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At 1620 Workwear, we celebrate those who live by their hands—those who build, create, and grind it out every day. That’s why we linked up with Andrew Bablo, the Boston-based force behind Steez Design, a creative studio that doesn’t just design—it builds. From 200-foot murals under highways to large-format restaurant installations, Bablo is bringing an unmatched, hands-on approach to the design world.
“My name is Andrew Bablo, and I'm the owner, founder of Steez Design, and Steez Design is a full service design studio. Everything from design to building to actual implementation and installing of the design piece.”
Bablo’s background stretches from licensed sports apparel to the editorial world, having run the popular Steez Magazine from 2006 to 2015. With a tradesman father and a childhood steeped in woodworking and hands-on craft, he carved out a unique niche: a design studio that executes what it dreams up.
“There's a lot of other designers out there and they're doing really cool stuff, but then it kind of stops. Once they have the design, it goes to somebody else... But for me, I could come at it from a different angle where I knew that if I designed it in this way, then I knew I could make it that way too.”
This end-to-end mindset is rare in the design world—and it’s where Steez Design stands out.
For Bablo, craftsmanship isn't just part of the process—it is the process.
“Craftsmanship is probably one of the most important parts of this whole company... I want to give the client the best possible product. And so for me, craftsmanship is everything.”
And when the job calls for 20-hour days—like bringing HubWeek to life, or installing a 200-foot mural in downtown Boston under a highway—Bablo steps up, fueled by obsession with doing it right, no matter the scale or environment.
“I enjoy designing still to an extent, but I really like using my hands and I love the challenge of a new project.”
What keeps Bablo coming back isn’t routine—it’s reinvention. Every job is different. Every install, every build, every mural is a new mountain to climb.
“If I'm not having fun and I'm not excited, I'm not gonna do this. I'll close the shop and I'll walk away.”
Right now, Steez is deep into a number of unique buildouts, like a massive bottle cap wall for Harpoon, a full-package nautical themed installation for Shipyard Tavern in Essex, and even a self-built sauna on his own land that'll be used for company retreats.
“I'm doing basically everything from vinyl murals and graphics to the exterior signage to interior signage, interior painting work, to really large format installation, pieces of artwork that go on the wall.”
It's not just paint and print—it's about creating conversation pieces that transform spaces.
“If you see a car door on the wall, you see something truly unique—that conversation piece is what I'm trying to create... Those are the things that I'm trying to do and really trying to think critically and outside of the box.”
As any tradesperson knows, cheap gear costs you twice. Bablo learned that the hard way—before upgrading everything from tools to American-made workwear.
“You learn as you get older that those investments in higher quality stuff is the lowest risk thing you can pretty much do. It's kind of a no brainer.”
Like many in the trades, Bablo doesn’t buy for trends—he buys for function. From heavy equipment to clothing, it’s all about durability.
“I know that having durable apparel is what's gonna get me through the job, just like having the right tools for it too.”
Bablo’s worn 1620 since day one—and each pair of pants, repaired many times over by the brand, tells its own story.
“These are actually the first pair of Foundation Pants that I ever bought... I got 'em back and I was like, whoa.." "They're probably my favorite pair and they're just super comfortable and durable.”
He separates gear by job type—shop pants, install pants, and now, white pants from our Painter’s Collection.
“I plan to wear the white collection in the outdoors when painting... because it'd probably keep me 20, 30 degrees cooler than wearing all black.”
And every paint splatter? A badge of honor.
“That's the war wounds of painting, and I think that's the beauty of having something like painter pants—is that you can identify all those jobs and that it's like a collection of scars, basically.”
“I really appreciate anything that's quality made.”
Inside Bablo’s studio, a 48-star hand-stitched American flag hangs with pride. It’s a reminder of what he values: quality, craft, and the grind that comes with making something real.
“If it's American made, then I'll buy it. It is restrictive. It's hard to find, but when I see it and I feel it, and I'm like, wow, this is good quality—it doesn't matter the price if it's gonna last.”
Andrew Bablo and Steez Design embody what we at 1620 Workwear are all about—putting in the work, pushing boundaries, and building things that last. Whether it's paint-covered pants, a car door on the wall, or a 200-foot mural in a major city, real workwear for real work is part of the process.
Check out steezdesign.com and connect with @steez_design on Instagram. For the best workwear on the planet, visit 1620usa.com and learn more about 1620 Workwear's company uniform program.
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