Another Car-Themed Clothing Brand?

Oh great, another fucking car-themed clothing brand.

My name is Ben, and I'm the founder of Leges Motus, a car-themed clothing brand, lol. Seriously though, what I've started is more than that. Let me explain.

For as far as I can remember, I've been infatuated with cars. When I was 6, I remember walking through the mall when a man was demonstrating a toy: a police car you filled with oil, which heated up to create exhaust smoke. The lights turned on, it drove in a circle, and when it flipped over mid-drive, a lever popped out from underneath, flipped it back onto its wheels, and kept it moving. Innovation at its finest, for a six-year-old.

I wanted that thing badly enough to scream and throw a tantrum on the mall floor. My dad said no. It was too loud, he told me later. Instead, he bought me and my brother a Lamborghini Countach remote-control car we had to share. Yellow, with a huge pistol-grip remote: two big red rectangular steering buttons, a smaller red forward/reverse control, a ribbed sliding on/off switch. That's when I became a car guy. I played with it and carried it wherever I went. My brother and I fought about it. He was older and figured that meant he got to decide who played with it. I didn't see it that way. We ended up compromising: I gave him the rights to watch the TV channel he wanted, and I got to play with the Countach as much as I wanted. We shared a lot growing up. We didn't have much, and my parents made sure we learned how.

Fast forward, I've owned a string of enthusiast cars: E30, 944, Celica GTS, WRX, a few Hondas including an S2000, and now an FL5 Type R. But a few years ago I was in a bad place. My health was deteriorating. I was depressed. My career had been stagnant for nine years, same job, no real growth, overworked and underpaid. I was tired, unmotivated, falling apart.

Then a close friend, the same age as me, passed away from health issues. Then my mother passed away too. I spiraled further.

I promised myself I'd start taking care of what actually mattered: faith, family, health, career, in that order. I put my faith in God for whatever happens to me. For family, I celebrate the little daily things I used to take for granted. It's the realization of how blessed I am with the people I have, and that I'm on borrowed time.

I began to really focus on becoming healthy: lost weight, ate healthier, worked out, and removed a lot of the negative things that fed my brain. Work changed too. I quit my job and went back to consulting.

I promised myself I'd do more work that inspired me. Work that excited me. Work that put a smile on my face.

Cars were one of those things: the design, the driving, the experience, the culture. I've been in it for decades, not for anything else but the love of it and what it means to me.

When I started Leges Motus, cars were obviously the foundation. But I wanted more meaning than that. I've watched car-clothing brands mass-produce merch as raffle tickets. Buy enough, earn enough points, and maybe you win a car. It's a fine business model, and I'm genuinely happy for whoever gets lucky. But it's not community; it's a lottery with a logo on it. I wanted something that couldn't be reduced to a points system.

The name is the point. Leges Motus means "the laws of motion." It comes directly from that period in my life. Staying still was killing me: the stagnant job, the deteriorating health, the years I let pass without changing anything. Movement, whether physical, creative, or personal, is what pulled me out. I'm still not out completely but I am doing my best. Leges Motus isn't a car slogan. It's the laws I strive to live by now, and cars just happen to be the language I tell it in.

That's why I want limited quantity over mass production. Fewer drops, each one meant to be. I don't want a catalog everyone forgets by the time the next one drops. I want pieces people actually chose, for people who love the culture and believe in what the brand stands for. I want people to be proud and inspired to wear it.

Here's what it comes down to: my promise, and what I'm actually building toward:

●      Well-thought-out designs. Every limited piece has to earn its existence. No filler between drops.

●      1-to-1 relationships when I can. Message me and you'll get me. Problem with a product? I'll fix it. Got an idea? It might become the next drop.

●      Premium quality as the standard. Not the upsell.

●      100% community focus. We grow because people stay, not because a raffle brought them in.

●      Collaboration over co-branding. With other builders and communities who live this the same way.

My art and my designs are my small contribution to the car community. It's how I plan to move it forward. This is how I show up.

Every one of these comes from one place: me. There's no team, no committee. If my name is on it, I designed it, I approved it, and I stand behind it.

So - is it another car-themed clothing brand? You decide.

If you want the full breakdown of the mantra, including all three laws and what each one means to us, you'll find it on our About page.

Words and images by: Axiom Otto