Rightnowish: Darius Gomez and Dirty Pesos Clothing

I’ve seen Dirty Pesos hoodies and shirts all around town, as well as in music videos. But it took me a while before I realized who the designer was.

I don’t recall when it all clicked, but when it did, I was like: Oh! I know Darius Gomez!

I mean, it feels like everyone in the Bay knows Darius Gomez. He’s the son of longtime radio personality and community culture keeper Chuy Gomez. Back in the day, his pops used to bring him on the California Music Channel, which I used to watch after middle school; I feel like I grew up with Darius.

Far removed from the kid some might remember from the TV screen, Darius’ latest move is evidence of his maturation. After starting as an intern at AGW Screen works in San Leandro when he was 19, Darius launched his own clothing brand Dirty Pesos Worldwide just about four years ago. Inspired by other Bay Area brands like Shmoplife and Cookies SF, Darius decided to put his ideas to work.

“The first two years were slow,” Darius told me when I met up with him in his warehouse, but “as soon as I dropped these hoodies, that’s when things just started flying off the shelf.”

Now 26, Darius has seen his clothes land on the backs of some the Bay’s top athletes and artists, including L.A. Rams player Marcus Peters and East Oakland rapper ALLBLACK.

For this week’s episode of Rightnowish, I talked to Darius about his clothing line, what his family thinks about his success and how it feels to have his clothes worn by some of the tightest and brightest out of the Bay Area. To hear our convo, click the link above!