Named for my son

My son is called Aahan.

It means the first light of day.

We chose the name before he was born. We said it out loud over and over, the way parents do when they're trying to decide whether a name feels right.

It did.

The brand is named after him.

I know that can sound like a convenient story for a brand. Something designed to make a business feel more personal.

So I'll keep the explanation simple.

I didn't start this business for my son.

He's young. He doesn't know about the brand. He won't care for a long time, and he might never care.

I started because I wanted to build something of my own.

When I needed a name, I had his.

That's the story.

There is one thing naming it after him changed.

I have to be more careful with it.

You don't put your child's name on something you don't take seriously.

The logo has a small connection to him too.

The red half-circle at the end sits above the line like a rising sun.

First light.

Aahan.

I should explain how all of this started, because the timing matters.

Around January and February '26, I started thinking seriously about building something of my own.

I kept coming back to clothing.

I didn't know the business.

I still have plenty to learn.

What I did have was a clear idea of what I like and a tendency to be difficult about quality.

Those were the two things I had to work with.

Then, in March '26, I was laid off.

I'd like to say the layoff made me start the brand.

It didn't.

The decision was already halfway made.

The layoff removed the option of spending another two years thinking about it.

I work in consulting now.

I earn about a third of what I earned in my previous job.

So when I say I build this in the evenings, I'm not talking about a comfortable side project funded by a salary I don't need to worry about.

Most of the work happens after my son has gone to sleep.

Some nights that's the only quiet time I get.

I don't know where this goes yet.

The first drop has 350 pieces.

I've put my own money into it.

I've made decisions I might change later.

Some of them will be wrong.

But the brand exists now.

And it has my son's name on it.

That was the point.