The Seven Seven
(Jake McGrady. Photo courtesy of Jake McGrady.)
Going from one medium to another, especially in a smooth fashion, shows true entrepreneurship. Speaking of fashion, McGrady says that’s been on his radar for as long as he can remember.
Besides TrillBlazin, there aren’t many Blazers-focused clothing brands floating around. The ones that exist usually feature some sort of Blazers-meme-mixed merchandise, nothing that truly represents the city of Portland and Rip City culture as a whole.
“I’ve always had a passion for putting outfits together, seeing what certain brands do for you,” McGrady says. “But I was hesitant at first, because I didn’t want to be, ‘I have a ton of Twitter followers, here’s a half-assed tee shirt,’ ya know?”
With that, along with his co-host Ocampo and Alfonso Castillo (@ripcityforlife77 on Instagram), whom McGrady met via Twitter, the Seven Seven was born.
McGrady originally reached out to Castillo after seeing his player photo edits on Instagram. He began making thumbnails and other pictures for the 2nd String Sports, helping to market the brand. After meeting in person, the three wanted to create a new brand — something McGrady says they all had in the backs of their minds for some time.
McGrady recalls the careful steps they took at first.
“We wanted to promote something we were passionate about,” he says. “Not just something to shove down people’s throats.”
And that started with the name, which they took awhile to brainstorm. The three didn’t want a cliche name or something that tied them down to just the Portland Trail Blazers. But McGrady says they also needed something that would “automatically resonate with people that they can represent their city, something we are all passionate about.”