Horizon West-based shop 'The Lost Bros' sells theme park-inspired apparel

HORIZON WEST  If you’re shopping for a theme-park enthusiast this holiday season, checking out what The Lost Bros has to offer might be a good place to start.

The Lost Bros — an online shop that has its roots in Orlando — is the brainchild of Colton and Cody Tapoler. It sells unique, theme park-inspired shirts, socks, pins, hats and more. 

It’s gained a loyal fanbase, too. Since its launch in May 2016, TLB has amassed more than 43,000 Instagram followers. And on any given day at one of Walt Disney World Resort’s four parks, you’re likely to see someone wearing a TLB shirt.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

It all began when Colton, 27, was working as a teacher and Cody, 26, was in the music industry and touring. They would always go to Disney together and found much of their inspiration there.

In fact, it was promotional videos that televisions in Disney hotels played that indirectly sparked the idea for TLB. The brothers wanted to make theme park-inspired videos and be like the people they saw on the resort’s channels. 

“Before we got to YouTube, we were talking about what we needed as far as clothes, I guess, and there was nothing to wear,” said Cody, a Horizon West resident. “We were like, ‘We’ll just make our own shirts that are cool for us,’ so we did.”

Cody already had what would become one of the brand’s first products, a Lost Boys T-shirt jersey, that he often wore while touring. But not much else they came across appealed to them enough to wear out in the parks.

“We never really wore Disney shirts to Disney, because for guys there were limited options,” said Colton, a Palm Beach resident. “It was March or April (of last year) when Cody called and asked if I wanted to sell theme park-inspired shirts. He told me about the ‘Life is the Bubbles’ design, and I thought it was brilliant.”

The name “The Lost Bros” came from the brothers’ mutual love of “Peter Pan,” and from then to now the brand has grown substantially. It carries a variety of T-shirts and other items of clothing with themes pertaining to childhood classics.

A line of T-shirt jerseys gives a nod to princesses such as Belle, Cinderella and Rapunzel. One of the brand’s signature designs — a Mickey waffle and bacon strips in the shape of a cross-bone — comes in the form of a T-shirt, sweater or socks.

MAKING MEMORIES

But perhaps one of the biggest factors behind TLB’s success comes from the personalities behind the brand — the Tapolers themselves. They can be found in the parks multiple times a week and often take time to meet fellow park-goers and social-media followers.

“People connect with us because Disney for us is just an outlet for fun,” Colton said. “We’re just two brothers who get along really well and go to Disney.”

They have since been able to incorporate their love of music into the brand, too. “Kingdomchella,” a play off of Coachella, is their next big venture, which will be held at the Rosen Plaza in April. 

“I’ve been making art my whole life, and nothing has ever been as appreciated as what we do as The Lost Bros,” he said. “For me, it’s humbling. Literally every time we go to the parks and see someone wearing a shirt, you realize that these people made you a part of their trip and their memories. …It’s really humbling to be a part of all that from just a T-shirt.”

To shop, visit lostbrostradingco.com.