In the corner of the clean, white Handsome Clothing office in AJ Jamani's North Toronto home hangs a bulletin board with exclamatory notes of praise from around the world. "Keep up the good work!" from Australia; and from Ireland, "I have received the piece, and love it!" These are highlights from emails sent by Handsome clients who appreciate the customer service that comes with the graphic t-shirts and sweaters Jamani and his business partner, Christian Rice, design and sell on the web.

"For us, it's all about making sure the customer has a positive experience," explains Jamani, who co-founded the Toronto-based business with Rice. Like many young entrepreneurs, these twenty-something friends expanded their enterprise by dreaming up creative ways to use the Internet and social media. From modest origins on an Ontario university campus, Handsome Clothing now boasts sales in places as far-off as Russia, Denmark, and the UAE.

On a recent afternoon before work-and-play trips to London and New York, Jamani -- impeccably styled in dark, pin-rolled jeans and a black, button-down Band of Outsiders shirt -- tells the story of how the Handsome brand was born: he and Rice, friends since they attended Upper Canada College in Toronto, began to design their own t-shirts in 2004 while studying together at Queen's University.

Whenever they'd sport the t's -- white with black designs in permanent marker -- people would pay them compliments or ask where they could purchase their own. Soon, the pair began experimenting with screen-printing, transferring Rice's digital designs onto higher quality shirts. They sold these on campus, and, says Jamani, the feedback was positive. "People encouraged us, told us they would be interested in the designs."

After graduation in 2008, Jamani planned to explore a career in his field -- psychology and international development. Rice, a philosophy major, headed for Arizona, where he's currently completing a master's in graphic design. They never expected to make a full-time career out of Handsome anytime soon. "It was this dream in the distance," says Jamani.

But early last year, Handsome transitioned from being a really enjoyable side project to a full-time job when the business partners discovered ways to build their following. This expansion project was born out of frustration in how difficult it was to stand out in the competitive t-shirt market and win the attention of quality Toronto shops.

"Retailers have hundreds of people coming to them to be carried in their store," says Jamani. "The nature of graphic t's is that it isn't always the graphic that sells the shirt -- it's the brand identity."

First, Rice and Jamani set-up a blog which documents Handsome's picks for interesting style and music-related findings. The blog is a method of branding by association, explains Jamani. "It shows everything that we are about, and it's done very well for us in terms of getting our name out."

From the phone in Arizona, Rice remarks: "I always think the blog is similar to the way kids made their own zines in the 80s. We're just a couple of kids who like cool stuff. We want to share it with people, and we think other people will appreciate it."

They logged onto Twitter and Facebook, and planned a re-launch this past September, which involved creating a new line around a theme instead of a season.

The Outer Space Series of t-shirts and sweaters (all fair-labour and free-trade; $45 to $65 USD) was inspired by America's first moon landing mission. Rice and Jamani created an online interactive look book to accompany the line. The look book tells the story of a space mission involving astronauts who go out to find a lunar crystal. Though the crystal could be used for mass destruction, the astronauts work together to use their powers for good.

"They have a spiritual turn. It's about being one with the world," says Jamani.  He adds that this peaceful message reflects the friendship behind the brand: "Christian is from the States and grew-up in Toronto. My family is Muslim from Africa, and I grew up around Toronto. Cultural differences have never played a role in our friendship. Our friendship superseded any of these apparent differences."

This positive message also comes through in the company's customer care philosophy. Jamani and Rice send each client an unadvertised gift -- a free mixed CD -- with every t-shirt, as well as a hand-written note of thanks for supporting Handsome and sharing in the founders' dream.

"The note is our chance to send that positivity out there," smiles Jamani. "We love encouraging people -- even if we don't know their background. When we tell someone they are a champion it's because there's no chance that they are not."

Now, the thoughtful notes from customers that fill his bulletin board seem like examples of reciprocal altruism.

Rice, who designs all the graphics with Jamani's input, says, "We are trying to tell a story, and making it bigger than just cool designs on a shirt. We tried to communicate that through the look book, the mix, and our website. Customers could visually look at what we produced, intellectually appreciate the story, and be able to participate in it themselves by buying a shirt to keep. The mix would be the soundtrack to the entire experience."
 
Since the re-launch, they've caught the attention of various international blogs, including The Cool Hunter and Design For Mankind.  New collaborations with artists and musicians have been born from networking through Tweets and Facebook. Online retailers from the U.S., UK, and Australia have picked up the line. And they've recently won the Holy Grail they were after: some Yorkville retailers have agreed to carry Handsome in their shops.

"It's amazing how effective social media can be to grow virtually for no budget," remarks Jamani, who adds that their Internet networking efforts have resulted in a sales increase of 300 per cent, and over 10,000 unique visitors per month to their website.

"When we were in university, we would say 'I can't wait until the day on campus when we see a random person who doesn't know us wearing our shirts'. Now, there are hundreds of shirts in other countries."

Julia Belluz is a Toronto-based freelance writer.