AKRON, Ohio — A global pandemic ma feel overwhelming when it comes to fixing things. However, a northeast Ohio man decided to start chipping away at a problem he's seen firsthand.

Timothy Baxter is a creative director and the creator of Sailor Doom Apparel. He started his first business at 11 years old and hasn't slowed down since.

"When the pandemic happened and we were given all this time and not sure what to do," said Baxter. "It definitely opened up some doors for me as an artist."

Baxter has worked in fashion most of his adult life. He spent years in Los Angeles and other cities working as a stylist and working for big brands, but something didn't sit right with him.

"I just read this article, someone after one to two wears considers something old,” said Baxter.

He saw the amount of waste some of the world’s biggest brands are dumping. Fast fashion is the business of inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.

"That's kind of the idea of it being fast fashion into landfills," said Baxter. "The unfortunate thing with that is most fast-fashion textiles are made from polyester and polyester is plastic."

The United States is already the largest producer of plastic waste in the world. Baxter, wanted to start a project to help counter all that waste.

“When you think of a sweater, think of a plastic bottle," said Baxter. "It takes about 200 years to break down so it's the exact same thing.” So, he created Sailor Doom Apparel.

"Think kind of like a thrift store, but a curated thrift store boutique that is taking garments and giving them a new life,” he said.

He wants to find pieces that make people feel good while wearing them.

"Things that are still going to make you feel hip, trendy, expensive maybe," said Baxter.

Once he finds something special, he takes it to his brothers screen printing shop, Megalab, and gets to work.

"Every single garment is unique, so the one after, and one before isn't going to be the same," said Baxter.

He screen prints on the secondhand garments giving them a second chance.

“Just like a building," said Baxter. "I'm not into brand new perfect brick. I'm ok with a little hole, or a scratch on a pair of shoes.”

He hopes Sailor Doom Apparel can spread some awareness, and help people think twice before shopping.

“Americans throw away 70 pounds of clothing a year, 70 pounds," said Baxter. "You think of how much a shirt weighs it's not even a pound, so that's a lot, you know?”

Fashion is his passion and it feels good to live a passion while still learning and bringing awareness to a problem he saw firsthand.