As far back as he can remember, Zac Andryo has had an entrepreneurial drive. He started his first business at the ripe old age of 12, designing and importing longboards. Redwood Longboards required him to get five friends to invest $200 each. That was a lot of allowance money for 12-year-olds to invest in an unproven idea, but Zac said his business case and passion convinced his friend’s parents to (grudgingly) support the idea.
“The drive to do something, to build something, it was a work ethic our parents instilled in us from a young age. If you want something, you have to work for it,” Zac says.
In this case, Zac simply wanted to earn enough profit to buy a new X-Box. The scheme not only paid off, but all of his friends ended up doubling their initial investment. Not bad for a young entrepreneur who wasn’t even shaving yet.
Fast forward to 2025 and Zac Andryo is in full entrepreneur beast mode. In addition to his day job as a journeyman mechanic in Calgary, he is leading the revival of a brand his father founded back when he was un university – Baby G’s Apparel. The journey of Baby G’s began in 1988 when Zac’s then-23-year-old father Terry launched a clothing brand that catered to young men with bold, hand-rendered graphics printed on tie-dye and neon garments, staples of that era. With a heroic gorilla icon representing sweat and muscle, guts and courage, the brand quickly found it’s place among football players, lacrosse athletes, and power lifters, gaining traction through grassroots marketing. Running the operation from the trunks of their cars, Baby G’s was built solely on revenue, avoiding outside investments. The hustle paid off, attracting the attention of a buyer just two years later.
The new ownership group didn’t quite “get” the brand mission behind Baby G’s and the new owners declared bankruptcy a short time later. But the echo of Baby G’s and all it stood for echoed for years afterward in Zac’s childhood home – part myth, part legend, part unfulfilled dream.
“It was something that moved with us from Winnipeg to Calgary, and I remember thinking ‘Why do we have a seven-foot tall gorilla in the backyard’?” Zac says with a smile. “Our mom kept meticulous keepsake boxes for every person in the family, year by year, and I eventually found the last faded Baby G sweatshirt my dad had worn.”
The brand resonated with Zac and his cousin, who used to talk about re-starting the brand some day, some time. The gorilla came to symbolize everything he looked up to in his dad and his family: resilience and work ethic.
“There are no handouts in life, you have to go out and earn your way. And Baby G’s was built for the grinders, the people who don’t go to the pretty gyms, the ones who put the hours in and don’t complain or expect awards. It’s about always digging deeper and emptying the tank, pure and simple.”
Inspired by the nostalgia of the brand and his belief in its modern appeal, Zac reignited the concept and fully assumed control of new-era Baby G’s in 2023. He has modernized the product catalogue and online shopping experience while maintaining the core values that defined the brand decades ago. A smart leader knows when and where he needs help, and so Zac established an advisory board comprised of local experts and influencers to provide objective counsel. His talented fiancé Heather also manages content, social media, and “makes sure all of our customer and business communications sound way better than I ever could.”
Today, Baby G’s offers a selection of quality pump cover t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies in a variety of styles and colours at its online boutique: www.babygsapparel.com. A new shipment of inventory arrives shortly, so he can take the ‘sold out’ sign off some popular items.
“Honestly, it fuels me every day. I’m learning so much as I go, about digital marketing and balancing inventory with demand. The feedback and early sales have been more than we expected, and it encourages us to keep pushing,” he says.
Over 100 people attended a VIP launch event last spring, where Zac says they sold close to 80 per cent of their inventory. The supportive base of early adopters runs the gambit from power lifters to amateurs training for the unsung glory of achievement. And there is growing buzz around recent conversations with several sports franchises and other as-yet-to-be-named national organizations. The business has the manufacturing capacity already in place to rapidly scale.
As for the young entrepreneur, Zac is a charming spokesperson and salesman, authentic and full of palpable energy and unlimited promise. He devours books and podcasts on topics that expand his mind and his approach to business. He makes no apologies for dreaming big and aiming high. Sit and talk with him for a few minutes and you almost want to run out and get the Baby G gorilla tattooed on your chest.
“This brand is all about heart, and I can feel people really identifying with it and the inner struggles they push through, the silent victories. Literally ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’. That’s our people.”
With a rich legacy, a dedicated new leader, and a growing community of supporters, Baby G’s is poised to make waves once again with a future as bold as its past.
