Our Story
Built from the ground up, one shirt at a time.
From a dorm room to one of Houston's leading custom apparel manufacturers — this is how Icy Studios got here.
A dorm room and a dream
Manik Kundra started Icy Studios in 2018 as a university student selling vintage clothing online to cover tuition. Working part-time at Subway, he built the brand from nothing — no investors, no industry connections. Just a laptop, a strong eye for product, and the belief that something real could come from it.
The pivot that changed everything
Sourcing vintage from wholesalers and containers from China and India was unpredictable — faulty goods, inconsistent quality, no control. Manik made the call to stop depending on others and start producing in-house. That decision defined everything that came after.
Building the infrastructure
In 2020, Icy opened its first showroom. In 2021, a warehouse in Scarborough, Ontario. Raw fabric imported from Asia, manufactured from scratch on-site. Full quality control, start to finish. What began as a workaround became the company's biggest competitive advantage.
From local brand to North American manufacturer
Today, Icy Studios produces custom apparel for corporate clients like Amazon and Microsoft, musicians like Diljit Dosanjh, retail brands like La Maison Simons, and hundreds of independent creators and businesses across North America. The company that started with a heat press now runs a full-scale DTG, DTF, and live event printing operation.
20K+
Orders fulfilled
200+
Premium blanks
1–3
Day production
USA & CA
Fulfillment
Milestones
How we got here
Founded in a dorm room
Manik starts Icy as a vintage clothing side hustle while studying and working at Subway.
First showroom opens
Icy opens its first physical showroom in Scarborough, Ontario.
Warehouse and in-house manufacturing
A 4,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Scarborough becomes home to Icy's own production line. Tajima embroidery machines, DTG printers, and full quality control in-house.
First printed collection goes viral
Icy's own line of printed t-shirts launches and gains traction on social media, landing in major Canadian retailer La Maison Simons.
High-profile client collaborations
Icy produces merchandise for Diljit Dosanjh's sold-out Scotiabank Arena show, plus Amazon, Microsoft, and Warner Music Group.
North American expansion
Icy scales operations and launches icy.com — a B2B platform built for brands, creators, and businesses who need reliable print-on-demand at volume.
The founder
Manik Kundra
Founder & CEO, Icy Studios
"We started as a vintage clothing brand in my dorm room. I was working at Subway at the time and eventually decided to drop out of school to pursue this full-time. Every mistake we made taught us something. Every order that left our hands had to be right."
— Manik Kundra, Retail Insider, February 2025
Today Manik leads a team producing custom apparel for some of North America's most recognizable brands and artists — driven by the same obsession with quality that started this whole thing in a dorm room.
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