Week 4: My Business and My Brand

    When thinking about a business I've wanted to start, I have always had a vision of owning a clothing brand. Since my early teen years, I have always been heavily immersed in the fashion industry, especially the streetwear and hip-hop culture. Although we never had the money to buy the clothes I wanted, I've always tried to dress well. A lot of that love I had for clothes came from famous icons in the industry, such as the late Virgil Abloh, Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, and Playboi Carti. Seeing them build their brands and seeing them go from ground zero to where they are now has really inspired my vision. The truth is that that vision has always been in my heart for the longest, but the fear of judgment and discouragement has always stopped it from becoming reality. I've always been a shy kid with big dreams growing up, and thankfully, over the past year, I've been working on letting go of all that fear. Thankfully, I've been finding myself and learning to just be the person I am and to do the things I love because every day is not promised. From all these past experiences is where my clothing brand, "Tied In Forever", roots begin, which I plan to start in the near future.

    The meaning behind the name, "Tied In Forever", is about unbreakable loyalty—loyal to yourself, your vision, and the life you're meant to live. I want the brand to represent a choice, and that choice is to fully commit, to tie yourself to your purpose, and to never let anything or anyone cut that bond. When people tie in with their goals and with what they love, that connection becomes so strong that nothing can break it. I also want the brand name to represent trusting a process. Everybody has bad days when they believe they're not making any progress in their path or story. However, that discouragement has a purpose, and eventually everything in a story ties in and starts to make sense. This brand is for people who want to make a statement. That statement is that they are forever loyal and committed to their vision and goals, and that they refuse to give up.

    For the clothes, I want to focus more on the fit and the details of the clothes rather than the graphics. I designed a simple logo for this reason. I do plan on creating more logos for the brand in the future. I plan to make hoodies, shirts, sweatpants, jeans, and accessories such as hats and jewelry to stand out from other brands. Another idea to stand out that I have is to also branch out and work with other industries, like music and cars. I would love to work with upcoming artists and also make accessories for cars, since I have a love for cars as well. I want the brand to be more than just clothes and more like a community in the future.