Griffiti TZ

Mia Matz spends a lot of her free time creating unique, high-end T-shirts. The creator of Griffiti TZ launched her business in 2005 on a whim.

“I caught a lucky break,” said Matz.

Her then 5-year-old daughter wanted some school shirts, and Matz obliged by making a few stylish tops for the picky 5-and-under crowd. Soon after, friends and neighbors were clamoring for these “limited edition” shirts. Astounded by the unforeseen demand for her wares, the stay-at-home mom made more.

The rest is T-shirt history.

Terrific Tees

In college, the Encino native majored in fine arts but, ironically, graphic arts was not one of her favorite classes. “I was more into oil painting and sculpting, but look where I am now,” she said.

She is literally hands-on with her shirts—hand-stitching them herself and gluing on metals, studs and other embellishments, one at a time. “It is time-consuming and very involved,” said the busy mother of three.

No two shirts are exactly alike, although most of them sport the universal peace sign. She has about six to seven renditions of this popular symbol.

She also likes to use flowers, butterflies, dragons, skulls and roses. “I am attracted to positive and uplifting symbols and messages,” she said.

She can customize designs, too. She recounts a recent order for a New York Yankees shirt in pink. "I'll get those types of requests every once in a while," she said.

“I try to still make them look very feminine,” she said, preferring to carry only shirts for women. She offers tank tops, long-sleeved tops and some sweatshirts, and all are from American Apparel, which are made in the United States.

The shirts range from $68 to $150, with 90 percent of the shirts priced at $68. “It depends on the stitching and the embellishments, but I try to keep it at that price point,” she said.

Matz does not scrimp on materials, stating that her shirts will hold up wash after wash, unlike others in the market.

A One-Woman Operation

Right now, the shirts are only available at bazaars, street fairs, school fundraisers and other community events.

The peak season for her business is September to May when Matz might find herself working two events in a week. “It’s just non-stop work during those months, so I make sure I have enough in stock for the next event,” said Matz, who is a one-woman operation.

In between the demands of rearing children and running a household, she gets into that “creative space” in her head to create artwork for the shirts. “I tap into emotional experiences and get my inspiration from those,” she said.

“Each shirt is a piece of art.” 

Even when the recession hit a couple of years ago, Matz’s energy and enthusiasm did not waver. “Sure, some of my clients held back a little with their spending,” she said, describing her top clients as moms like her.

The other challenge was keeping her prices stable, even with the rising cost of materials like crystals.

Matz continues to do everything from the conceptualization to the actual printing of the shirts. She used to make her own silkscreen but has since farmed out that part. “That was one of my biggest costs,” she said.

Slow and Steady

Clients have asked about bulk orders, but Matz does not want to force the issue.

“I am still enjoying this piece-by-piece artistic process, and I’m getting a lot out of it,” she said.

Six years ago, Matz was focused on achieving slow and steady growth for her home-based business. Now, with the success she's had, she's setting new goals.

“I am in that good place right now," she said. But, eventually, I want to get my shirts into the large department stores like Nordstrom."

For more information, contact Mia Matz at: 818-917-4042 or miamatz@yahoo.com