WISE MOVE: Michelle Sarracini, left, and Emiliy Gonzales launched their Wizdum clothing line earlier this year. The pair is working to get the apparel into boutique shops. (Courtesy Michelle Sarracini)
A pint-sized wizard and a diminutive ninja start to breakdance.
No, this isn’t the making of a bad joke, but the mental image is supposed to make you smile.
So if you find yourself grinning, Michelle Sarracini has done her job.
The cute characters appear on apparel offered by Wizdum Design, a graphic t-shirt company founded by the Concord native and St. Elizabeth CHS alum in January.
“I’m using them as a tool to say whatever I want,” Sarracini said of her characters. “I’m just trying to cheer people up.”
Sarracini describes Wizdum as the “anti-brand” in a “very aggressive, angry and competitive” market dominated by skater companies.
“Not everyone’s a punk, not everyone’s a tough guy,” she said.
Sarracini and her business partner, fellow St. Elizabeth grad Emily Gonzales, celebrated their official launch in August. They’re now in talks to get their clothing line onto boutique shop racks. Currently, Wizdum’s quirky t-shirts, hats and hoodies are available to purchase from their website.
The company was founded after the 28-year-old found herself suffering from the what-am-I-doing-with-my-life blues and a bout of depression, she said. Wizdum symbolizes her choice to take control of her destiny and not be sad.
“It’s hard work being a happy person,” she said. “That’s what these clothes represent. It’s kind of like wearing my heart on my sleeve.”
Wizdum also owes its existence to a former St. Elizabeth art teacher, Sarracini says. Her experience in James Warburton’s class made her the person she is today: a strong woman willing to go for broke with this venture, she says.
The fun and inspirational teacher instructed Sarracini throughout her high school career and helped her go on an eye-opening class trip to Paris.
Sarracini recalled Warburton suggesting she pawn off some of her possessions when she told him she couldn’t afford the trip. She mentioned a guitar she never used and Warburton asked what her price was.
“He bought it off me for the exact cost of the trip,” Sarracini said. “It really wasn’t worth it and he was probably doing it to be nice. But that meant a lot to me and it still does now.”
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