Aaron Park and JoJo Prapaisilapa wear their pride in their adopted city on their sleeves—literally. Last September, they co-founded Arch Apparel, a line of stylish St. Louis–centric apparel featuring iconic city images, logos, and taglines. They launched the label to offer stylish premium tees specific to the region.
“There was never a light bulb moment—just the frustration in not finding what I wanted,” says Park. “Instead of typical mass-produced items found in sports-franchised stores, we provide a comfortable option that represents the city.”
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What began as an online T-shirt store has expanded to offer tanks, sweaters, hoodies, hats, beanies, and mugs. The line is now available in such local boutiques as Ju Ju B’s and Too Blue Boutique, as well as the Bud Shop at Ballpark Village and Anheuser-Busch’s gift shop. “We now have the opportunity to have a great location downtown, in the epicenter of sports venues,” says Prapaisilapa.
The duo also recently teamed up with Maplewood screen-printing shop Tiny Little Monster in an effort to support local businesses. Eventually they may open their own brick-and-mortar space. “We would love to get to the point where we could get some retail space and be more involved in the community,” says Park. “We have ideas, but we are cautiously winging it.”
In light of their company’s focus, it might come as a surprise that Arch Apparel’s co-owners aren’t originally from St. Louis. Park moved here from Melbourne, Australia, five years ago; Prapaisilapa, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Thailand and now own several area businesses, was born in Chicago.
“We both come from backgrounds where we count our blessings,” says Prapaisilapa, noting that Arch Apparel has partnered with multiple local charities. “With so much love we are getting from this community, it is important that we give back.”
