July 11, 2024

KCAD alum Bailey Sell is harnessing the power of screen printing to build a career supporting LGBTQ+ community

When Bailey Sell screen-printed his first t-shirt, he had no idea how that moment would be impactful for his community.

But when friends and classmates at Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University started taking notice of his work, the idea for Transfigure Print Co. was born.

What started as an Esty shop has since grown into fully fledged operation that, more than a business, is a catalyst for uplifting, connecting, and investing in the global LGBTQ+ community.

The company has cultivated a thriving online following, raised tens of thousands of dollars to support the transgender community, drawn organic attention from celebrities like Jamie Lee Curtis, and, as of this summer, has expanded its footprint to include a brick-and-mortar retail space in Grand Rapids.

Yet with all the success Transfigure Print Co. has experienced, Sell never lost sight of his humble beginnings.

“It was very D.I.Y. at first. I was doing it all by hand at the house I shared with my roommates–washing screens in bathtubs and printing the tees in my living room,” he recalls of the Etsy operation he started in college to sell screen-printed tees from his original designs. “I definitely didn't get any of my security deposit back from that house!”

At the time, Sell thought of printmaking as a hobby and a fun way to make pop culture tees. He said that mindset shifted when he started thinking about how he could align his work with the creative direction his printmaking practice was taking at KCAD. He graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmaking.

As a transgender man, he had been building a portfolio that highlighted the unseen changes and experiences involved in transitioning from one gender to another. He began looking for ways to integrate that experience into his business.

One of his first opportunities came from a Kickstarter he set u

p to fund the production of an enamel pin. After earning pledges of nearly $150 more than he needed to create the pin, he decided to donate the surplus to GoFundMe accounts for two people seeking support for their gender-affirming surgeries.

At that moment, he realized, “I want to keep doing this.”

Not long after, another graphic artist donated the “Protect Trans Kids” design that has become one of his company’s biggest sellers, with the guideline that he keep donating proceeds from it. Since 2019, Transfigure Print Co. has donated 10 percent of its sales from that design every month, raising more than $90,000 to donate to more than 50 organizations that support people in the LGBTQ+ community.  

Then there’s the Transfigure Trans Fund, which channels outside donations and portions of sales from select merchandise into a pool of funding that supports things like gender-affirming surgeries, accessories, and supplies. One-time funding is available through an open application process, with over $10,000 generated to date.

Along the way, Transfigure Print Co. has also outgrown its home studio. Sell opened a dedicated screen-printing facility in 2019, making room for the professional-quality equipment the company needed to grow.

“At the DIY level, screen-printing is pretty accessible,” he explains. “You c

an dry things with a heat gun or a heat press, but if you want to do it right, you're supposed to run them through a big, long conveyor dryer that isn't going to fit in a college apartment.”

As the business grew, he also added four team members, including lead printer/production manager and fellow KCAD alum Evan Miller, heat press operator and current KCAD Illustration student Ken Kolassa, customer service representative Kae Britton, and social media manager Sophie Lane. Miller graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design.

Sell credits the brand’s strong presence on Instagram for much of its success.

“We were able to gain a lot of following on social media really quickly,” he said. “We were shipping out custom jobs to people in different states right away.”  

Some of those orders have come from prestigious clients, including Bombas, Airbnb, and Visa, all of which commissioned custom tees for their employees during Pride Month.

This June, the business took another step up by opening a retail store in the same neighborhood as its printing facility. Sell opened Transfigure Print. Co., 2221 Plainfield Ave NE, Unit 107, as a place for shoppers to browse its tees, prints, stickers, and other products, along with work from more than 50 other LGBTQ+ artists. It also serves as a social hub for members of the community.

“One of the biggest things for me is to find ways to bring people together,” he said. “It seems like there's a lot of queer folks here, but not a lot of places besides bars for people to gather. So, with the retail store, we really wanted to create a community space.”

Looking ahead, he envisions pop-up shops, art markets, and other events with music, food, and drinks.

“There’s a lot of us here,” he said. “We just need different ways to get our work and ourselves out there.”

As a successful creative entrepreneur, Sell has a few words of encouragement for emerging artists and designers considering a similar path.

“Don't be afraid to do it,” he said. “I know it's super-intimidating to look at other people and say, I could never do that…I don't have the money, the means, or the audience. But neither did I, at first. It all had to start somewhere. I just kept making stuff and trying to see what people would buy. It took a while, but here I am with a retail store and a print shop and a team of five people that I am able to support! I didn't start with the intention to do all the things that I'm doing now, but the further I went, I just wanted to keep doing more and more.”