Hello, and welcome to the South Bay Design Lab. In case we haven’t met before, my name is Andrew Sarnecki. I grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles and spent my adolescent years surfing along the Southern California coastline and exploring the local Sierra Nevada Mountains. My life is fueled by nature, surfing and the outdoors. My profession is rooted in art, design and photography. I reside in Hermosa Beach and have been a resident of the South Bay of LA for over 20 years.
I studied design and photography at the University of Notre Dame. My creative career began in the early 2000s as an Art Director at Body Glove Wetsuits. During my time at Body Glove I started creating a surf & climbing inspired apparel company called HippyTree. In 2007 I left Body Glove to pursue HippyTree full-time. For 15+ years I served as the the Founder, President and Creative Director for HippyTree. I led the brand from a startup garage operation to an established apparel business carried in over 500 retailers with distribution in a dozen countries. In 2022 I transitioned to a part-time role with HippyTree to focus on other projects and become a design consultant.
Over the years I’ve built a vast network of designers, photographers and content creators. Beyond being a highly skilled designer, I’m well versed at building and leading a team of creatives. As a past apparel business owner, I have a deep understanding regarding the ins and outs of running a startup brand along with firsthand experience in apparel manufacturing, sales, financing and operations. I enjoy helping brands with strategy, marketing, graphic and product design.
If you’re looking for help with a project or in need of a creative leader, let’s connect!
SKILLS & SPECIALTIES: Creative Team Building & Leadership Brand Strategy, Marketing & Art Direction Apparel, Accessory & Headwear Design Tee Shirt Graphics Label, Trim & Package Design Yarn Dyed Fabrics + All-Over Prints Product Collab Ideation & Design Trend Forecasting + Product Sourcing Product Development & Production Logo & Brand Identity Event Flyer + Poster Design Catalog, Brochure & Mailer Design Photo Shoot & Video Art Direction Digital Display Ads + Web Marketing Social Media Strategy & Eblast Design
