Meet Chloe Trent and Deken Taylor | CoFounders of BottlesCape Art

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chloe Trent and Deken Taylor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chloe and Deken, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The concept of the business came from Chloe Trent’s sustainable childhood. Trent comes from a family that drinks a lot of water from plastic bottles and observed how people discard them daily. Trent felt there was a way to turn these bottles that people consider trash into something of value. In fact, her family has always repurposed everyday use items such as grocery bags, pasta jars, metal cans, paper rollers, and old shirts by transforming them into newly functional everyday use items like trash bags, snack containers, utensil holders, manipulatives in the classroom and drying cloths. 

Trent attended the University of North Texas, a school with a sustainability initiative, and received her bachelor’s in graphic design. She worked on an environmental storm drain mural on the UNT campus to bring awareness to the pollution entering water supplies. Trent has always believed that the world’s environment should be protected and preserved by humanity. She is a dedicated artist who loves expressing emotions through her art. While obtaining her MBA, she started to collect water bottles and tried to figure out ways to repurpose them and change the way people view bottles. She realized she could change the familiar perspective of viewing used bottles as trash into art!

Chloe wanted this idea to come to life and knew she could turn to her close friend and creative Deken Taylor, also a UNT alum with a master’s in journalism and a bachelor’s in public relations. Together, the duo’s ultimate goal is to find a solution to repurpose the use of bottles through art that would be innovative and groundbreaking. And from there, BottlesCape Art was born!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Chloe is the artist of the business. She states that her passion for art ties back to her parents, who are also creatives. Her mother is a teacher who constantly creates fantastic nature and playful layouts, so her students can immerse themselves in the classroom environment. Chloe’s father was a financial analyst and more technical but understood the creative nature of others and started a T-shirt business with her mother before she was born. As she grew up, her parents involved her in numerous activities like ballet, soccer, basketball, tap dancing, art, theater, piano, cooking, and reading programs. They observed how she developed a passion for fine arts and was drawn to various art forms like sculpture, digital illustration, traditional painting (acrylic, oil, and watercolor), and animation. While in high school, she was placed in advanced academic programs, studio and graphic design courses, and a remote art program called Art Instruction Schools. While in college, she went from a self-taught artist to a developing artist through the help of teachers and programs. Also, she started to love graphic novels, web comics, and anime and is currently developing a web series called Youso to Sekai.

Overall, she is still developing her art style and building her graphic design and illustration portfolio but believes it is essential for an artist to start learning the importance of the principles of art and design at a young age. She believes everyone can learn how to be an artist and that it gives you freedom but having a foundation and general knowledge of art is good. After all, art is what you make and define, not just the artist but the audience for it as well. She is proud of how far she has come and wants to continue making art that speaks to a broad audience through BottlesCape Art, Youso to Sekai, and freelance.

The strategic communicator of the business is Deken. Embracing creativity has been a lifestyle for most of his life. He started telling stories at a young age and competed in creative public speaking and writing events in grade school. He soon found a passion for music and became involved in singing and playing musical instruments. While in high school and college, he often took on leadership roles in creative pursuits that included planning, managing, and coordinating events.  As a primary career objective, Taylor wants to create vision statements and build strong reputations for other creatives that will last a lifetime. 

“What better way to do this than with your best friend?” he says. 

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Chloe and Deken agree that Denton has hidden gems everywhere and is the perfect spot for college students, families, and more.

Here’s their weekend guide:

On Friday morning, take a friend to brunch at one of the local spots, most likely Egg House Cafe, which has some of the best scrambles and coffee in town. If you’re a music junkie like Chloe and Deken are, you should check out the Books & More record store two doors down right afterward. Then, head to Denton Square and explore until your heart’s content. If there is schoolwork or a project to catch up on, go to Zera Coffee and enjoy fresh brewed tea and coffee. You’ll get a live performance by some of Denton’s finest vocal and acoustic talents if you’re lucky.  Lastly, end the day with tacos at Taqueria Guanajuato on East McKinney Street – absolutely the best tacos, hands down!

On Saturday, do some morning shopping at Thrift Giant for sweet deals. Be nosy and visit the market that may be in town on Saturday morning. For some delicious lunch, go to Oriental Garden. Follow up with a trip to South Lakes Park to be one with nature or be active and play tennis with some friends. For dinner, go to either Hanabi or Kurume Ramen. Towards the end of the day, watch a movie with a date or friend at Movie Tavern. Lastly, discuss the film over a scoop or two of Beth Marie’s Ice Cream and wonder around Denton Square.

On Sunday, do it all again, or have a day at home reminiscing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Chloe believes her family is the base of her support and success because they pushed her forward to gain an education and gave her the proper training to be an artist. She states, “I was told I was a great representation of my family’s determination, and creativity. I knew I was meant to do great things in my life.” That type of love and support pushes Chloe to believe in herself and see all her dreams through to the end.

For Deken, he likes to thank his college experiences and professors at the Mayborn School of Journalism. “As a first-generation college student, Mayborn has been my life,” he says. “I loved every second of it.”

Both Chloe and Deken are grateful for their friendship, which started their freshman year in college when they both played mellophones in the Green Brigade band in the Fall of 2017.

They are looking forward to connecting with the sustainable art community in the DFW area and are gearing up to vendor at the Pancakes and Booze art show in Deep Ellum on November 5, 2022! 

Website: https://lnk.at/bottlescapeart

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bottlescapeart/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bottlescapeart/?viewAsMember=true

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bottlescapeart

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bottlescapeart

Image Credits
All photos were taken and edited by Deken Taylor