Peder Cho wakes up happy. He gets to do what he loves for a living, and he’s become successful by betting on himself. Much like his approach to fashion, these days he’s living a sustainable lifestyle at his core, making the best of every possible moment. Cho wholly believes in the power of reinvention. “You can do anything you want in this world as long as you find your passion and go all in,” he says. “I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true—I’m living proof of that. At any point you can upcycle your life." For aspiring entrepreneurs and creators who want to make the leap from their traditional 9 to 5 like Cho (who used to be in finance), brands like Adobe have launched apps to make the transition more approachable and a lot easier.
Cho takes this spirit of reinvention to heart through his brand, Utopia, turning old clothing into new, functional pieces while sharing the process with more than half a million followers on TikTok. His innovative designs—like turning jerseys into purses, sneakers into bags, and jackets into beanbags—have made him stand out in the fashion world and a go-to figure in the online upcycling community.
Of course, building a brand and keeping up with a growing audience is no easy task. Between crafting custom designs and creating engaging content for Utopia, Cho’s plate is full. That’s where Adobe Express comes in. It’s the quick and easy create-anything app designed to simplify the process of branding and content creation, helping business owners like Cho focus on what they love while keeping their marketing sharp and consistent.
“With the challenges to building a brand, Adobe Express can help mitigate a lot of the advertisement work,” Cho explains. “It’s great for pushing out informative things you want to share with the world.”
Adobe Express brings the best of Adobe’s pro tools and massive library of templates, fonts, photos and music into a single app that’s super simple for everyone to use. And whether you want to design a presentation on your desktop or schedule and send a social post from your phone – Adobe Express makes it fast and easy.
For Cho, one of the biggest hurdles with other design apps has been the learning curve, which often delayed or prevented him from making and sharing the content he needs to connect with his audience. “I use Adobe Express daily for my business,” he says. “There are so many things I want to post that I just don’t because of the hurdles to the learning process.” Adobe Express removes those barriers with its intuitive design, allowing Cho to create fresh, professional content quickly and easily.
“What really caught my attention were the image stacking, layering, and built-in animation presets,” he says. “As a visually-driven person, these features are huge for me, especially since visuals are what drive social media. You can throw up some text, and it’ll work, but when you add movement—like text bouncing or visuals shifting around–it takes my content to a new level.”
Cho also uses Adobe Express for brainstorming new designs—like reimagining a leather jacket into a bucket hat or blending sherpa fabric into a cozy new piece. He uses the app’s generative AI features, which are powered by Adobe Firefly and designed to be commercially safe, to kick off the inspiration. “The generative AI features spark ideas for me,” Cho shares. “I can start with a moodboard, tweak colors, layer graphics, and add text—all in one place. It’s perfect for refining my vision without jumping between different apps.”
The generative AI features acts as a digital toolbox for playing with new ideas for everything from new products to new marketing ideas. Generate Template lets Cho whip up customizable templates instantly, while Generate Text Effects helps his headlines and branding stand out. With Generative Fill, Cho can effortlessly tweak visuals–like adding, removing, or replacing elements–just by describing what he needs. These features let Cho experiment, refine, and bring his ideas to life fast, while having confidence that his content isn’t infringing on copyrighted work. As both an artist and SMB owner, protecting other creators and his own business are both especially important.
In addition to design templates and tips, Adobe Express makes it easy for Cho to create content that aligns perfectly with Utopia’s branding and digital strategy. With social media, consistency is key to building trust and staying top of mind with your audience. The content scheduler makes it fast and easy for Cho to keep the conversation fresh across every channel.
See How Adobe Express Helps Peder Cho Create Content and Designs
For entrepreneurs like Cho, staying creative and on-brand is essential for driving impact with his customers and followers. The Adobe Express brand kits allow you to keep and share your library of fonts, colors, logos and designs in one place, so everything–from flyers to social posts–stays on-brand and true to your unique vibe. “Adobe Express lets me focus on creating content that feels on-brand and impactful,” Cho says. “I can share my branding details with collaborators and know everything will stay consistent.”
For small business owners, these features allow you to spend less time on the logistics of it all and more time creating content that connects while running your business.
For a TikTok pro like Cho, Adobe Express is A1 when it comes to creating and editing his video content too. With its intuitive video editor, he can add smooth transitions, remove backgrounds, add captions or text overlays, and include polished visuals with one-click that take his posts to the next level–without the headache of complicated editing software. “The amount of work that goes into a single post is insane,” Cho says. “What you see in these videos took me 12 hours to create. Then I still have to film, record the voiceover, edit, and post across multiple platforms. Adobe Express makes that whole process way easier and faster, so I can focus on my craft while still putting out content that’s professional and true to my style.”
For Cho, Adobe Express isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s also a practical tool for running his business efficiently. “I think the main thing I've been using Adobe Express for is flyers for events or informative posts about the pieces that I'm making, so it's not always me yelling over a voiceover,” he shares. Whether it's announcing a pop-up event or showcasing the latest Utopia designs, Adobe Express helps Cho create polished, professional content that speaks for itself, freeing up his time to focus on what matters most: his craft.
This combination of traditional craftsmanship and digital strategy has been key to building Utopia. Founded in 2018, Utopia represents his vision of a life fueled by passion and creativity. The brand has grown alongside Cho’s skills and ambition. “One thing I want people to know about Utopia is that it embodies the story of doing anything you want in this world,” he says. “The brand is almost always handmade by me, and when it’s not, it’s still entirely driven by me. Everything I do is driven purely by passion and determination.”
Looking ahead, Cho has big plans for Utopia. He envisions expanding into fully developed fashion lines, art galleries, and museum showcases, all while continuing his brand collaborations and custom work. “It’s all about making it more cohesive—so you’ve got the line, the art galleries, and still the brand collaborations and custom work,” he says.
Ultimately, Cho’s story is one of creativity, resilience, and finding the right tools to make balancing running and promoting his small business easier. In a world where authenticity and individuality are key, Adobe Express has helped Cho create content that’s as fresh as his designs so he’s able to turn his passion into a thriving business. He’s proof that when you follow your dreams and embrace innovation, the possibilities are endless.
Ready to go for it? Download Adobe Express and start creating now.
Need some help taking the leap to follow your passions? Learn more about Adobe’s Digital Academy, a new global initiative created to help 30M next-generation learners develop AI literacy, content creation, and digital marketing skills to help them thrive in the coming work world of 2030. Adobe Digital Academy also offers career switchers the education and experience they need to launch successful careers in user experience (UX) design, data science, software engineering and digital marketing.