By: Tom Clutch

Good day, Kids! Tom Clutch here! Hope you take some time reading this letter addressed to you:

Creating a brand icon or brand mascot is like the art of pottery. You have to craft and mold one in order to make a perfect silhouette of what you want your brand icon to be. However, unlike pottery, you could not get the right silhouette with just one go when creating a brand icon. There are so many things that need to be considered in making one. The most important thing that needs to be considered is that  the icon should represent the entirety of the brand. It should also help the brand logo in distinguishing your brand among thousands of brands scattered around the world. Thus, Don’t Blame The Kids Apparel Co. decided to create me as their representative.

I, Tom Clutch, underwent different sketches and silhouettes before taking up this final form. The first inspiration they based me on was the Gorilla shirt, particularly on how the design of the gorilla is interchangeable and could vary from one design to another. Next inspiration is my fellow dog friend from the 1960s cartoon called Magnificent Muttley. Like Muttley, I am also a dreamer and I provide service to you all voluntarily. The founders, Emilkids and Vincekids, acknowledge me as someone who gets things done and capable of making my dreams come to reality. 

Their love for dogs is also the reason why my silhouette is in this form. Some have mistaken me for a walrus or a bear, but that’s okay. Like your pet dogs, I am someone who will make sure to brighten up your day and inspire you to continue to do what you are passionate about. Dressing up as Gundam, Deku, Naruto, Astronaut, etc. is my way of connecting to you all Kids because we both share the same interests and views as supporters of the brand. In my own little ways, I want to become an inspiration to all of you and make a testament that dreams are not impossible to reach.

I am very thankful for the brand for giving me the opportunity to hold and show DBTK’s mantra which is “Dream Big. Start Small.” and “Setting Standards.” Since the beginning, these mantras were embedded through my core. And, the most important thing is that I always focus on the results of my actions. I think, the good thing about not being able to speak is that I am trained to show what I want to say through my actions. 

All of these opportunities would not be possible if it weren’t for the founders who continued their dreams and showed determination and passion all throughout. If not for them, I wouldn’t be here sharing existence with you guys. And, because of them, I was able to meet you kids, and grew and became who I am today because of what I learned from your stories of struggles and successes. 

Now, I am ready to move on to the next chapter of my life. And, I am lucky enough because I got the founders’ back in this decision of finally pursuing my dreams. No one knows what my plans are really. They tried guessing if I am going to study or even go to start a restaurant. But, one thing is for sure, no matter what my plans are, I will forever carry all the learnings and wisdom I obtained along this journey. 

As I mentioned earlier, speaking is never my forte but walking the walk and getting things done are my strong suits. So, I would let my actions speak about what my next plans are. This dream was something that I was envisioning for awhile now. And, like anybody else, this is a big leap that I am willing to take; and, a small step of making this vision come to life. I will keep you guys guessing for now! But, I hope you will support me in this journey as the founders and the whole DBTK team do.

See you around!

• Tom Clutch •