Shortened from the Spanish word “Tranquilo”, Tranqui is a way to say “chill”, “relax”, or “don’t sweat it”.

Tranqui Prints’ founder Nick Mahshie first came into contact with the term back in 2008 when he moved from Miami to Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was there that he earned the moniker “Tranqui Yanqui”, loosely translated to “Chill American”, which, as any good American would do, he capitalized on it.

Tranqui Yanqui became his alter-ego for the 5 years he spent in Buenos Aires. Art-school trained and desperate to break from the shackles of what he found to be a stuck-up and rather annoying art world, he made himself a costume out of cardboard, painted it, and proceeded to build a persona, and subsequently, an entire universe around that quirky, exuberant, and grungy tropical chic character called “Tranqui Yanqui”.

Combining his training in Painting with an interest in fashion and nearly no money at all, he proceeded to make clothing out of anything he could get his hands on. With a lot of found cardboard and masking tape, as well as countless friends’ help - that scrappy character was transformed into an underground hero, orchestrating fashion shows set to electronic cumbia DJ sets and live performances that celebrated the place he hailed from (Miami!) while also poking fun at the idiosyncrasies that came with being a “North American” randomly situated at the near bottom of the South American continent.

While this artistic persona took shape, Mahshie remembers constantly returning to the feeling that making clothing he could share with his fans was the most genuine way of getting his artwork to the public. It was accessible, affordable, and totally aligned with his spirit. He related it to his working-class upbringing in the western burbs of Miami, to his mom’s eccentric sequined jackets from the 80s, and to the sentiment that wearing his art transported him to an emotional place that no other art form could.

In 2012, upon returning to the US, he earned a Masters Degree in Fashion with the renowned visual artist, Nick Cave, continuing to make artwork in a variety of forms, but found that translating those designs to PRINTED fabric was the best outlet for his creative impulses.

Upon moving back to Miami in 2018, he rekindled the relationship with the place that helped shape his life over the years. He started a family, bringing him into close contact again with the magic and wonder of the natural phenomena of that unique environment. The time had come for “Tranqui” to reemerge.

With over 15 years of experience making art, clothing, costumes and everything in between - Tranqui Prints was finally born with the goal of capturing that same raw energy, enthusiasm, and excitement that first motivated Nick to paint a cardboard vest and top hat in the first place.