Roommates, teammates, business partners

Anyone who¡¯s unsure of what a liberal arts experience can look like ¡ª meet ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø¡¯s Caden Foulke ¡¯24 from Brentwood, Tenn., and Aykeem Spivey ¡¯24 from Gurnee, Ill.

Foulke, a graphic design/business-marketing major, and Spivey, a psychology/art major, have roomed together since football camp their first year. Looking for a creative outlet and a way to make money, they started an online streetwear business featuring their designs. It¡¯s called ¡°dog complex,¡± a play on ¡°god complex.¡±

¡°By no means am I surprised that they have the entrepreneurial spirit or had the initiative to follow through with it,¡± said Steve Bell, Vikings football coach. ¡°I give them both a ton of credit for thinking outside the box and being organized enough in their spirit to get it up and running. They are both old souls with class and flare!¡±

Strongly influenced by ¡°all things art, music, athletics and skateboarding,¡± Foulke and Spivey create designs for T-shirts and hoodies. ¡°We want to create quality clothing that functions as a piece of art,¡± Foulke said. ¡°So we found a source with high-quality material ¡ª a higher thread count ¡ª to put a cool piece of art on.¡± 

New on their website is a hoodie with a design inspired by Foulke¡¯s mythology class with Dr. Mischa Hooker in Classics. The design reflects Hercules capturing the Cerberus, of the 12 Labors of Hercules from Greek mythology.

Creating designs hasn¡¯t been the most difficult part of this endeavor; it¡¯s been the logistics of starting a business. But both Foulke and Spivey say they¡¯re making use of what they¡¯ve learned in many of their classes across disciplines.

They also use their time in the weight room every day to listen to music and come up with design ideas.

¡°We push on each other to improve our designs, and the business allows us to build our portfolios,¡± Foulke said. ¡°It¡¯s a way to test ourselves.¡± 

Spivey added, ¡°I¡¯ve learned I¡¯m a lot more capable of doing more than I thought I could since we started this. I¡¯m more confident and doing better in my classes.¡± Both earned Dean¡¯s List honors last semester.

Spivey is looking at a career in art therapy and hopes to freelance as a mixed media artist. Foulke¡¯s dream job would be creative director at a music company or for a clothing line.

Some say going into business with a friend may not be the best idea. For these two, their friendship and trust in each other have grown stronger. 

¡°We¡¯re pretty much the same person,¡± Foulke said.