Nick Moody, GSB ’25, has always been passionate about two things: entrepreneurship and art. While attending primary school in Bristol, England, Moody enjoyed creating small-scale entrepreneurial ideas like selling popcorn and sweets at school games. Around the same time, he started sketching people and things around him. While he loved both activities, it wasn’t until coming to Fordham University that he combined his two passions into a clothing project named “Ants.”

“Ants started the summer after freshman year,” Moody said. 

Moody felt the small-scale ideas he had in the past were confining, and wanted to try making something bigger. However, he was struggling to come up with an idea that excited him. While pondering what to do next, he would sketch drawings in his sketchbook for fun. Then, he realized he should incorporate his love of drawing into the idea.

“I went back to drawing all the time and thought it would be cool to share that. 

“I have always been interested in clothes,” Moody said, while describing why he picked clothing design as his focus. He realized that clothing would be the perfect medium because people could engage with his drawings by wearing them. He also thought that college was the perfect time to embark on this project, as he had enough time to properly invest his effort into it, whereas in a few years, he may not. 

The idea for the name “Ants” was inspired by Moody’s experience moving to New York City. “Moving to New York made me feel smaller because the buildings tower over you. I liked the feeling of anonymity and no one knowing who I was,” Moody said. 

The name also reflected Moody’s first designs, which were based on the shape of bugs. At his home over the summer, one of the rooms had a bug problem. This inspired Moody to draw bugs because he liked their unique shapes. This led to him making his first T-shirt during the fall semester with the design of a spotted lanternfly, which was common in the news at the time. He was proud of the design but felt like he needed to challenge himself more. Moody turned back to his sketchbook and expanded his drawings from bugs to more cartoonish figures. His creative process involves sketching a person or image he sees and redrawing them until they become a unique cartoon shape. 

The design, color scheme and fabric that make up the final product are the end result of a long process of trial and error. Although Moody finds this process a little frustrating, it is also one of his favorite parts. “Trial and error is one of the most integral parts,” said Moody. “It’s the persistence that I enjoy.”

One aspect Moody is proud of is how the audience for his designs has grown. Before he started this project, his sketches were something that he was proud of, but did not often share with others. Making the T-shirts and posting them on the “Ants” Instagram account has allowed him to share his sketches with a wider audience. 

An important skill Moody has learned through the process is staying true to himself. When Moody made his first shirt, he felt like so many people gave him advice about his artistic vision that the final design did not reflect his original idea. 

“There were too many chefs in the kitchen,” he joked.

That is why when making his new shirt designs, he decided to listen to others’ advice but not stray too far from his original visions and ideas. 

Overall, Moody measures his project’s success on the level of personal satisfaction it gives him. 

“[To me], ‘Ants’ is an organic creative outlet.” As long as he gets enjoyment out of the creative process, “Ants” will be fulfilling its true goal.