Elev808: More Than Just a Clothing Brand
How a young entrepreneur chased his dreams, shattered the American work model, and created a community through the shared love of music and fashion.
Bella Siskind
12/1/2024
Elev808 community members raise the company flag at Lost Lands Music Festival, 2023.(Photo posted to Elev808 Collective by Steven Costello)
Dancing in 100 or more degrees in the wilderness of Michigan during one of the hottest parts of the year may seem like a cruel punishment to some, but to others, it is an event looked forward to for months in advance. Festival-goers prepare for a four-day madhouse that is Electric Forest Music Festival, including the young and inspired Bry Stevens. Denver entrepreneur Bry Stevens remembers his first time at Electric Forest back in 2015: The stages, the excitement, and the sounds of the electronic dance music scene were one thing, but what also inspired the young man was the sense of community and acceptance. The sense that here, people actively make connections and spread joy, not just blow off steam. “I loved how everyone was welcome and the people were just super kind. The music was insane, I have never seen stages like that before. I was totally engulfed in everything it was offering and it was the coolest thing ever,” Stevens says. When the COVID-19 pandemic thwarted his first attempt at making a career for himself, in those dark days stuck at home seeing his investments in the fitness industry swirl away from him, he turned back to those positive memories. On a whim, he decided to create a jersey for a widely popular DJ named G. Jones. This one decision resulted in what is now a bustling enterprise known as Elev808, a name with a nod to its Colorado location as well as its inspirational focus. Stevens' story is one of perseverance and inspiration and served as a unique example of 21st century entrepreneurialism, going against the current of the classic modern 9-5 job. 30-year-old Bry Stevens, born in Southwest Michigan, was an athlete for most of life. He played Division 1 baseball at West Kentucky University, and that was where he saw his future. After a devastating accident his junior year of college that robbed him of the ability to continue playing, he felt lost and confused, as many young people do when they lose direction. Stevens attempted to return to school after his injury, but felt his learning needs and goals were not being met. He eventually dropped out of college to pursue entrepreneurship, not knowing it would one day intertwine with his love of music. During his time of soul searching, he began to get more and more involved with marketing and sales. “I essentially got addicted to learning on my own, I kind of took my competitive edge that I learned in fitness and working out and baseball, and I applied it to self help material,” Stevens explains. Stevens eventually landed a job working under a man named Alex Hormozi, the creator of the brand GymLaunch. Hormozi went from zero employees to 130 employees within just a few years, and this greatly inspired Stevens to create his own business. After learning the ins and outs of business systems, sales, consulting, software, tech, and more for two years, Stevens left to create his own brand, The Fitness Code. It was clear his career path would not be the grueling 9-5 job that most people his age were experiencing, and the risk and uncertainty motivated Stevens to keep pushing. His new brand was successful, but when Covid-19 hit he was faced with many challenges. Since he was quarantined at home, he decided to design a hockey jersey for one of his favorite electronic artists, G Jones. While this little project was just for fun, once his friends saw the design they began to put pressure on Stevens to actually manufacture and create it. This was the beginning of the now widely popular and sought after brand, Elev808. After years of attending shows and festivals, and even DJing himself, he felt more and more inspired to pursue EDM merchandise. “In 2020, we started donating jerseys to artists who couldn't perform due to Covid. I wasn't really interested in it for the money at that point in time because I had my other thing going and I didn't want to be a ‘merch guy.’ We eventually started donating to venues and artists and stuff, and we gave them all the proceeds from the drop and would raffle off these really cool hockey jerseys,” explains a passionate Stevens. Now in its second year, the company has grown from Stevens' home to a warehouse in Commerce City. There, as many as 22 employees work on any given day. They've created jerseys for as many as 130 artists, connecting with the DJs themselves. Their reach has expanded beyond Colorado and across the country, and at times overseas. Elev808 has a very special way of conducting business. Jerseys are released every Wednesday through Friday at 12 p.m. MST, usually containing three to four items. Not only do they design every single one of their products by hand, but they release them under the category of limited edition. A jersey will show up on the website with a part of the description saying LE with a number following. This number indicates how many of the jerseys are going to be made, and once they sell out they are never re-released. Ford Baehr, a 20-year-old college student, has been following Elev808 for some time now. He has purchased multiple jerseys and cherishes each one. Unfortunately, he has experienced the disappointment of missing a drop and not getting a jersey he wanted. “I've watched them sell out in under 4 seconds, like I had something in my cart with my credit card information ready to paste, and it was gone just like that. Some of them are really sought after,” says Baehr. Trading is a huge aspect of the Elev808 community. Baehr explains, “Trading is dependent on the user, but for a general guideline it's finding someone that has a jersey you want and you have a jersey they want. You trade jerseys that were similar in price.” Trading occurs on the Facebook group, Elev808 Collective, that has over 17,000 members. In this Facebook group, fans not only sell and trade jerseys. Many post photos of themselves receiving Elev808 packages in the mail, wearing the apparel at festivals and shows, and even just wishing other people within the group happy holidays. The group has truly become a community where people feel comfortable sharing moments and excitement. When asked why this business was having sold out drops and flourishing, he said “I would say from my perspective, it was the ‘hype beast’ aspect behind buying these clothes, plus learning to love EDM,” Baehr says. Hype beast is a term to describe street fashion, usually meaning baggy, patterned, unique clothing. “I would say it (the popularity) was there, but it's kind of like a stir up. Someone could look at a jersey and be like ‘I would never buy that’ but someone else could look at that and think ‘oh my god, I would spend hundreds of dollars to have that’. It's all just so unique.” Everyone was obsessed with these jerseys, and he finally took the leap and decided to start selling them. He started working directly with DJs for collaborations and it ultimately blossomed into a viable business. The brand has also been hosting meetups at concerts and festivals, bringing the “808 Fam” together. Often over 100 people will show up to these meetups, and many have made great friends and even met partners through the Elev808 community.
Festival-goers attend an Elev808 meetup at Wakaan Music Festival, 2023.Photo posted to Instagram by Bry Stevens
Matthew Wheelock was so in love and inspired by the brand, he made a huge effort to pursue a job with the company. Wheelock is a 23-year-old from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He moved to Denver for college, but life took an unexpected turn leaving him bouncing job to job, feeling uncertain about his future. One thing that always brought him joy was electronic dance music. He and his friends would attend shows and afterparties, which is interestingly enough how he got his job.
He directly approached people who work for Elev808 at events, hoping to pursue a job. After a while they brought him on board, and he has been a grateful employee ever since.
He was impressed by the company culture and morale, so much so that working has actually positively impacted his life. Many his age are struggling in the workplace and he feels grateful for his opportunity. “They’ve given me the opportunity to grow with the company. They take great care of me, I’ve made some amazing friends, family even, and just awesome opportunities to work in merch and opportunities to work with artists,” he explains.Wheelock passionately says,
“To me personally it means everything. Like I went to college for a semester then half dropped out half got kicked out, and I’ve kind of been floating job to job not knowing what the hell to do, not sure what my purpose was. But then when 808 gave me the opportunity to work with them, I found my purpose and I said ok, this is what I want to do.”
After trial and tribulation, Wheelock has found his happiness through Elev808 and the community that accompanies it. He has finally found a job that makes him feel welcomed and valued. In his final statement, he says “808 means the world to me. I am ride or die for this company and I’m always here to help them as best as I can. They are great people and I’ve made so many amazing friends whether coworkers or just customers that I’ve met through meetups or that come to our shows.”
“It’s been really cool to be a part of something bigger in the community which means so much to me and I can’t thank them enough for the opportunities they have given me,” explains Wheelock.
Stevens is proud of his employees, his business, and the community it has created. After years of trying new things, learning, and desiring a job that gave him purpose, he has created a space where he has achieved that.
“I was really stuck after covid because I didn't know what I was going to do. I lost my gyms and my facilities because the whole country was shut down and the fitness industry was really kind of beat up. I had no idea what I was going to do, and the part that I love about this is ever since I got involved in dance music it's always been a place where, you know, I could find myself and fit in or be a part of something that was bigger than me,” says Stevens.
Stevens further explains, “The cool part is that I was kind of soul searching before I found dance music and I was trying to find another career path when the merch thing popped up. So I love that it's given me a new life, given me a new chance at being an entrepreneur, and it's brought me into an amazing community of friends and people that I love and cherish forever. I live for what I get to do every single day.”
It is clear that this is a tight knit and trustworthy community where everyone feels comfortable speaking to each other and sharing joy. Over the course of three years, the brand has skyrocketed in popularity and it only continues to grow. “My life is just this ever-going party, but filled with art and good people that support us. It's changed my life and I definitely don't take any day for granted,” Stevens says.
Elev808 supporter Mason Gallegos represents the brand in his "Air 808" hoodie ourside the Fox theater in Boulder, C.O. on Dec. 8, 2023.
(Bella Siskind)