Our Story

My name is Josh Fitzmaurice and I am the founder of SLYK and this is my story!

Your biggest struggles in life can open up the biggest opportunities.

Beginning in January 2017, I became chronically ill after my nervous system was damaged by a prescribed medication. I was too ill to continue my job as an accountant and had to move back home with my mom to begin my road to recovery. My life became a constant battle to keep a positive mindset and never give up hope that I would get better. I knew I had to find a healthy distraction to keep my mind busy and that’s when I had the idea to try to learn fashion design, something I had always been interested in.

After many YouTube tutorials, I created my first tech packs and brought some of my designs to life. After showing some family and friends, the feedback I received was overwhelmingly positive. This was the turning point where I decided to take my traumatic experience and transform it into something amazing. Having a creative outlet and a sense of purpose brought my recovery to a whole new level and SLYK began to take shape.

A collection of prototypes later I decided it was time to take my line public in my local community of Cape Cod and the response could not have been better. Embedded in all my designs are messages of hope and inspiration, signifying a piece of my story in every design.

SLYK Shades is the first part of a much bigger lifestyle brand focused on positivity, compassion and kindness. No matter what, find the good.

Mission

Our mission at SLYK is to provide premium quality products that deliver uplifting messages to every customer.

We are committed to donating a portion of all sales to greater causes. Currently we are partnered with One Tree Planted, planting one tree for every product sold and Calmer Choice a mental health non-profit group.

Calmer Choice partners with schools and community organizations across Cape Cod to deliver a low-cost prevention program that equips children with a suite of skills to increase inner resilience, reduce the impact of stress, manage emotional responses, learn self-control and increase their sense of well-being.

Please reach out with any questions or comments. We would love to hear from you!

Thank you to all who have supported us in our journey!

-Josh

Founder

We Made the News!

Podcast Interview

Listen to my podcast interview with ReddyYeti to learn more about how I started SLYK Shades and my journey up to this point.