Fresno State Athletics
Kenny Wiggins set to unveil Gafton at SMC
2/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
By: Matt Burkholder
mburkholder@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - Kenny Wiggins, an eight-game starter for the San Diego Chargers a season ago, graduated from Fresno State following a 2010 season where he earned first-team All-WAC accolades while paving the way for the Bulldogs all-time leading rusher Robbie Rouse to get the first of three-straight 1,000-yard seasons. A year before that, as a second-team All-WAC selection, Wiggins blocked for now Philadelphia Eagles running back Ryan Mathews who set the school's single-season records for yards (1,808) and touchdowns (19) in 2009.
Throughout all the success on the gridiron, if you would have asked Wiggins when he was a senior at Fresno State if he was thinking of life after football, he would have said he'd like to become a business owner. What that would be, that wasn't quite pegged.
In 2016, Wiggins is a business owner and an NFL football player.
Wiggins and childhood friend, Andrew Gardner, who is also a Fresno State graduate, launched a clothing line named Gafton on June 25, 2015. Gafton has sentimental meaning to the ownership duo as the name is derived from the street, Gafton Court, a cul-de-sac that the two, among other childhood friends, grew up on in Elk Grove, Calif. - a suburb of Sacramento.
"It just reminded us of simpler times when we didn't have a worry in the world," Wiggins said of why the name. "It was a time where we didn't have as many worries as we do now and that G [for Gafton] on our hat or our shirt, it's a reminder of those amazing experiences of what life used to be and how grateful we are for those times that helped mold us into who we are today.
"Everybody has a place like Gafton Court I feel like. Everybody had that place whether it be a park, a playground, or grandma's house. It's that sentimental place that brings you back to a time where days were easier and you didn't have as many worries. It's very cool to explain it to people because everyone seems to be able and look back to something similar.
"It's where friends became family."
Wiggins' business partner, Gardner, resides in Los Angeles and is a full-time accountant. The two were also roommates in Fresno while going to school. As the two of them moved on to their respective careers, there was also that itch to do something big, and that's how the idea of Gafton started to strum up, but Wiggins knew that if Gardner was going to do it, they'd have to be all in, because that who he is.
"He had a 4.0 in high school, he was our high school quarterback, he was our shooting guard on the basketball team and he kind of controlled every situation and made it his own and I like that about his personality," said Wiggins. "He's the visionary and the brains behind the operation. He's the one getting the samples of the clothes and doing all the designs and I'm trying to be the face of this and use my NFL connections to get this up off the ground and get some exposure."
In just eight months' time the brand is starting to grow. And Wiggins gets the biggest kick out of the fact that his clothing has started to ship worldwide. His brand has fulfilled orders to Italy, Hong Kong, Canada and Mexico along with its sales in the United States.
"I'm just waiting for the day that I see someone that I don't know wearing it on the street," Wiggins said. "Because then I'll know people really like this. And that's the hardest part, it is getting it out there because once he or she discovers it, they like it. It's just growing the name and getting more people to buy the product."
Currently Gafton is sold online only (www.gafton.co). It is primarily a men's line, but a women's line is on the horizon. And hats and beanies are sold on its website too. The Gafton style is simple and classy, consumers can sport the gear out at night or it can be worn casually or even to the gym. The duo didn't want Gafton to be too flashy, but also make a statement in its own right.
Fresno State fans will have their chance to see Wiggins' clothing line Gafton first-hand on March 2 at the Save Mart Center when the men's basketball team takes on Colorado State on senior day. Wiggins will be joined by Fresno State football alumni who have also moved on to the professional ranks, to help share his to business venture with the Fresno community and also sign autographs on the main concourse of the Save Mart Center.
Those subject to attend Wiggins' Gafton event, with the possibility for the list to grow, are Davante Adams (Green Bay Packers), Travis Brown (Ottawa Redblacks), Isaiah Green (Toronto Argonauts), Josh Harper (Free Agent), Ben Jacobs (Carolina Panthers), Marcel Jensen (Washington Redskins), Phillip Thomas (Buffalo Bills) and Tristan Okpalaugo (Arizona Cardinals). Gates will open early, at 6 p.m., to give fans time to catch up with the former Bulldogs and check out Gafton - men's hoops tips off vs. Colorado State at 8 p.m.
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