Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose has shared the postgame spotlight with his meme-worthy toddler son PJ before. Now he’s doing it again on shirts designed by PJ’s mother and her business partner, a Chicago entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” veteran.
Kaeya Majmundar and Mieka Reese collaborated on an apparel line that celebrates Rose and PJ, launching the products in conjunction with the Bulls’ season opener in October. After a recent game, Rose appeared wearing a shirt from the line featuring PJ sporting a Bulls cap and a cute grimace, spurring $10,000 in sales in 48 hours.
Majmundar, a 2014 participant on ABC’s “Shark Tank” for her BZbox storage container, recently launched ZipTank, jersey-style tank tops that zip at the bottom to convert into bags.
Reese, PJ’s mother, owns fashion company Rich Girl Candy.
Together they created the Rose-themed collection of ZipTank shirts ($30-$50), including reversible red and black jerseys that feature No. 1 — Rose’s Bulls jersey number — plus a large image of PJ. They carry the Rich Girl Candy logo.
The long-sleeve shirt that Rose wore in a postgame interview and other products from the line are now available at ZipTank’s website and Chicago stores including SuccezZ Boutique, 1329 S. Michigan Ave., Mint Clothing, 1058 W. Taylor St., and Exclusive773, 857 W. 87th St.
A representative for Rose — one of the most highly paid names in the NBA, with deals including a multiyear contract with Adidas that’s reportedly worth $185 million — said Rose supports the project and is excited to see PJ, whose full name is Derrick Martell Rose and who is now age 4, on the shirts.
“It’s been a really cool experience working with someone I grew up loving to watch on TV,” Majmundar, 22, said of Rose, who is in his eighth season with the Bulls. “To be on business terms with him, that’s a cool accomplishment.”
Majmundar said she plans to donate a portion of sales from the Rose-themed products to After School Matters, a nonprofit that provides programs for high school students. Rose donated $1 million to the organization last year.
For ZipTank, Majmundar received $8,140 in pledges in a Kickstarter campaign that ended in early October. The campaign didn’t include the designs featuring Rose and his son.
Majmundar said she got to know Reese after meeting Rose’s friends in the Trump Tower, where Majmundar lives with her parents and where Rose owns a condo. In June, she said, she noticed that Chicago celebrities would walk through the building’s lobby around midnight, so she started sitting downstairs to people-watch.
One night, she said, Rose’s friends “called me over to sit down and talk with them.” She eventually reached out to Reese and pitched a partnership.
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Majmundar said Reese quickly expressed interest.
“I like the concept of the ZipTank, that it’s something that you can wear and you can use,” Reese said.
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