We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Armenta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have always been drawn to graphic tees as a form of expressing yourself. To accomplish this, I created my own shirts to wear to events like the Pride festival. I had friends that would ask for the shirts I would make so I started finding better ways to print them. That’s when I started to get a fortunate amount of support from family and friends to start selling custom apparel. I wanted to create a brand that fostered the same form of expression I felt apparel represented. That’s when I decided to learn to screen print and create my own brand called, “Tag. You’re It.” Heavily inspired by street art, the name “Tag. You’re It.” came from a project at Chapman where I created a line of specialty spray paint cans that played on the idea of tagging in a positive fashion. The idea behind the brand is to utilize your Tag(s) to foster your best self in order to tag others to explore the best them.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a creative there are two different paths I have been fortunate enough to take. The first being design, which I believe is when beauty intersects with functionality and good customer interaction. In my professional career I’ve worked for a few really great companies, my most recent being Intuit. The second path, being art, where I like to be very lose, colorful, and exploratory. I think the greatest reward of being a creative, is finding what I’m passionate about and sharing that with the world. One of those passions being my company, “Tag. You’re It.” The most important aspect of the brand is really the story it’s trying to tell. “Tag. You’re It.“ is about embracing our labels, our talents, characteristics, and gifts for the greater good. About self thriving and helping others grow through that. We want people to be creative and wild. Part of why we print so many solid color shirts is so there is room to express and alter on your own terms. I had a friend who asked if I would be insulted if they cut the shirt into a crop top and tie dyed it, I said please do it and send photos, that is the very thing we want out of the people who embrace the company, their own expressive creative freedom. That is why we emphasize that we are more than just products, we are people, a collection of human expression.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
I’ve been in Pacific Beach for about 5 years now, so with that being said, we would absolutely have to start Day 1 grabbing some Konos breakfast and taking in the beach view. We’ll cruise the boardwalk to Belmont, the tiki golf is always a favorite, and grab a nearby lunch at Draft with some beach house sangria. Next on the agenda, the bay, where you can rent paddle boards and enjoy the water. Soon after, head on over to Tap room, giant pretzel to start, followed by pizza and salad. Lastly, walk next door to Barrel Republic to do some beer tasting and play some Jenga. Day 2-3 start off at Pacific Drive to get our skateboards gripped and trucks tightened before heading out to the pump track in pacific highlands ranch. On the way down visit our pal Taylor to grab the best cap with oat milk at Nostalgia, head inside REI for camping gear for day 3-4. Head on back down to PB for some axe throwing at Bad Axe, and some shopping at Speakeasy Clothing. Grab a drink with a view at Waterbar, and finish off the night at Gossip Grill in Hillcrest

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I certainly have many people who have really helped along my journey of growing my business. In particular, my family who has encouraged me to cultivate my best self and follow my dreams. Taylor Fields, owner of Nostalgia, who has been repping the brand and getting my name out there. Numerous Intuit coworkers who have shown their support, Melissa, Nadia, Josh, JP, Jenna, Amanda, Jaimie, and Bridget. Close friends of mine, Sasha, Taylor T, Tara, Sam, Alex, Jesus, Molls, Alex G and Armaan. Jamie, Lara, and Kristina for the awesome sticker pics. Brittany for spreading the word and sending awesome photos all the time. Tosha, who has literally worn every shirt I’ve ever made. And my pro sticker slappers out there (you know who you are.)

Website: Tagyoureitdesign.com/shop
Instagram: Tagyoureit.official
Linkedin: Linkedin.com/in/ldarmenta
Other: Artist Instagram tagyoureitdesign

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