form] great friendships but also great connections,” McIntosh said. 

And for McIntosh, sometimes all of those overlap — and great friendships end up being great connections.  McIntosh’s friendship with Rahzizi Ishakarah, a senior majoring in art and design with a concentration in entrepreneurship, is one such example. 

Like McIntosh, Ishakarah’s field of work is broad, but now his primary focus is on his clothing brand “Blex,’’ short for “Black Excellence’’ and which revolves around trying to defy expectations and show minorities in a positive light. With experience in various areas ranging from graphic design to business management, Ishakarah is an important support system for McIntosh both emotionally and technically. 

The same can be said of another friend of the artist’s, Marshall Spellmeyer, a senior majoring in communication. Spellmeyer also works in the field of design as one of the media creators and graphic designers for the USC football department.

“We’ve been really good friends and we’ve always given each other advice and motivated [and] inspired each other through conversations about life and [working] to be better in our different fields,” Spellmeyer said. “We like to push each other as well.”

Surrounded by support from family and friends and a supportive curriculum, McIntosh has already come far, but she isn’t carried away by that. 

“I’m just trying to think about the present,” McIntosh said. “[I] don’t think about if the brand’s gonna be successful, [I] don’t think about if the brand’s gonna be this or [that]. I try to keep ‘if’ out of my vocabulary and start speaking into now. Here is what has to be done right now, so that’s just something I’ve been telling myself every day.” 

And for those unsure about taking their ideas to the next level, McIntosh encourages them to just go ahead and do it. 

“Stop being scared, or at least be less scared,” McIntosh said. “Just close your eyes and jump into it. Whatever it is that you want to do, I promise you, you won’t regret it.”