Meet Grant Patterson | Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Grant Patterson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Grant, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started my brand, Created One of One, because of the desire to make a difference with the gifts I have been blessed with. The first inspiration is the fashion industry being incredible vain and ego-driven… that if you don’t have the newest item you’re somehow less than. The issue is, those people end up looking all like each other because they wear the same items. That didn’t make much sense to me, because I don’t like when I work to spend my money on something and then see someone else wearing the same thing. On top of that, the fashion industry largely contributes to textile waste and unethical production methods in foreign countries. The concept was to make a brand that makes 1/1 items (just like the individuals wearing them), that are sustainable and purpose driven. Everything my brand makes is sourced from thrift stores in bulk, and it is then upcycled into the items we sell. When I say purpose-driven, I mean there is inspiration between each collection we produce to make a positive impact on those hurting within our world. A portion of revenue from each collection is then donated to a charity related to the current project. For instance, our most recent collection, Childlike Freedom, wrestles with the concept of what freedom is through a nostalgic lense of a child… while also providing commentary on what freedom isn’t. We are partnering with City Gospel Mission to donate 10% of this collections revenue to a charity that provide addiction therapy, mental health services, and homelessness assistance. Overall the goal is to make a lasting impact on the world through the lens of quality, ethical, uniquely made clothing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My name is Grant Patterson, and I am a Christian, 20-year old self-taught fashion designer from Cincinnati, Ohio. I own and operate my brand Created One of One: a brand of sustainble, 1/1, purpose-driven items that are made 100% in house. Every single item is 1/1 due to the method of upcycling, which is taking thrifted garments and materials to produce something entirely new and unique each time. Due to thrifting, everything I make is 100% sustainable. All screenprinting and sewing takes place in the studio space I have built over the past year in my parent’s basement. Each and every single collection is inspired by social issues in the world to help those hurting within society. On top of the inspiration coming from those things, 10% of proceeds goes directly to a charity that causes change in those situations. A large portion of fashion is very ego-driven, by the idea of a pricetag, that I am somehow better than you if my clothes are more expensive, which is incredibly stupid. On top of that, the fashion industry makes up for a large portion of textile waste, as well as unethical production methods. This world is an evil, dangerous place that will eat you alive. My brand exists to bring light in those situations and places. Up until recently it has been a one man show, but my younger brother, Henry, has now joined me in building the brand, as we believe this will blow up any minute. Our longterm goal is to make a lasting, positive impact through the brand on the culture and in the world around us. To understand why this is my approach, I have to take you back to where it started. Growing up, basketball was my life, and being heavily influenced by athletes and people in those circles, I was introduced to the world of fashion, hip-hop, streetwear, and art in general. I would see my favorite players in their tunnel or postgame interview outits, and I became interested in the story behind those pieces. I became incredibly interested in the world of fashion because, for me, it was this unatainable luxury that I could not afford. Some of those brands were Supreme, Louis Vuittion, Off-White, Bape, etc. This interest in luxury fashion was a major fuel for me to start a custom shoe business my sophormore year of high school called One of 1 Customs. Through highschool I struggled severely with my mental health, and I found it hard to experience relatability within my circles. Many of the things I experienced and circumstances of life pushed me to question my life’s worth. It was during this time, I turned to artists that I had grown to appreciate during this time such as Justin Bieber, Kanye West, and the late Virgil Abloh. It helped to see people who had experienced so much, yet they pursued what they knew was for them and accomplished it. These individuals all, at least at the time, were spreading postive messaging and it sparked interest in me to be able to do the same. Despite growing up going to church, professing being a Christian, it wasn’t until the end of my junior year that I experienced God’s love for me and comfort me in my most difficult time. I felt this happen while listening to Justin Bieber’s freshly released Justice album, on a night where I felt truly burdened by the thoughts that my life was not worth continuing. For those that have experienced anxiety being mixed with ADHD, you can relate to mental noise, the constant chaos in your head that never goes away. The most tanglible way to explain what I felt that night, was that noise being completely taken from me and my thoughts being altered to positive dreams and visions for a short time. Looking back on it now, I believe that God supernaturally intervened on behalf of my life, so that I could tell my story and be a relatable individual for others to look to. Some of the people that were increidbly supportive in this time were my friends, basketball coach Chris Wilson, and my mom. After I graduated high school, I got a summer job at Louis Vuitton. It was here that I delved into Virgil’s journey/fashion in general, and the inspiration to be able to cause change in culture through fashon was sparked in me. Shortly after I arrived for college at Grand Canyon Univeristy, in PHX, I joined an entrepreneurial group called Idea Club. Through mock investor pitches for my custom shoe business that I was still pursuing at the time, I was given a space at an incubation center for young businesses in the valley, which is associated with GCU, called Canyon Ventures. While working on my shoe business in my new studio space, I began thinking about what I wanted to name my brand I wanted to start. I had recently met a good friend and founder of the brand Wash The City, Jayce Candrea, who sat with me on October 31st, 2022 brainstorming name ideas. That night we had to have written down 50 different ideas, but none of them felt right. The next morning I had an alarm set for 10am for my 11am class but woke up at 8am to the name Created One of One. I immediately bought the domain name and created the email and instagram page. That night, I went back to the studio, and I took a clothing repair kit and looked up a random Youtube tutorial for hand sewing. I learned how to sew and made a seamless tote-bag that night. Jayce was in his space still and noticed what I was working on. He expressed that he needed accessories for his fashion show on Saturday, the 5th. I saw my opportunity to put myself out there and took it. I ended up using his sewing machine to learn as I went and made another tote bag, a 45-square corduroy duffle bag, and a backpack that doubled into a sleeping mat with a pillow. I don’t even know how much I slept that week. After the show, I ended up meeting the director of the group that put on the show, Logan Glennie. I expressed my interest in being a part of the next show, and our visions alligned to make it happen. The next month, I spent trying to figure out how to sew, how to set up photoshoots, and just sharing my work on campus to build some buzz around it all. When I went back to school after Christmas break, I almost never went to class, realizing that fashion was what I was going to pursue for the time being. I spent every waking hour learning how to sew on machines that had been donated to me by family and friends. During this time, I digested an insane amount of fashion shows, color theory, and just how to effectively communicate emotion behind clothing and design. Despite being determined to achieve success, I had zero balance in my life, and I destroyed my health with my sleep schedule (non-existant), diet, and exercise habits. My roomate said I averaged maybe sleeping 1-2 times at our room per week, and my diet was fast food and red bulls; I think I went to the gym once. It became a time where I felt incredibly broken down and vulnerable. I was not myself and it affected the people around me in a negative way. I was rude, arrogant, and hurt many people I genuinely cared about. Despite being this way, many friends stuck by me and encouraged me to keep going, but it was God who carried me through this time and gave me just enough strength to finish the project. I finished the last piece for the show the day of the show at 1am. The line I put in the show was collection no. 1: The World Needs Someone Like You – a project inspired by those that influenced me and the journey of my mental health that I had experienced thus far. I wanted people to feel loved and seen in their struggle, to be shown that their pain is a process of the growth necessary to achieve dreams and goals, and that there is a God that wants to use the pain they experience for good. The show was incredibly successful for me, and I am forever grateful to Logan and his team at the Atlas Fashion Show. That night, after the show, I had a pop-up that was a huge hit for me. I continued to grind out pop-ups on campus, and then a month later, I was home. I hadn’t really learned my lesson on balance, and got right back to work. I was then hit with some serious sickness for a couple weeks; my lack of care for myself had caught up. It was during this time that I reflected and decided to drop out of school, not knowing what the future held. I spent a couple months trying to prioritize my health, not feeling capable to out put the collection online. My health was still terrible, and I needed to get a job. This is when I started working at Louis Vuitton again in September of 2023. I ended up using the funds I built from pop-ups to get the essentials to screen-print, sew, and I put out the first collection in November while working full-time. I began to feel burnout after this, but began to work on the second, and most recent collection: Childlike Freedom. I researched and built out the collection with a team of incredibly talented people to be able to help me put out the collection and put on a show on June 30th of this year. I went on leave from work at LV for the month of June to ensure that everything got done properly and to the best of my ability within such a short time. I did my absolute best to maintain a semi-balanced lifestyle during this time, eating healthy, and I experienced a newfound love for long distance running. Between running and actively staying in prayer I got through the month. The month was full of work nonstop, and I couldn’t have accomplished it without the people helping me. My family was essential in the distribution of refreshments and ensuring all guests were taken care of; they were also constantly helping clean up the venue that I was graciously allowed to use by a family friend, Mrs. Remi Aina. Mrs. Aina also gave me the advice to partner with sponsors which was integral to us being able to accomplish the show. I would love to thank those sponsors: Remi Aina (Comey and Shepherd Realtors), Chris Wilson (Midwestern Plumbing Service), Mark Miklautch (State Farm), Lasting Impressions Event Rentals, Everything Cincy (official media partner for the collection), Charcuterie by Hayley (food for VIP and a board after the show), as well as many anonymous, generous donors. My friends Elijah Snow and Aaron Kizer also greatly assisted in cleaning uo the venue with me. Jon Flores (@jawnflo @fromthe_fields on ig) was in from Chicago multiple times, and he assisted with all of the promotional graphics, graphics for all of the screens that I printed on the items with, and he also made major contributions to the sewing of pieces in the show. Quinn Gardner (@quinn.g2 @qs.eyes on ig) was also here in Cincinnati from Chicago working with me to produce a short film to set the tone before the show, as well as help to collect content for a documentary that will be released, and was incredible in editing all of the visuals and audio for the show. He is still working currently on lots of BTS footage and the final version of the show’s video. Andre Gonzalez (@sondermediafilms on ig ) captured the video for the short film, content for BTS and the show itself, ensuring that when we release everything, it is of the highest quality. Chloe Halsey (@chloe.halsey on ig) was incredible helping me in back stage fixing girls hair and makeup, as well as helping with last minute additions of buttons on pieces; she also made a bubble skirt for one of the looks for me. De Niro Gibbs (ByGawn – on streaming platforms) created multiple original songs to play for the show based on the input I provided and absolutely hit the head of the nail of what I was looking for. Parker Wilhelm helped with the final master of that music and was incredibly vital in supplying audio euiptment to have quality sound for the audience to enjoy. Haylee Schoulties (@charcuterieby.hayley on ig) provided charcuterie boxes for all of the VIP ticket holders to enjoy along with their champaign that was served by my family. There were many photographers present at the show as well. Samuel Greenhill (@abrokenlightbulb on ig) captured the campaign shoot a week before the show and was there at the show as well. Isaiah Cole (@coleworldd_ on ig) as well as Colby Taylor (@colbytaylormedia on ig) were both present taking pictures as well. My brother, Henry organized lots of behind the scenes things such as parking/security, set-up/tear-down, and assisting in all of the mundane things I coudln’t worry about that month. My friends Ev and Ryah both ran the post-show pop-up that went increidbly well (numbers doubled from the first post-show pop-up). This collection was the first time I have put out a show and project to this level, and organized every area of it myself. Without the people listed above and many others, I would not have been able to accomplish it. This collection I am releasing soon is inspired by the feeling of being stuck within the corporate system, traumatic circumstances, or even the mundaneness of life that beats down on us all. Often times those difficult situations push people to use things to cope and to escape to experience “freedom.” Unfortunately, a large portion of society turns to things that are not good for them to use. Those things being retail therapy, alcohol, drugs, relationships, etc… They don’t ever provide a lasting fix or escape; they are temporary and often leave the indiviudal worse off than it found them. Do you remember what it was to dream as a child? Many of us cannot. I was incredibly inspired for this collection by feeling those things as well as the opposite, which is true freedom. If you were to ask a child if there are limits on what they can achieve, they would most likely tell you, no. We go to school and are told that we need to “grow-up”, “be realtistic”, or “get a real job.” While there is some truth in those statements, where would we be as a society if it weren’t for those that set aside the perceptions of others to chase a lofty goal? Society breaks us down, tells us we are a number, a cog in the machine… when life is bigger than that. This collection is a refelction of where I have found freedom and where I see others failing to find it. As far as the charitiable aspect of this collection, Created One of One has the great honor to partner with City Gospel Mission to donate 10% of the proceeds of the collection to their goals and intiatives. They are heavily focsued on poverty alleviation, homeslessness assistance, and mental health/ addiction services. This is something that may seem simple , but I am incredibly honored and proud to partner with them. As a child I remember volunteering with my family, friends, and church at CGM. For my brand to now be partnering with them, it means the world, and is an encouraging full-circle moment. I have spent this month after the show resting and appreciating the simple things of life, as well as aquiring new Juki sewing/serger machines, other new equiptment, and working on logistics for the fall show (which is heavily western, Ralph Lauren, and traditonal Americana inspired). I am now back to work, and am excited to be releasing this second collection, Childlike Freedom soon, alongside the short film/ full-video of the show. To stay tuned on everything I am working on, you can follow me (@g.a.patterson) or the brand (@createdoneofone) on Instagram. Thank you Shoutout Ohio for this opportunity to share my story and work, and to the reader… remember Jesus loves you and U R CREATED ONE OF ONE!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Funnily enough, I actully had a friend in from Colorado for my most recent show this past June. He was only here for a couple of days but came back just a week ago for a few more. There are few essentials when it comes to Cincinnati. First thing that we did was get Larosas Pizza, and on the way home from picking Larosas up we got some Graeters ice cream. While it seems simple, the best gas station, and something that feels like home is UDF (United Dairy Farmers), so I made sure we stopped there for snacks one evening. Unfortunately my friend doesnt like chili, but one of the most important things to experience is Skyline Chili. Whether its a coney, a 4 way, or using the chili to make Skyline dip… it’s something that I’ll have to try to have him try next time he’s here. The second time he was here we had more time, so I had to make sure we went to Jeff Ruby’s, the best steakhouse in the city, and something that truly livevs up to the name of “culinary entertainment.” Some of my other favorite places to eat would be Pepp and Delores, The Eagle, and the Governor Modern Diner. Aside from food, some of the msot fun times I have here in the city are at Benglas, Reds, and FCC games, or going to the Smith League, where some of the best basketball talent is on desplay during the summer. I also took him to a Christian worship gathering called Abide Worship, which is a local group that meets every other monday in Lebanon, Ohio. Aside from those things, there are lots of great places to go whether that be hiking, downtown in OTR, downtown Loveland or Milford, or local thrfting spots. Cincinnati has a lot to offer and is a great place to be at!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are multiple people in my life that have helped me get to where I am today. First of all, without my relationship with God, I couldn’t have made it this far. As far as people go, I can specifically name my mom and brother, Henry. My mom has helped me as a person, constantly encouraging me to pursue my dreams. Henry has begun to help with the business, and we are now working on it together. He assists with things behind the scenes so that I can focus on the creative direction of all projects. The are countless other friends and family that have played roles for me through the first two shows and collections I have put out. At this point, there are already too many to name everyone. I owe so much to those people, and they have been credited within blogs on the brands website and on Instagram posts.

Website: https://createdoneofone.com

Instagram: @createdoneofone

Youtube: Created One of One

Other: Email: [email protected]

personal Instagram: @g.a.patterson

Image Credits
Personal photo (Colby Taylor )
1-3 (Orlando Pelagio)
4 ( Isaiah Cole)
5-6 (Samuel Greenhill)
7-8 (Colby Taylor)