Meet Trenton Sinclair | Co-Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Trenton Sinclair and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Trenton, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Starting our own business was a passion of both my partner Eddie and I before we met. We both love product, and growing up in Southern California (Eddie in LA and I in San Diego), we had exposure to a lot of brands in the surf/skate/streetwear industry. We met working for a brand in Action Sports, and became close friends. We connected on some very similar aesthetics of what we liked, and would occasionally discuss what we thought would be good ideas for a business. Working for a brand, you get hyper focused on a few aspects of the business, so to be able to touch all categories of the business – from design to social media to distribution, its been such an awesome learning experience. Eventually we got more and more detailed about specific opportunities till a few stuck and we refined over time. I was on the east coast for the last few years, so coming back gave us the right opportunity to deep-dive into our brand and dedicate time and resources into launch.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I believe the roles I have take in my past have shaped me to be a really well rounded individual with a unique perspective. I really enjoy getting out of my comfort zone and taking on new challenges, because I learn a lot about myself personally, as well as gaining insight that helps my career. Ive been exposed to many different industries – from Action Sports, to Outdoor, and Streetwear; both global and domestic, wholesale and vertical retail. I’ve been exposed to a lot of different business leaders and leadership styles which helps give perspective on how I lead. There have been tons of challenges – relocated twice, difficult colleagues, re-organizations within departments, all of which pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone and (hopefully) give me a new skill and understanding that I can take into my next role. I learned, and am still learning…to be flexible. The industry is moving so much faster now, and people all around you have great insight, so as much as I know, I can always learn – from the leaders I have looked up to, to co-workers, to interns that I have hired. With starting our brand, I have failed countless times in the process of getting up and running. And as cautious and as much research into decisions as we both have made, we still make mistakes. My biggest insight is that mistakes are inevitable and to always fail-forward. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – learn from them, be contemplative and understand why decisions didn’t work out, and take those into your future. As far as our brand goes – Thought, Detail, and Quality. We dont want to make product just to make things. We research and care about all aspects of what we do, and hopefully that comes through. From the details on our hangtags and woven labels, to design details, packaging, fabrication, and how our product comes to life on our website and social media. All these aspects are just the two of us, so theres a lot of sweat, a few tears, and some blood that went into making this happen – but we never compromise on the quality of our products. We hope people enjoy our vision, and identify with the aesthetic that we are cultivating.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Arts District. The Row, with all its restaurants, shops, knowing the history of the area there with manufacturing. Its a part of LA I dont think a lot of people visiting see and appreciate as much. Zinc Cafe, Urban Radish, Bestia for pasta, Pizzanista for your pizza fix, Arts District Brewing, In Sheeps Clothing or Villains for a nice cocktail, Chueys for tacos, and so many galleries… Writing this has me wanting to drive up. Thanks!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Being in the creative department at brands, I am constantly being inspired by the people around me. Whether through guest speakers, inspiration trips, late night working sessions with co-workers about what we’d like to be doing in our futures. One co-worker in specific – Ben McCosh, has been a great source of inspiration & mentorship. We worked together at Converse, and he was a close friend who I would take weekend road trips to go surf with. In our car rides, and during post-surf lunches over tacos, we’d discuss ideas and be devils advocates for each other, pushing each other to refine and refine and think about all the different aspects of a brand. I really appreciated that time, and conversation, and ultimately helped me have the courage to pursue our brand, Object(s) for Living Well. Thanks Ben!

Website: www.objects-shop.com
Instagram: @objects_shop
Facebook: www.facebook.com/objectsforlivingwell

Image Credits
Jayson Palacio