CLEVELAND — GV Art and Design owner Greg Vlosich initially wanted to release a Cavs “junkyard dog” shirt during the regular season, since it’s become a symbol of the team’s underdog mentality. But he held off and tweaked it so it can be released for the playoffs.
“When we realized we were gonna save it and do it as a playoff shirt we kind of redesigned it, and added some different elements and stuff like that, gave it a different feel,” Vlosich said.
He also has a new “Spida” T-Shirt, based off Donovan Mitchell’s nickname. He said the playoffs are a great time to release this, since Mitchell will only boost the energy at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
“I think we’re gonna go as Mitchell takes us and as far as he takes us,” Vlosich said. “So, we wanted to do something that’s kind of just, again, something cool for fans. A new shirt that they all wanna wear down there.”
The shop Only in Clev has special designs based on the older Cavs colors. Jack Worthington said customizing his design helps him learn about the Cavs teams that came before his era.
“I like really liked how it was kinda vintage, and I thought that was cool for the upcoming Cavs game,” Worthington said.
Owner Brian Lynch agrees that this is a trend.
“The kids who grew up are into the vintage stuff,” Lynch said. “They grew up watching these games and things and they like all the old colors.”
Vlosich hopes the playoffs will also boost sales on his regular Cavs t-shirts. Some of the designs have been reworked a few times.
“The swords were here, then the swords were on the outside,” Vlosich said on one design. “Then this was here. So we went through all the different revisions, and so we’re constantly making changes and updating.”
Vlosich said most of his Cavs shirts have a message that isn’t specifically tailored for the postseason, which makes them more versatile to sell. The playoffs will draw a lot more attention to the Cavs, so he’s optimistic that will draw more attention to his brand.
“We’re stocking up whether it’s a playoff design or not, knowing that it will be busy here this weekend,” Vlosich said.
