Attending Corona High School, Derick Enriquez founded his very own clothing line named “Shipwreck”. It all started during the pandemic when we all needed to stay inside all day for months. Derek started to draw with all his free time so he decided to learn how to illustrate and photoshop designs. Originally he thought of having a brand that revolved around the beach and surfing, hence the name “shipwreck”. The company then “Shipwreck Clothing Company” now becoming “shipwreck official”

All of his shirts are made of cotton and all have unique designs that are his own. All of his sweatshirts are so comfortable and soft. They’re going to be essential right now considering recently it’s cooling down a lot more.

Using a photoshop app or Adobe illustrator he creates the designs, then prints them out on a heat press paper. Then using his hands or a cutting machine, he cuts them out and proceeds to heat press the designs onto the shirts.

Now that we are back in school, I asked him how he is able to manage his time and successfully do both. To ensure this he moved to an online tactic, where he pays another company for the blank clothes, pays them to make, pack and ship the clothes back to him. This helps him to save time and still be able to reach more people and still make money as he’s in school.

Now his platform has already reached hundreds of people with his Instagram account reaching 1,612 followers, still continuing to grow. Follow the Instagram @shipwreckofficial.

I know several people personally who have bought clothing from him and love it. Michael Lee, a junior that attends Corona High with Derek was asked “What do you have to say about Shipwreck?” He said, “It’s an exciting young company and I can’t wait to see where Derek takes it in the future. It’s exciting to see a student from our district come up with such a creative and successful business, showing that anyone can do anything they set their minds to.”

When asked what his inspiration was, Derek said “What really inspires me is having something I can be proud of myself while seeing people wear the clothes. Something I can call mine, that I built from scratch.” He also gives a shoutout to the support that his girlfriend and his friends give him, inspiring him with new ideas.

His hope for the company in the future is for Shipwreck to grow into an everyday streetwear brand. Also wants to connect to a secondary company called OFFICE which focuses on fashion, luxury, boldness in design, and the shape ad color of the clothes. Hoping that in the future his clothes can be displayed at fashion shows, runways, and VOGUE newspapers, and to just overall be successful in his creation of casual streetwear.