Freegums was founded by Peruvian-born artist/designer Alvaro Ilizarbe - who moved to Miami in 1989. Alvaro settled on Freegums as a name for his clothing line after using this name previously for a series of house parties he hosted in college. “I needed to make money and so I started doing these big house parties. I needed a name to tie them all in, like Mr Freegums Toilet Swamps and Mr and Mrs Freegums Dance-a-lot.” Alvaro’s distinctive t-shirt prints draw heavily from the wildlife of South Florida.