“In the dream, I had my own boutique with shirts made out of solid gold, and they were selling so fast, moms were fighting over them. I woke up and said this has got to be a sign for something.” – Ryan Mante Breezy Excursion’s first line was simple. A few fitted hats and T-shirts established that they were all about hip-hop, nostalgia, and Bay Area culture. To market it, they headed to the MAGIC streetwear trade show in Las Vegas, where they walked around with backpacks and hocked their wares. “Everyone in the industry was there—our heroes really—and it was intimidating,” says Lilleland. “We were the outsiders.” Breezy Excursion only sold a few units, but their spirits were high and they were willing to do whatever it took to get noticed. They started an online radio show, got their clothes listed on KarmaLoop (the premier streetwear distributor), and continued to hustle at clothing expos. Their efforts paid off, and only a year later they were back at the MAGIC show, this time with an entourage of 30-plus people, a DJ, and the loudest booth in the show. “We built the brand to our lifestyle, and back then we partied pretty hard,” Lilleland says and laughs. “You couldn’t miss us.”
Now, nearly a decade later, Breezy Excursion is one of the hottest up-and-coming streetwear brands, with a large, loyal group of employees, a flagship store in San Jose, and clothing being sold in countless shops across the globe. With their success, they’ve been able to sit back a bit, but they still share creative responsibilities and oversee the day-to-day operations. In the future, Breezy Excursion hopes to continue to grow and inspire people with their transgressive but endearing cultural vision. Like their extended name says, Breezy Excursion Sticks Together. “We want to maintain the legacy of being a company that was brought out of nothing and became successful,” Mante says. “But more than anything, we want to show that we are a product of San Jose, California.” C
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