We started as absolute nobodies, c’mon, we’re still nobodies, but we were hustling screen-printed t-shirts of Deranged Monkeys out of the back of a crap convertible 2004 Mustang on 30th and Speedway in Venice Beach. Our goal? Simple: to see our monkeys in the skate bowl, on the water, or just cruising the boardwalk. We didn’t care what people paid – we just wanted them to love our shirts.

Truth be told, our tees were better than anything in the tourist shops. Better fit, more durable, infinitely more comfortable. But those shops didn’t want them. They had piles of cheap, forgettable $2 shirts from the One-Stop warehouse in Santee Alley to keep them busy, and we weren’t about to sell out for pennies on the dollar. So, we did it our way.

We lived the dream – selling shirts to surfers, skaters, girls, and haters became more than a slogan. It was a vibe. Word spread, one shirt at a time. Friends of friends repped the brand, and before we knew it, the monkeys were taking a road trip east.

It started with a local who gave up his shirt to a surfer passing through. That shirt made it to New Jersey, where it lit up the flats. Next thing we knew, a shop in Atlantic City, then Old Orchard Beach, Cape Cod, Fort Lauderdale and Bradenton, and even San Diego were calling. One shirt sold another, then another. Deranged Monkey was becoming a movement. So cool!

Why? Because it wasn’t just the designs. It was the shirt itself. They felt better, fit better, and outlasted the rest. People wore them because they stood out, and they stayed because of the comfort.

Fast forward to today: the world of on-demand printing has caught up to the standards we always demanded. Now we can deliver the same high-quality shirts directly to anyone, anywhere, faster than ever before. That’s how Deranged Monkey Online was born. And for the supporters who’ve made our designs part of their daily wardrobe – their Daily Monkeys – we can finally deliver a Monkey a Day for the entire year.

We’re eternally grateful to everyone who’s been with us since the Mustang days, and to everyone who wakes up today and decides their jeans, board shorts, or sweats look better with a Deranged Monkey.

Stay chaotic, stay deranged, and we’ll see you on the sand.

~ Joey Dee