Today we’d like to introduce you to Cody G..
Hi Cody, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am Cody, the owner and designer of NoRudos, which is a swimwear and apparel collection that strives to include options for all shapes and sizes. Approximately eight years ago I started teaching myself how to sew in order to fulfill a lifelong desire to be able to make swimwear and other clothing. I bought my first sewing machine at Sew Easy in Overland Park, I quickly taught myself how to make items like pocket squares, suspenders, and bow ties and sold them at art shows, online, and to individuals looking for something unique and different. As my sewing skills advanced, I learned how to sew stretch fabrics and that is where my ability to produce swimwear, a true passion of mine, really started to take off. I even still had swimwear patterns that I had printed from the internet back in my high school years, MANY years prior, and just as the internet was starting to become mainstream (we’re talking mid-late 90s).
I currently design under my own label, NoRudos (www.norudos.com). The name is to say, hey anyone is welcome here, just don’t be rude. I want people of all sizes and backgrounds to wear my designs and acceptance, kindness, and inclusion are very much the mission of my brand(s). My collection has grown to include swimwear, apparel, towels, and I am working on jewelry and other items as we speak. I also work with other designers and companies as a liaison to my manufacturing partner. We predominantly work with other swimwear brands, but our facilities can produce almost anything from leather goods and clothing to accessories. NoRudos is mainly available on my website, but I have also been lucky enough to have my designs in a South Beach pop-up boutique, and just recently ULAH, right here in KC, started carrying some of my collection! I have so many plans for NoRudos and can’t wait for the next steps. I would love to see a NoRudos swimming suit (and as the collection expands, other NoRudos gear) on everyone soon enough, and in more locations in KC and beyond!
I also am the owner of The Speed-oh Movement, which is an online, social media account dedicated to community-based content showcasing bodies of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds wearing speedo style swimwear. It has over 31k community members on Instagram alone, but we are on TikTok and Facebook. Together with NoRudos and TSM my online community is well over 40k and still growing!! It is so cool to see such positivity online, especially as it seems like so much of the online experience is so negative! TSM is so opposite of that, it celebrates humans, connection, and I am VERY proud of every single person that is part of it!
One of my passions is helping small businesses and designers manufacture their designs and items. With my manufacturing partners we can make most garments and apparel happen, I love seeing other people, like me, be able to bring their dreams to life. Finding a manufacturer is a difficult thing to understand and navigate for smaller businesses and independent designers and being able to help with that is awesome. We have super high quality standards and low MOQ and I work with them from start to finish!
I was born in Iowa, but moved to KC when I was 6 months old so basically I have lived in the Kansas City metro all of my life. My wife, who has been in KC since she was about 7, and I have two dogs, a love of art, friends, and being home in our “bubble time” drowning out the world and relaxing. We have been married for almost 23 years and keep things interesting by traveling and supporting each other in our personal and professional ventures. My “day job” is in insurance, as is hers. I also can be found by the pool, or in Miami, in a swim brief, as often as possible! Insurance by profession, designer by choice, kind at heart (I hope) is a good summary of me, lol.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Building a business, let alone out of a passion, isn’t ever smooth, lol. There have been many times that I wanted to give up and bow out. I have always decided to keep going though, which I never regret. At this point I am completely self-funded and that is a challenge. Deciding how much to put towards the company while maintaining my personal life has been a balancing act I have yet to master. I always want to do more, but I also need to pay my mortgage and eat, lol. I would love to find some investors to help really get NoRudos off of the ground!
Another struggle has been the general business logistics of it all. I do have a business side to me, but my real strength is in my creativity, which is a way to say I have had to learn things like web design, ecommerce, manufacturing, materials sourcing, shipping, and all of the zillion other things that run the business side of things. I’d be much happier just designing and leaving that all to someone else, but alas, one day that will happen. For now, I hunker down and teach myself, lol.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The fit and quality of my designs is what sets NoRudos apart. I firmly believe that all bodies have value and beauty. Often times brief style swimwear is seen as just for those “perfect bodies.” I reject that and offer my swimwear in a range of sizes, because all bodies are perfect! I also source very special materials with my manufacturing partner, use independent artists to help bring my ideas to life and look at every detail in my designs. Any product that I bring to the market has to make me proud. I love the community that has been built at TSM – it is supportive, inclusive, diverse, and a piece of the internet that lacks the trolls and rudeness so often found online. With TSM and NoRudos I am making a statement that EVERYONE should wear what they want to, and that isn’t very common amongst fashion brands and larger design companies. I also am proud of the philanthropy that I have built into my company. I have done designs with other designers and artists and donated a portion of the sales to special causes. Currently one of my designs, Angles For A Cause, is set up so that every piece I sell from that design a portion is donated to zerocancer.org to help with prostate cancer awareness and research. Having several men in my life that have been affected by prostate cancer, it feels only natural to do something to help.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
DM me on my Instagram pages, @norudos_ or @the_speed_oh_movement (or one of the back up accounts associated with them), email at [email protected], website is www.norudos.com. I have so many facets to what I do I love hearing from others interested in being a part of it, whether it is to be featured on TSM, collaborate on a campaign to bring a brand to the TSM community, someone wanting help with getting their own designs and apparel manufactured, and, of course, wanting to purchase a NoRudos design lol. Feel free to reach out!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.norudos.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/norudos_
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/the_speed_oh_movement
