Being in the fashion industry was never Damon Evans’ goal – it was a byproduct of his music empire. The entrepreneur founded Arena, a music production, distribution and streaming platform, in 1998 in the Biltmore area. In 2013, he launched a clothing arm, Arena Merchandising, in Downtown Phoenix. “It made perfect sense, because a lot of the artistic community is based in Phoenix,” Evans says. The idea: Have someone buy a band/musician T-shirt, give them the album for free. Evans and his design team manufacture merch including shirts, sweatpants, hoodies, bags, towels and hats. “We specialize in dye sublimation,” which allows designers to burn ink into polyester. Many products are custom and feature embroidery and digital printing. Arena Merchandising also partners with Arizona State University’s fashion and music departments so students can create brands, develop samples and fabricate full lines. “It’s great that we are able to bring lots of business and maintain and develop this entire concept within Phoenix,” Evans says.
