You’ve seen them: the brightly
colored tanks with the heroic, bold and boisterous “San Marvelous” moniker. You may have even been one of the four people who literally bought the shirt off his back at one of the Bobcat Football Tailgates or at Rally On The Square last fall. Rio wanted to make sure that those who don the San Marvelous duds felt strong and confident in sharing their pride. “Bobcats are more than just maroon and gold, the Texas State colors. We Bobcats have a lot of color to us, a lot of vibrance. There’s a lot of magic to this town and to this university, and I wanted to give the people something to be proud to wear that symbolizes that,” explains Rodriguez. It was during Rodriguez’s college journey, including his days running the exciting Rockstar Productions, throwing and attending various house parties, lavish pool parties, wild nights at the bars, making new friendships, cultivating the old ones and all that was in between, that San Marvelous was born. When Rodriguez first began his college experience here in the fountain of youth, he initially thought that he’d study to be in radio or television. He had always been interested in brands and advertising and figured that it would be natural to pursue an endeavor in Mass Communication. However, when his passion for customizing denim for himself and his friends became more than just a hobby, the jeans he created became a showstopper on campus and at the bars. Rio took the suggestions from those who admired his work and decided that Fashion Merchandising might be the best way to go. He realized he made the best decision of his life when he entered his first fashion class, with 112 students; 110 of which were female. He figured this was a dream come true--all the girls he could ask for! As it turned out though, the path in fashion was a life changer, as he found himself more and more excited about the material they were learning, the people he was being introduced to, and most importantly, the summer networking opportunities he took advantage of in
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Los Angeles and Las Vegas. But instead of following the trends of leaving for the shining beacons of New York City or Los Angeles, Rio decided to stick around town and pursue the San Marvelous dream. Rio believes that memories may fade, but tangible things such as t-shirts will always remain. He reflects that one day most of us will move on from our times in San Marcos, get married, have a family, and when our kids are teenagers and they ask about our college years, we’ll have something to show them, to laugh about, to let the fond memories of this great city live on and be remembered. In fact, San Marvelous is not just a brand; it’s a conversation starter. “I mean, if you’re living anywhere in the world, and you’re wearing your San Marvelous shirt or tank and someone asks, ‘What’s San Marvelous?’ you automatically have some really cool stories to share,” said Rio. During the course of this interview, Rodriguez learned something new about himself and why he designed San Marvelous the way he did. “When I was designing logos for San Marvelous, one of my goals was to make something that would be a ‘Superman’ shirt. What I mean by that is, I wanted to make a shirt that makes you feel special when you put it on. You know it’s going to be a good day when you have on your San Marvelous shirt. I used to have this blue Superman shirt when I was a kid and it was my favorite. It made me happy, and I probably wore it 5 or 6 times a week... Haha, I think that may have been when my infatuation with branding and logos began. I never realized that until this interview.” So next time when you see this San Marcos inspired brand, you will know that it was birthed right here on campus with pride and hard work from a Bobcat who went from Gucci and Versace to tank tops and flip flops.
San Marvelous clothing can be found online at SanMarvelous.com and is sold on the square at Barfish Lounge.
Katria Major: Geography San Marvelous: Summer 2011 Doing now: Journalist for magazine in Thailand
Whitney Major: Mass Communications San Marvelous: Spring 2012 Doing now: Miss United States 2012-2013
Tiffany Major: Advertising San Marvelous: 2012-2013 Doing now: Account Coordinator for Level Two Advertising Firm
Ali Major: Mass Communications San Marvelous: 2012-2013 Doing Now: Sports Analyst at KCWX in Austin
San Marvelous Kittens are the models and promotion girls for the local clothing brand.