The label Wimp Phations was born in 1992 as Wimp Wear Jeans in Chicago Heights, IL, a south suburb of Chicago by Wendell Mosby with a suggestion from classmate, James Stewart during freshman year of high school during health class. Wimp Wear Jeans was created out of the need for the Wendell to express himself. Wimp Wear Phations, the company, was formed fall 1995.

When Wendell Mosby founded Wimp Wear Phations, he had no clue that his hobby would soon shape his future. Growing up known as “Wimp” to all, Wendell had the desire to beat all odds just to prove to all of the non-believers’ that he could do anything he set his sights to.

With the high school graduation gift of $300 from his mother, Wimp Wear Jeans was open for business. Until then Wendell would purchase all of his clothing at K-Mart. Since his classmates did not shop there, they all thought he was getting all of his clothing tailored. Wendell would purchase T-shirts at wholesale and then had his designs embroidered onto them.

Wendell rented a booth at the local Bingo City Flea Market to sell his shirts. Kids and friends laughed and made jokes, but that only helped fuel Wendell’s determination to be successful and to enjoy the loudest laugh.

Within months Wendell would soon pack up his bags for college. Only nine months later to be the featured in the Iowa State Daily, the student ran newspaper. Then only to have a follow-up peice seven months later. Just like that, without a single advertising dollar spent, Wimp Wear had become a household name on Iowa State University’s campus.

In the spring of 1997, Wendell was approached by an young lady who posed a very intriguing question at the time, “What makes Wimp Wear any different from those other labels?” Baffled and speechless to that young lady’s question, he quickly went back to his dorm room and pondered the question. Within hours he had arrived with the answer that has become the cornerstone to our company’s mission and vision.

So, he broke down the word “WIMP” into an acronym that could be interpreted and tailored to anyone that is or feels like the underdog, but knows differently. And he came up with WISDOM IS MISUNDERSTOOD POWER. “A little unknown secret about Wendell- creating Wimp Wear, is that none of his classmates did not ever know how poor his family really was.”