Written by SJC Sports Information Intern Christopher Theodores '25

Reinvention is woven into the fabric of who Bryton Early is. His experiences, different threads woven together, shape him into the man he is today and help guide him on his journey to create his most important masterpiece.

His life.

At 21 years old, Bryton Early (Rollinsford, N.H) has overcome many hardships. An easy future is never guaranteed, but if Bryton remains true to himself in his field of art and design, he will find great success.

TEMP, Early's clothing brand, originates from the Spanish word temprano, meaning early. A business model born from the lessons of his life; Bryton upcycles clothing. He goes to thrift stores, buys clothes and deconstructs them, to make "new" art.

He describes "I make one-of-one stuff right now, I'll make a pair of jeans, rip 'em up, stitch them and sell them for 150% profit." There continues to be strong interest in his brand and as he gains experience, he broadens his inventory. What started with denim has now expanded to a wide variety of different fabrics. Over the summer, he has an internship set up with a tailor at a mill in New Hampshire. There he hopes to continue developing his ability to work with fleece and other materials that are foreign to him.

Up to this point, Bryton's favorite piece is a gray Carhartt shirt (see photo on right). "I bleached a heart on the Carhartt logo, and I let the bleach drip down. Several people wanted it. Working on Carhartt and these brands that represent the working man while making it fashionable is really cool." He looks to reinvent everyday clothing and infuse it with his personality. Running his own clothing business is not easy, but Bryton remains dedicated and determined as he has a history of turning challenges into opportunities.

Life has a way of throwing different challenges at people, but these challenges sometimes reveal a path forward. Bryton has overcome many obstacles and is able to reflect maturely on his decisions. Out of high school, Bryton, looking to be the first male in his family to graduate from college, set his sights on Plymouth State University, where he hoped to play basketball. This dream was quickly halted when he tore his ACL at the beginning of his freshman year. Learning how to ease himself back into playing was tough but proved to be an important step in his journey.

During the long road to recovery, he spent a lot of time at Boston Children's Hospital. Here he found inspiration where he least expected it. Bryton explains "I met an 11-year-old girl, who had leukemia, she was making friendship bracelets and made me one…sadly, she ended up passing. She always gave me something to say, and our friendship changed the way I looked at everything. She was bound to pass and was always happy, while I was complaining about having a bum knee…she just made me appreciate life and I am like 'wow I am never going to take stuff for granted.' I've never forgotten her; I remember the day I met her. The day she gave me that bracelet…I'll always have that."

Although his basketball experience at Plymouth State was at a crossroads, there were countless lessons to be learned. The biggest lesson: belief goes a long way.

A class at Plymouth State called Masks, Myths, and Identity uncovered potential Bryton might not have discovered on his own. He shared "Jay Moskowitz, who sadly passed away in 2020, really brought it all out of me. He saw potential in me that I wasn't seeing. I was there because I needed to take an art class. He was like 'you're really good at this, you should make something out of this.' He showed me my potential in art." Here again, Bryton saw an opportunity - something that was a requirement turned into a potential career path. While he knew others believed in him, he started to believe in himself in new ways.

After evaluating his opportunities, he decided to transfer to Saint Joseph's College of Maine. He did this to reinvent himself. Having several family members and friends go to Plymouth State University, he felt that was the most comfortable and convenient decision. Now a senior, he looks back and realizes, "I didn't really go to college to learn and focus on academics. I went to play sports and meet friends. My first two years, I was ineligible to play the second semester and I was always struggling with grades. Ever since I transferred here, I've been on the Dean's List. I really stepped up my game and I'm very proud of that."

For the second time in just a couple of years, Bryton faced a challenge and landed on an opportunity. In a scenario where some could decide that college just isn't for them, he persisted and chose the path less taken by transferring to Saint Joseph's. Along the way, he learned several lessons while developing his image and understanding of academic opportunity. As school fell into place, it became clear where he was supposed to be.

For Bryton Early, this was just the beginning. As he investigates the future, he has dreams that are very attainable. He plans to launch a website to grow his commissions and soon, would like to operate out of his own space. After school, he plans to travel around the country to soak up the culture and history of the fashion industry. While there is uncertainty, he hopes to fully immerse himself in the fashion culture to better himself and his brand.

"Bryton is a guy who doesn't mind doing his own thing…he doesn't worry about how he's perceived, and I really respect that," adds SJC Men's Basketball Head Coach Tyler Ackley. "He doesn't mind being a little different - most successful people are a little different, I think. People who want to fit in rarely break away from the crowd, but those who are successful often march to the beat of their own drum. Bryton has a lot of that in him, he's a dude everyone likes."

"The thing I like most about Bryton is he is a worker," Coach Ackley continues. "I routinely talk to the team about this - if you're willing to put in the workday after day after day to chase something you want, eventually you'll get there. He's willing to go along the journey and that makes him really special."

Bryton has big dreams - "In 10-15 years I want to be a household name," he says. "I want celebrities, everyday people, everyone wearing my stuff. I want them to feel good in my clothes. I don't want them to wear it because they're like 'that's nice' but because it makes them feel good."

Bryton is looking to change the world one thread at a time. Ackley can see how; he shares "you're going to get the same 'B' 99% of the time. It's rare for him to come in and not be who he is. He believes in himself, he's willing to work, he shows up every day ready to go. He's as tough as they come and that's one of the things I really admire about him."

While not everyone can be like Bryton, they can be true to who they are by expressing themselves through their clothing.

To his family, friends, teammates, and everyone who wears his clothes, he voices his gratitude: "Thank you for letting me be myself, be my own person, giving me the opportunity to be creative and think outside the box and do all this crazy stuff. Always supporting me, they never said 'that's weird or that's crazy, why do you want to make clothes??'… it was 'that's cool!!'…I very much appreciate the support."

For Bryton, clothes are not only a piece of fabric, but they are also a lens into who he is, "I have always liked looking good and buying nice clothes. I look at clothes as wearable art. I like to think about it the same way someone puts up a painting in their house and it makes them feel a certain way, if I put on a unique pair of jeans, a part of me is expressed." This is a feeling Bryton wants everyone to experience and knows his clothes can be the reason for it.

Through reinventing his life and remaining true to who he is, Bryton has been able to do the same with his clothes. Keep an eye out for TEMP clothing and potentially a Bryton Early Clothing line in the future because it's only up from here.