Alex De La Pena brings 30+ years of apparel design, product development, and operational leadership to brands that need more than a designer.
I co-founded Ezekiel Clothing in 1994, one of the pioneer action sports brands to take the skate, snow, and surf apparel business seriously and succeed. Since then I've led product at Element Skateboards, co-founded MADA INC. (4x SIMA Breakthrough Brand of the Year), and spent the last decade running the full apparel division at FMF Racing: design, development, production, and team.
Through Bowie Projects, I work with brands that need senior apparel leadership without the cost of a full-time hire. I can own the product side, build the operational process, or step into both.
Based in San Clemente. I work with action sports, moto, outdoor, and lifestyle brands that know what they want to build and need someone who can actually build it.
Apparel design and graphics from concept to production-ready. Headwear, jerseys, wovens, bottoms, outerwear, and accessories, all designed with the factory in mind from the first sketch.
Thirty years of vendor relationships and factory knowledge, applied to your timeline and margin. From sourcing to QC to seasonal merchandising. I run the operation.
The creative layer that makes the product land. Campaign shoots, catalog, brand identity, and the visual system that connects product to market. For brands that need it, this extends into Shopify builds and Amazon channel maintenance as part of owning the full product-to-market cycle.
In 1997, while running design at Blond Outerwear, Ezekiel's snowboard sister brand, I designed a parka that Noel Gallagher wore throughout the recording and press campaign for "D'You Know What I Mean?", Oasis's first single in two years.
The single debuted at #1 in the UK. The parka appeared across press photographs, TV appearances, and the cover of the LP.
It's a strange credential. It's thirty years old. But it tells you something about how far a well-designed product can travel when the work is right.
If you're building an apparel brand and need senior-level support, product, operations, commerce, or all three, reach out. I work with a small number of clients at a time. The first conversation is always direct and always free.
Based in San Clemente, CA. Available for remote and on-site engagements. Response within one business day.