“Slow down, you move too fast. You gotta make the mornin’ last. Just kickin’ down the cobblestones. Doo-it-da-doo-doo feelin’ groovy.”

So explains the ideal of the newest clothing line out of Athens.

Juniors David Bragman, David Friedman and Jeffrey Waronker created their label, designed their product and were selling by July, all with the mind set of taking it slow and easy.

Slowpoke, the name of the line, offers polo-style shirts in red, white and blue embellished with the smallest, most meager turtle. Following in their motto of “livin’ the slowpoke life,” the turtle represents an ideal as much as their clothing line, said the guys.

“The turtle itself is a harmless animal who can be loved by anyone,” said Bragman, a finance major from Atlanta. “It comes down to the way our business is run.”

Although not released yet in stores, Slowpoke already has caught the eye of over 700 Facebook members, and some 300 buyers in both Georgia and Alabama. The first bulk supply of 400 shirts began its dispersal in late July. Already, the majority have sold.

“We had a few people along the way who thought it was terrible,” Bragman said. “Really, it fueled us.”

Aileen Lewis, an employee at Dynamite Clothing and 2008 University alumna, said she thought the shirts would do well on a larger scale than the Athens market.

“I totally think people will buy them,” Lewis said. “The turtle is a good idea because it’s a little unusual. And the Polo brand definitely has a stereotype.”

Bragman, however said that so far Slowpoke has not been stereotyped.

“We’re going to try and be more non-regionalized,” said Waronker, an accounting major from Atlanta, who was comparing Slowpoke to existing competitors.

The “three fun loving guys” as Friedman describes them, made several demo shirts before getting the end product they are selling today. Two buttons or three, the placing of the turtle and which colors to go with first were all major decisions in the process of their creation.

“We’re all type A personalities,” Bragman said.

“Naw man. I’m type B,” Waronker said.

“Okay well I’m type A, they are type B, but we’re all really motivated,” Bragman said.

Selling Slowpokes at $25 a pop, they said competitors such as Polo Ralph Lauren aren’t a concern at this point.

“Our price isn’t really something they can compete with,” Bragman said.

Allison Phelps, an employee at Heery’s Clothes Closet in downtown Athens and 2007 University alumna, said that Slowpoke’s pricing would be perfect for the Athens market.

“Locally people always support the local businesses, especially students,” she said. “I’d have to see to decide, but I like the idea.”

The guys said they hope Slowpoke will continue to be as well received by consumers as it has been the past month.

The boys already are moving forward by introducing colors such as salmon, dark green and navy blue as well as starting a whole women’s line.

“Right now our focus is graduating,” Waronker said. He said the company came about during internships he and Bragman had this past summer.

While the two juniors were at conglomerates in Atlanta and Chicago, Waronker said he found the office and schedule somewhat suffocating.

“The whole 9-to-5 thing really got to me,” Waronker said. “I thought, ‘I can’t do this for the rest of my life.’”

He said he called his buddies, Bragman and Friedman, a finance major from St. Simons Island, to vent his distaste and get the guys together for an idea. Having been encouraged by people already in the business force, they ran with the old adage of trying to make money doing what you love.

With a Web site in the making, Slowpoke has made negotiations with retailers and created new ideas for other products. And yet, the guys are as laid back as they claim.

“We are really entrepreneurial,” Bragman said, explaining how they hope to expand. He cited Warren Buffet and the founders of Vineyard Vines as businessmen they hope to mirror.

“It is the way (Buffet) treats everyone like they are his most important customer,” he said. “We want to be that personal.”