He throws people down and sews people clothes

Marysville Getchell senior Trey Padgett is just as comfortable behind a sewing machine as he is on a wrestling mat.

“He’s the best kid I’ve ever coached,” Chargers coach John Deaver said. “He never makes any excuses about anything, and he’s a real student of the sport. He’s so mature that he’s almost like another coach. (On the mat), he stays busy the whole time, and when he attacks, good things happen.”

Padgett, who placed seventh at last year’s 3A Mat Classic in the 138-pound class, is also a burgeoning fashion designer and entrepreneur. For the past year and a half he’s sold his self-made clothing products to customers all over the world via his website (treypadgett.com).

The Herald recently spoke to Padgett about wrestling, fashion design and his future plans.

What’s your best wrestling memory?

This past summer I went to the J Robinson Intensive Camp in Oregon. In some ways it changed my life forever. That’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I wrestled a lot of college guys, and I was definitely pushed mentally. That camp changed me and changed how I look at things.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome to succeed in wrestling?

I had a dislocated shoulder my freshman year. It popped out about 15 times during the football season. I had to miss my whole freshman season of wrestling, and that scared me. I thought I was going to fall behind. But I had surgery and I came back for my sophomore year feeling great.

How did you become interested in fashion design?

I’ve always dressed differently than everyone else. One day during my freshman year I watched a few videos about clothing, and I started wondering about how it was made. The next thing I knew I got a sewing machine.

How did things progress from there?

I started making clothes, and people at school started asking me if they could buy my products. The moment when everything changed, though, was when I went to a Lil Peep concert in Seattle two years ago. I showed him one of my hoodies and asked him if he wanted to take a picture with it, which he did. After the picture was posted on social media, other rappers were interested in buying the hoodie as well. I made a website, and things really took off after that. I’m probably known best for my hoodies. Everyone loves my hoodies. They are my specialty.

What’s your day-to-day process like?

I do every single thing myself — design, production and shipping. I do need help, and I’ll get some eventually. For the last two years I’ve taken fashion classes at Sno-Isle TECH, and when I’m there I work on my orders, and when I come home, after homework I work on my orders some more. I take inspiration for my clothing from my life, so whenever I think of something, I write it down in a journal. I want to show how I feel and what’s on my mind through my pieces.

What are your post-graduation plans?

I hope to go to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. There’s a lot of stuff I still need to learn, especially on the business side. My end goal is to own my own fashion design business.

Do you have any other hobbies?

I like to skateboard and go dirt-biking. Me and a buddy of mine like to go to my dad’s friend’s house, where there’s a track in the backyard. We love to go rip it up there because it’s just me and him hanging out, no interruptions, no other bikers. It’s fun.