— has opened his first physical shop at 200 South San Pedro Street in Little Tokyo. Launched in 2010, his brand has collaborated with the likes of Hello Kitty, Dragon Ball Z, Yu-Gi-Oh, as well as the NBA and Netflix, growing a fanbase along the way.
“I remember I made maybe 50 at the time,” Bentley said of the tops. “I brought them to school, and I made $1,000 that day. That’s when I thought, ‘Dude, this could be a serious business.’ And my mom naturally just always supported me. She was doing the things necessary to make sure I was set up.”“It was me just making clothes in my house,” said Bentley. “I was sewing stuff in my room at the time. I got a silkscreen machine.
About two months later Bentley had a dream that he had collaborated with Dragon Ball Z. The Japanese anime series had been his favorite. He decided to explore the idea after visiting Mike Cherman, creator of Chinatown Market, another mentor. Cherman was heading to an expo in Las Vegas where there would be reps from all the top anime brands and companies including Dragon Ball.
Hypland already had a following at the time with a growing online presence, but the partnership — which was with the Japanese manga series Bleach — was a turning point for Hypland, and Bentley had found his niche.Courtesy of Hypland/Cristine Jane “Because I’m genuinely a fan of the anime, gaming space, I know exactly what people want to see,” said Bentley.