(By Andy Park of KrapyDNA) What is it about risk taking that’s so appealing? Possibly the thrill and exhilaration when succeeding, or the ego that you build that you conquered some risk? Either way, I’ve loved risk taking my whole life. It gets my blood flowing and it’s so exciting. Unfortunately, most of the risks I’ve taken up to this point in my life have been for foolish gains and petty thrills. As a kid, I was pretty reckless and didn’t have much fear. I would try stupid stunts or crazy tricks on my bike and inevitably it led to a lot of bumps and bruises. Even at an older age, I took different chances and risks that weren’t really beneficial.

The reason I bring this up is that my whole life, I’ve been taking foolish risks. Risks where the gain or outcome isn’t even that great, and the risk itself is somewhat substantial. Even though this is true, the beautiful thing about being under God and His grace is that He can use our weaknesses in a good way.

I recently read a quote about risk taking that said, “the most intelligent risks are those where the potential downside is limited, but the potential upside is virtually unlimited.” [Read more...]

(By Andy Park of KrapyDNA) I’m so thankful and humbled by the encouragement and support I’ve been getting ever since I took the leap of faith in February to start this brand. God really speaks to me through His people and shows me that I’m not in this by myself, but that I have a community and team of believers that care and ultimately have the same goal as I do in glorifying Him. I’ve never been one to need much encouragement in the things that I did, but starting this brand is probably the hardest thing I’ve done and the encouragements have been very welcome and almost necessary for me. I’m learning more and more that community and the people you surround yourself with is so important in sustainability and well being.

Although all the support I’ve gotten to this point has been amazing, two specific instances really stand out to me because they were so genuine in nature. [Read more...]

(By Moses Yoon and Andy Park) Andy Park – his name seems typical – you probably know 4 Andy Parks, 5 David Kims, 3 Paul Lees, and so forth. But spell Andy Park backwards – and you get KrapyDNA. That’s right – introducing Andy’s new clothing brand, KrapyDNA. Read his story – the conviction, the obedience, and the sacrifice. Compelling story.

Q: Describe some of the day to day business challenges in producing your shirts?

Creative direction for the shirts is one of the hardest but also one of the most enjoyable things I do. Almost all of my shirts will be released as part of a collection which will have one central theme or message to it and brainstorming ways to keep that collection cohesive can be challenging. Another big challenge I face in producing shirts is the financial aspect. Sacrificing quality is not an option and therefore I need to be creative in keeping costs down in other areas to be able to manufacture a strong inventory of desirable products.

Q: Is it only shirts? If not, what else?

Our initial product line consisted of t-shirts and stickers. I am currently looking into a few more products to release in the coming months which will include hoodies, hats, and more. Stay tuned! [Read more...]