Meet the Man Behind Lebron's "Don't Trip" Hat

Kevin Circosta woke up early one morning in August to a barrage of calls, texts, and voicemails. One of the hats from his clothing brand based out of LA had been worn by Lebron James at a press conference after a Cavs game. “TMZ somehow got my number and called, emailed and DMd me all before 7 am,” he said. “I quickly chugged my coffee, did a FaceTime interview for them in my underwear, got on the phone with my production team and raced downtown to our warehouse to dive right in. We've been in constant production ever since.”

Circosta had done creative development for brands, musicians, and companies for years before starting Free & Easy. “It started with one hat and one t-shirt and began to grow from there,” he says. He was inspired by his father’s generation of surfers during California’s golden era in the 70s. “We have done a few collabs and are working on some now with some other great artists. It’s not just the graphic or a t-shirt. It's the whole thing from design to custom color choices, to printing, to washing, dyeing, finishing, and shipping.” Some of his former collaborators include Opening Ceremony, Colette, and Virgil Normal, each a testament to Circosta's good eye.

The latter was the first retail store to sell the brand, and it was during a visit to the store to meet owner Charlie Staunton that he met Opening Ceremony’s Humberto Leon and Carol Lim. “They placed their order and within a week of receiving the goods they were sold out as well,” he says. “That’s when things really began to take off.”

Free & Easy now has apparel and accessories, as well as miscellaneous items like lighters, a folding beach chair, and even a cooler. "Really, I just tried to recreate our little family beach kit from when I was a kid," he says. "In tow would be our 80's beach chairs, umbrella, Igloo cooler, beer koozies, lighters for w**d, and my dad would be rocking OP shorts, a snapback hat, and a surf tee. That’s the life."