“I’m inspired by everyday life,” Abidor says of the graphics. “I come up with designs that seem conceptually solid. I work with 12 artists around the world … Arkaik means ancient and old, for years I didn’t have anything that went with it. This summer I came up with the logo.”

The designs are big — often taking up an entire T-shirt — and bold, often colored using heavy black. In addition to the unique graphic T-shirts for men and women, the line now includes accessories like belts, sunglasses and gym shorts.

Recently, Abidor acquired a fellow independent clothing company own and ran by another young entreprenuer, Alex Mitchell. The merger produced Arkaik: Empire, a darker division of Arkaik. Today, Jordan and Alex work together to make Arkaik what it is.

“Arkaik is more about colors and upbeat. Empire is more for metal,” Abidor says, trying to define a broad consumer that spans 48 states and 27 countries. Abidor says he’s shipped to Singapore, New Zealand, Germany and Brazil, among other countries.

He says Arkaik owes its clientele to the advent of social networking sites. Because of Web sites like MySpace and Twitter, Abidor is able to connect Arkaik with people outside of his social circle.

This year, Abidor and Mithcell are taking the line to music festival Bamboozle 2010, where they will share a booth with fellow independent line Miles To Go. Jordan recently met with boutiques in Los Angeles that were interested in stocking his line, and will be selling during this summer’s Warped Tour.

“I’ve never been in [the business] for the money. I’ve made friends from it,” Abidor says. “I talk to them. I’ve always been more about building a personal relationship than a business relationship.”

Jordan Abdidor is 19 and a freshman at Arizona State University in Phoenix, AZ and is also a member of the band Pirate Status.
Alex Mitchell is 19 and a freshman at IUPUI in Indianapolis, IN and also runs October Promotional Design.