Prairie Star Athletic Apparel started the same way a lot of good ideas do by just helping out. But the story really goes way back.

I was 14 when I launched my first brand, Mooch Wear, back in 1988. This was before snowboard-specific gear existed. If you rode, you wore ski clothes, that was it. So we made our own. And yeah, the name Mooch? That came from friends who were great at borrowing money… and not so great at paying it back.

That early hustle turned into a lifelong passion.

I’ve spent over three decades in graphic and product design, trained at ACAD, working with some pretty unreal brands along the way, Burton, Salomon, Nike, Mercedes-Benz, Warren Miller, WestJet, The North Face plus leagues like the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). I’ve designed for international events like FIS World Cup and TransRockies Race Series, had work light up all 34 Times Square billboards, and picked up a dozen national and international awards along the way.