Our name and logo
I’ve mentioned previously, but the idea for PHNX began long before I started this business. When I started PHNX, I didn’t have a website, a name, or even a business banking account. I simply emailed a few friends and posted on social media about an idea I had and within 24 hours 100 people paid to pre-order the Serena shorts through a google doc and my personal Venmo (my deepest apologies to all accountants everywhere who are cringing while reading this).
Through the pre-orders I kept playing around with names and couldn’t find anything I loved and initially settled on Axtel Apparel. I formed the first LLC under that name and bought the domain name.
Still, the name didn’t feel right and I knew I didn’t want to limit myself long-term to only selling apparel. Plus, I wanted a short name that felt distinctive. I’ve since learned there are plenty of other PHNX businesses out there, but maybe one day ours will be the most well known!
At some point, the idea for PHNX (like the bird) came to mind. I immediately knew it was what I wanted to do. I texted a few friends and they also loved it. In this season, PHNX represented rising from the ashes - covid, pay cuts, so many things felt like they were starting new in my life and the world. I wanted PHNX as a company to rise out of the ashes of covid and chaos and become stronger as a result. This was my own metamorphosis, my own journey to create something entirely my own that could not only create great products, but serve our community.
A friend of mine is a talented graphic designer and she agreed to create a logo for me. She and I have similar tastes and I knew she would capture what I wanted. I’m biased, but I think she knocked it out of the park. You probably notice the flame initially as our logo, but if you look closely you’ll also see hints of a bird. Simple, yet complex. Elegant, yet accessible - just like our products. Fun fact: Madei, the graphic designer, also designed my wedding invitations and used the same font as she did for PHNX. When something works, why change it, amirite?!