Robert Felder serves as a wonderful example of a young entrepreneur. On a trip to Bangladesh in 2012, Felder was faced with the devastating realities of
clothing production in India. Though still a high school student, Felder began to devise the clothing brand Bearbottom Clothing as a solution to fill the void of quality jobs and basic necessities like clothing. In 2014 Felder launched his brand and immediately gained significant traction on account of Bearbottom’s sustainability and heart-warming mission. His mission was to produce sustainable menswear that was also ethically made. He planned to create this impact by donating a school meal and clothing to children in Bangladesh for every purchase made. He was extremely successful in creating this impact as he has now donated over 700,000 meals and 100,000 pairs of shorts to Bearbottom partner communities. This is incredibly inspiring to me, as Felder used his creativity and innovative mind to love people well. Everything about Bearbottom is ultimately driven by a desire to create a positive impact in communities that are in need. What a wonderful mission and quality product.
Understanding her customers’ desire to own her ceramic creations, she created Grumpy Kid Studio; a fully functioning pottery business that is distinctively trade-marked by little grumpy faces on each piece. On account of launching this business and growing her outreach beyond social media users, Zhu’s pieces are now displayed in houses across the world and her brand has grown exponentially. Garbo Zhu is especially inspiring to me, as a young creative who deeply loves fashion and art, because she built a space where the two can coexist. Additionally, I am also encouraged to explore the ways I can use my creative drive to connect to a niche group of art and fashion lovers.
