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Photo by Tessa Marie Images. |
Ages: 19 and 18
Ryan Klauder and Christopher Muth first met as students at Devon Prep, where they developed a friendship and were both accepted into the Philadelphia chapter of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. There, with guidance from established business types, they created Rex Riccardi, a unique lifestyle and fashion brand featuring pocket squares as statement pieces.
Named for England’s King Richard II, the reputed father of the pocket square trend, Rex Riccardi was an immediate hit thanks to a pair of patterns sourced from paintings by Super Bowl champion kicker Garo Yepremian, who succumbed to cancer in 2015. Muth got to know Yepremian as a child, when he too was diagnosed with cancer (he’s now cancer free). The dual product of their friendship is the Rex—a colorful mix of reds, teals, yellows, greens and blues—and the Riccardi—a darker square dominated by blues and blacks.
Related: These Devon Prep are on a Mission to Revive the Pocket Square
Muth and Klauder’s ingenuity earned them a national YEA title, making them the first local team to ever win one. Earlier this year, they launched more pocket squares, with 10 percent of the proceeds benefitting Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
