Rising Stars: Meet Badi Tolo of Denver

Today we’d like to introduce you to Badi Tolo.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Back in 2020, Voyage Denver shared my story about building The 6th Clothing Co., my purpose-driven streetwear brand inspired by the mindset of the 6th man—showing up, supporting, and making an impact without needing the spotlight. That recognition meant a lot in that moment in my life because I wasn’t seeking it, and truth be told, I was nominated for that feature by someone I’d never even met. It meant the brand and the mission to do my part to make a difference had impacted someone in a meaningful and that’s still the goal today.

Life has taken many twists and turns since then. It’s still a passion project I do outside of my full-time job when I find the time and energy and means, but my creative journey has taken on a whole new rhythm—literally in the past year plus as well. I’m still running The 6th, but I’ve also stepped behind the decks as DJ BADi. Music’s always been in my DNA, but diving into and honing this new craft to a level that has allowed me to perform live, and build sets that move a crowd or audience has opened up a completely new lane for me to connect and tell stories.

At the core, it’s all the same drive—whether it’s a design, a t-shirt, or a track—I’m hoping to create moments meant to inspire, uplift, and leave people feeling better than I found them. And I’m excited to share how that passion has evolved since the last time we talked.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not. Building The 6th Clothing Co. as a one-person operation while working full-time has meant navigating limited time, limited budget, and a steep learning curve. I’ve worn every hat—designer, marketer, customer service, fulfillment—and had to slow down at times when life demanded it.

DJing as BADi brought a new set of challenges: starting from scratch, learning the technical side, and proving myself in a competitive space. I think anytime you want to learn something new you need a solid foundation and consistency to the fundamentals. When I finally got all the signals and alignment to jump in, one of them landed me at The Denver DJ School for an intro with the legendary DJ Chonz. Highly recommend to DJ’s at any level but for sure beginners.

From there it took networking and building relationships in the community. Trying to connect with people who understand me and my non-agenda agenda. Just a pursuit of joy and purpose meant to explore my own potential and hopefully support and inspire a few people along the way. In all my ventures, kinda like life, there are moments where progress felt slow, but I’ve always turned back to some of the messaging that I’ve used with The 6th. Never Stop Working. More We Less Me. Do More, Be More, Give More. Those guiding principles kind of drive how I move and live and allow me to be content with whatever the results are.

Every obstacle has made me more resourceful and resilient and it’s shaped me into someone who shows up, adapts, and keeps pushing forward.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a creative at my core, and my work spans across design, branding, fashion, and music now. Professionally, the past 10+ years, I’ve worked as a Senior Art Director at Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, where I’ve led and worked alongside a team of creatives for major league teams like the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Mammoth. I specialize in crafting visual stories—campaigns, identities, and experiences—that connect emotionally with audiences and feel authentic to the brand. That big league professional experience is part of what inspired me to explore entrepreneurship with The 6th in my own time as well. I’ve impacted and been a part of a lot of big projects and moments with the teams over the years, but I’d say, I’m probably most proud of being able to work through the journey of storytelling and building the brands of all 3 teams in my charge over the years and seeing them all achieve Championships for our organization, the city, and the broader fan base of each.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Striving for a consistency in the way I approach every day. It’s my 6th Man mentality. Always determined and hungry to prove not to anyone else, but to myself what I’m capable of while remembering the importance of being a good teammate. If you can maintain the right attitude, effort and focus on being the best version of yourself while being a good teammate, then you can accomplish far more than you imagined.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://the6thclothingco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badimarcel/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bmtolo/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg-OesQaJfwNU2dWSCJ1iMw
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/badimarcel
• Other: https://linktr.ee/djbadimarcel

Image Credits
Mike Trujillo, Kim Vogels