You might have seen the cartoon caricatures and scrawlings of DANA CRUMB on t-shirts, sweaters and stickers throughout the school. With a unique font and style, the eye-catching tag has now evolved into a small, Bronx-based, clothing brand.

The creator of the brand and tag, Eytan Stanton ’19, found his passion for art, as well as his inspiration for the tag, in middle school, where he was able to experiment with different mediums and styles of art. “In eighth grade, I attended my school’s after school art club. Mr. Enright was the club facilitator. One afternoon, while we were sketching together, his phone rang. He received a call from someone named ‘Dana Crumb.’ For some reason, the name resonated with me. I took a fresh Sharpie and, using all caps, I tagged the name ‘DANA CRUMB’ around the classroom on posters. The style of writing came out naturally, and it stuck,” said Stanton.

Stanton takes a lot of inspiration from graffiti and street art, utilizing bright, vibrant colors to make the brand stand out. “Graffiti is similar to t-shirt graphics in that both allow art to be displayed on a real-life public platform. At the same time my interest in street art began, I began printing my art on t-shirts with linoleum stamps and fabric ink. It’s not like I woke up one day and decide to make a clothing brand. Rather, I slowly began experimenting more with printmaking on fabrics,” said Stanton.

“My stickers and hoodies are printed in Kingsbridge, and my shirts are hand printed in Mott Haven [another neighborhood in the Bronx].” said Eytan Stanton ’19

Another source of inspiration for Stanton and DANA CRUMB is the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx, where Stanton grew up. DANA CRUMB was not only born in the Bronx, but it also supports local Bronx businesses as it grows into one itself. Stanton hopes to expand DANA CRUMB during his last months of high school and continue into college.

“I don’t have a five year business plan or anything like that. I did gain a lot of momentum during this past summer, and I would love to take advantage of that. I plan on releasing at least one shirt this spring along with many stickers. This upcoming summer, I plan on working on the brand more and selling at markets like I did last summer. My largest goal was to build a functioning website and online shop. I’m so hyped with how well everything has been received, both within the Bronx Science community and the world,” said Stanton. “I have been in touch with some retail stores to stock my clothing. One skate shop in Tokyo said that when I have more quantity and variety in my inventory, they would be willing to stock. I would say that getting my brand in shops would be my next big goal.”

Although Stanton will be graduating this year in June 2019, his legacy will live on through the stickers, sweaters and shirts throughout school, as well as his customers and the entire neighborhood of Kingsbridge.