Flying Pork Apparel Co.

Mix a little local love, creative flair, and fashionable fun. What do you get? The Flying Pork Apparel Co. (FPA), a new t-shirt shop to hit the Tri-State.

The co-owners behind the business are Brad Lark and Nate Ward, who have nearly two decades of combined experience in the design field. Lark studied graphic design at the University of Cincinnati, worked at POSSIBLE for four years, and then launched his own freelance design business “BLARK” in 2012. Ward has been running a full service design and print company, KN8Designs, since 2009 where he designs and prints materials – such as business cards, postcards, CD covers, posters, event invitations – for his clients’ personal and professional marketing needs.

The two decided they had the experience and resources to launch a FPA as a fun “Passion Project,” so they have been building and implementing the concept since September 2013. “Today, we’re a Cincinnati-based designer of clothing and accessories,” Lark explains. “Our shop specializes in unique t-shirt designs that are produced on-site to allow for rapid order turnaround.”

All product designs are created by Lark and Ward. “We’re proud Cincinnatians feebly attempting to spread the joy — in t-shirt form,” Lark says. “We’ll never follow another style or theme. For instance, you will not see Flying Pork Apparel Co. create a t-shirt based on something from a movie, etc. Every design is created from scratch.”

For the future, Lark says their goal is to upgrade their equipment enough to become even more efficient. They also are interested in making other items and accessories that are non-apparel for their customers.

Ward and Lark are both musicians, and the music world is where they find much of their inspiration for designs and new product offerings. “Not unlike the comfort of a really good song, the Almighty Well-Designed T-Shirt can bring lots of joy to an individual. We see t-shirts proudly worn everywhere, and they never seem to go away… just like our favorite songs, right?” says Lark. “T-shirts are usually seen as both a statement and a comfort piece for most people to wear. Flying Pork Apparel Co. has realized that. The inspiration behind Flying Pork Apparel Co. comes from our collective desire to embrace and re-connect the simpler things in life.”

Currently, all FPA t-shirts sell online for $25, but Lark says they hope to offer a wider range of products and prices soon. FPA is located at 1716 Madison Rd. Cincinnati, Ohio 45206. To learn more, visit their website www.flyingporkapparel.com or “like” their Facebook page. Contct them via email at sales@flyingporkapparel.com or call (513) 404-4234.