SEYMOUR – Twin brothers Anthony and George Marini, of Ansonia, have forged a partnership with Seymour Pink in the ongoing fight against breast cancer.
The 16-year-old Ansonia High School sophomores designed a clothing line for the nonprofit organization. Since 2009 Seymour Pink has raised more than $3 million for breast cancer research and financial assistance for survivors, according to its website.
The brothers first launched an athletic clothing line, called Forge Athletics, last year. Both boys, who are into weightlifting, said they were tired of shopping for over-priced athletic wear.
“Gym clothes are very expensive, especially for a teenager, and sometimes a T-shirt, in the more popular brands, can run up to $80,” Anthony said. “We thought we could do better than that, so we created some clothes just for ourselves.”
Anthony said Geroge came up with the idea for the designs, including an Excalibur-type sword and other medieval designs. Anthony created the images on his iPad, and together they brought the designs to life by emblazoning them onto T-shirts on a specialty printer they have at home.
“Some of our friends and others at the gym saw us wearing the shirts and asked where they could buy one,” Anthony said. “We thought it would be a good idea to start a business that created quality athletic clothing with unique designs at affordable prices.”
The brothers said they invested $500 and found a manufacturer to sell them quality T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and sweatpants. They customized the clothes with their designs, which have a Conan the Barbarian vibe.
The warrior-like theme on their clothes got the brothers thinking that they wanted to help out Seymour Pink. The boys have regularly participated in Seymour Pink 5K road races, and their own grandmother survived breast cancer.
“When we first launched our brand, something we really wanted to do was use it as a way to fundraise money for nonprofits that help strengthen the fibers of our community,” George said. “We thought of Seymour Pink first. Growing up in the Valley, and going to Seymour Pink’s annual races, and seeing the support they give people like our own grandmother when she went through her breast cancer journey, it was really a no-brainer for us to collaborate with them.”
Anthony added “Seymour Pink’s message about a community’s fight to end breast cancer really stood out to us. We thought it would be a good idea to help them with their mission in any way we could.”
The brothers created a couple designs to support the breast cancer fight. They include a pink boxing glove holding a dumbbell wrapped in a pink ribbon and bearing the words “No One Fights Alone,” as well as a “Stronger Together” design featuring a similar logo.
They reached out to Seymour Pink Founder Mary Deming to see if she’d be interested in making the T-shirts and hoodies available for sale, with 30 percent of the proceeds to benefit the nonprofit.
“Here’s these two, 16-year-old entrepreneurs who wanted to do something and make a difference,” Deming said. “They dropped off some samples at the (Seymor Pink) gift shop and we absolutely loved them. The prices are very reasonable, and the best part is the give back goes to Seymour Pink. The boys are amazing.”
Dawn Scott, a Seymour Pink board member, works at the Seymour Pink gift shop at 3 Franklin St. in Seymour.
“Anthony explained that his love for fitness and the high cost of athletic wear inspired him and his brother to create a line of stylish, comfortable and reasonably priced workout clothes,” Scott said. “We were very impressed with their motivation, enthusiasm, and dedication to the community.”
Scott said the first day the samples hit the store, proceeds from sales raised almost $100.
Samples of the apparel, which range in price from $20-$25, are on display at the Seymour Pink gift shop and orders can be placed online via the Marinis’ Shopify website, as well as on their Facebook page. The line can also be viewed on their Instagram and TikTok pages.
The brothers’ goal is to raise at least $500 for Seymour Pink.
“We’re very thankful to Mrs. Deming for allowing us to do this,” Anthony said. “We wanted to do a collaboration with Seymour Pink to honor our grandma who had breast cancer and beat it.”
“We wanted a design that incorporated a message that a community that supports each other is always stronger,” George said. “We created logos that represented the strength of breast cancer warriors.”
While Seymour Pink is the Marini brothers first collaboration with a local nonprofit, they hope to team up with other area nonprofits to do more of the same. They also hope to expand the Forge line of merchandise and make it available at area gyms.
“Our target audience is anyone who wants high quality items for a low cost,” Anthony said.
“And for anyone who’s tired of spending $50 to $80 for a T-shirt.” George said.
As far as their futures after high school, Anthony said he wants to go into law, like his father, former Ansonia Corporation Counsel John Marini. George said he’s interested in pursuing a career in physical therapy.