Skip to content
lara 3

Diversity and Culture through Art and Clothing – Lara Jordan Founder of SQUIDINK

Lara Jordan ’23 a geography major at Clark University, joined the School of Management and Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program’s Clark Tank – Venture Development back in October of 2021 and has been unstoppable ever since. Lara recently presented her venture SQUIDINK to the Clark Tank Committee at the Clark Tank – Venture Development Semi-Finals on February 4th and advanced to the finals scheduled for February 18, 2022. At the finals, she will present to a panel of funding judges made up of alumni and faculty entrepreneurs.

I have gained extremely important experience and skills while participating in Clark Tank. It has pushed me out of my comfort zone in terms of reaching out to people, public speaking, and putting full attention on my business. I already feel more confident in my entrepreneurship skills and cannot wait to keep learning with the Clark’s entrepreneurship department. – Lara Jordan ’23

laraAs a geography major with a track in geographic information science and remote sensing, Lara is committed to conservation and has a goal to work in the field as a GIS data analyst but also plans to keep her art interest alive through her side hustle – SQUIDINK.

Lara started her business in the spring semester of 2020 in her entrepreneurship course ENT 105 Creating a Culture of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Clark University with Professor Teresa Quinn, who has been a mentor throughout the entrepreneurial journey. Lara believes starting this business was a great distraction from the chaos of the time.lara 5

SQUIDINK is a screen-printed, handpainted clothing brand inspired by cultures and the environment. Lara is the designer and printer of this business and strives to represent cultural beauty through art.  Growing up Serbian and Peruvian, Lara had lots of exposure to different cultures and their art. She works to produce art that intertwines traditional culture with her own style.

Inspired by her passion for the natural world and animals, Lara designs art to provide unique and interesting clothing that represents her loves. Her goal for SQUIDINK is to grow to the point where she is able to give back and donate funding to causes that support the protection of the animals that inspire her.lara 8

SQUIDINK provides a quality service that can be tailored to every customer’s specific need. Each piece is handmade and printed with care! Since she personally prints each shirt, she is able to offer customization to each customer. When creating custom designs, Lara works with the customer to adjust the size, shapes, and colors to create unique pieces on all types of canvases.lara 4

Since 2020, Lara has sold over 50 screen printed t-shirts and 20 customs to the Clark community, Worcester community, and friends and family. She regularly attended the Clark Collective Red Square pop-ups in fall 2021 and plans to continue in spring 2022 as the pop-ups move to the Academic Commons during the winter.

Lara is also participating in the Clark Tank Crowdfunding event for additional funding. You can watch her video here and vote with a Clark email address.

Lara will present at the Clark Tank Finals on February 18, 2022, in Tilton Hall at 11:45am, with tabling at 9am.

You can follow Lara and SQUIDINK on her Instagram or visit her TikTok for behind-the-scenes action. Also, SQUIDINK’s website is now open for preorder sales https://www.squidinkstore.com.