Archive for Apparel/Accessories – Page 4

Mo’s Bows

When Moziah (Mo) Bridges was 9 years old, he made his first product for his business that would eventually become an internationally recognized brand. Originally, he was looking for an accessory to “help [him] look sharp”. All he found were ugly-colored, clip-on bow ties. When he couldn’t find anything that expressed his personality and fit his fashion taste, Mo decided to take matters into his own hands (literally).

With the help of his grandmother, Mo sewed his own bow tie at his grandmother’s kitchen table. Then, he began selling bow ties on the side of the road. He then expanded to selling on Etsy. Later, in 2013, Mo appeared on the 5th season of Shark Tank but failed to receive financial support. He did receive Daymond John’s mentoring. Since then, Mo has created bow ties for all 30 NBA teams and former President Obama.

In 2012, Mo founded a charity called Go Mo! Summer Camp Scholarship Fund to send Memphis kids to summer camp. As of 2021, his charity has sent more than 50 kids to summer camp. At age 17, Mo expanded to neckties, pocket squares, and facemasks. He even wrote a book. His Memphis-based business now sells products to other stores such as Bloomingdale’s.

Mo’s charisma, family, and media outlets also greatly influenced his success. His mother helped him run his business while other family members helped sew the ties and ship them. Later, news outlets found his story interesting and provided publicity. Publicity would have been useless though, if Mo was not a personable character. In 2022, Mo’s net worth was $2 million.

Mo’s Bow was born out of a 9-year-old who wanted to add a bit of flare to his attire. He created what he wanted and saw potential. His business provided handmade bowties for both boys and men. From there, he expanded and continued to address another need. Mo saw yet another need in his community and decided to donate part of his profits to help.

Mo’s Bows (mosbowsmemphis.com)

Mo’s bows Shark Tank Net Worth 2023| What Happened To Mo’s bows After Shark Tank? 2023 (biznewske.com)

Go Out with a Bang

In 2014, 22-year-old Hannah Davis sat at a table in Charlestown, North Carolina at a pop-up shop. Surrounded by small business owners, Davis hardly felt at home. She had only ever held two jobs–waitress, and English teacher and didn’t know the first thing about starting a business. What’s more, she hardly had any expertise in her product—shoes. 

Today, BANGS shoes have lighted up Instagram with aesthetic pictures of one-of-a-kind footwear. In a culture where many Gen-Zers wear one of three shoe brands (Vans, Converse, Nike), Davis saw a market for uniqueness and self-expression. With their wide variety of colors, cute embroidered patterns, and a style reminiscent of the 70s, BANGS shoes stand out from the crowd. 

BANGS shoes aren’t all about style. They strive to remain sustainable towards an increasingly environmentally conscious generation with 100% vegan materials. In addition, BANGS invests 20% of its net profits toward entrepreneurs through a non-profit platform called Kiva. They have invested in over 5,000 entrepreneurs across 74 countries including the United States. Unlike larger brands, BANGS’ small nature allows them to plug in with their customers through social media and events. Through social media contests, tags, and scavenger hunts BANGS reaches its audience in unique ways. BANGS ambassadors also host regional get-togethers for fellow brand enthusiasts to come together for crafts, games, and meet and greets. 

Hannah Davis was first inspired to start BANGS when she was teaching English in China. After seeing the green, army-style shoes worn by Chinese migrant workers and farmers, she wanted to create a shoe that represented a community. The name BANGS is from the Mandarin character 帮: bāng, or “to help”. Davis is driven by making the world a better place by nurturing a positive community and being kind towards others. Her innovation through the unique style and mission of BANGS as well as her perseverance in breaking into a market she had little knowledge of demonstrates her entrepreneurial spirit. Davis’ uncommon and expressive approach to both her product and her marketing strategy is an inspiration to entrepreneurs.

 

Read more about BANGS shoes and see their products at: https://www.bangsshoes.com/

 

James Droz- What Happened??

James Droz is one of the most popular sports influencers on the planet right now. He is from a small town in Oklahoma called Bartlesville. James has down syndrome but that doesn’t stop him from doing what he loves, watching sports. His fame began in January of 2022 when Tom Brady and the Buccaneers lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship. He got his popularity by repeating the phrase “what happened?” to the losing team. James has acquired over 850k followers on TikTok and about 20 million total views. One of his followers helped him go to the Oklahoma versus Oklahoma State game where James celebrated with his favorite team (Oklahoma) and made a video using his catchphrase. With his popularity he was able to create merchandise such as hats, shirts, and sweatshirts. James and his family use their entrepreneurship abilities to take advantage of his rising popularity to make money. James Droz isn’t just making merch, he has been invited to do some radio shows and invited to some high school and collegiate football games. It’s incredible to see that he is able to do all of this on his own even with a disability. Safe to say that James Droz is any fanbase’s worst nightmare, especially if you go to USC.

TALA — Grace Beverley

Nobody likes wearing someone’s old athletic wear, especially if it’s leggings or undergarments. That’s just gross. Well, Grace Beverley thought the same thing. With a passion for sustainability, Beverley thrifted a lot and tried to buy from sustainable brands. She noticed that plenty of sustainable brands existed for most clothing. But not for athletic wear. And since nobody likes thrifting someone’s old, sweaty socks or leggings, Beverley decided to create a brand herself. Her company, TALA, creates styles made from plastic bottles and factory offcuts, making it sustainable and ethical, two things she feels very passionately about. 

Originally, Beverley was a music major at Oxford University. But when she realized she had a passion for sustainable clothing, she took to a different side of the creativity spectrum: Entrepreneurship. She wanted people, specifically young people, to have a sustainable option for their athletic clothes that wouldn’t also drain their bank accounts. And so, TALA was born in 2019. Beverley stuck to her passion and through TALA, she managed to recycle seventy-thousand water bottles in her first year alone.

But TALA isn’t Beverley’s only business. She has also started a fitness app called SHREDDY which offers her activewear customers (and anyone else) a place to set goals and track their fitness progress. And if that’s not enough, she is also the Sunday Times bestselling author of “Working Hard, Hardly Working,” a book that seeks to teach young entrepreneurs how to accomplish more under less stress. 

When asked about her “eureka” moment, Grace Beverley stated that she never had one, that it was more of a build-up of idea after idea. And I think this is the perfect example of the slow hunch, the idea that starts as a seed and grows. Grace Beverley and the invention of TALA started as a hunch and is now a multimillion dollar business that encourages people to stay fit and recycle.

 

https://balance.media/founder-focus-grace-beverley/#:~:text=Grace%20Beverley%20is%20the%20Founder,of%20just%2023%20years%20old.https://www.wearetala.com/en-us/pages/about-ushttps://thetab.com/uk/2022/02/09/grace-beverley-reveals-exactly-how-she-secured-her-5-7mil-recent-investment-in-tala-239535

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/442770/working-hard-hardly-working-by-beverley-grace/9781786332851

 

Ivana George – All the More Apparel

Ivana George is the creator of All the More Apparel. One night Ivana stumbled upon the idea while trying to find an outfit to wear to a church event but couldn’t find anything cute. Finally, Ivana found a verse that she thought would make a great t-shirt and happened to have some extra vinyl lying around. So she decided to make a shirt. Long story short, Ivana wore the T-shirt to her church event and got much better feedback than expected. Fast forward a few months, and she had a whole business with t-shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, and tote bags. Ivana said she was always creative and wanted to have her own business to sew her designs. In addition to that, Ivana said, “I also wanted something that was bigger than myself and had a purpose greater than just making money … And I feel like All the More Apparel is kind of like that for me where I can be creative and put my craft out there, but also give glory to God.” I find Ivana’s story very inspiring. She was able to make a difference through her clothing designs. She saw a need for cute encouraging clothing and created All the More Apparel as her solution.

https://allthemoreapparel.com/

 

Carew Ellington – Social Media Influencer

Carew Ellington first started getting followers and seeing fame when he created a Tik Tok account. Through his Tik Tok account he would create videos about his Christian apparel that he was selling and making out of his basement. His apparel is Christian based, and he mainly got his sellers through sharing his testimony and videos he would make about bible verses and sometimes little sermons. His main point he wants his consumers to know is that everyone is loved by God, and he carries that over into his apparel. Once he got more famous, he also started selling his clothes that he doesn’t want any more on his website. He has Hand-made apparel and Christian Collection. Carew’s clothing is unique because he has apparel that is hand-made by him. Making sure everyone knows they are worthy and loved by God is what drives him to make and create his shirts, sweatshirts, and tote bags. Carew demonstrates passion in his clothing line because he is passionate about sharing the gospel and extending God’s love to others through his apparel and social media videos. Social media has made things so much easier for young entrepreneurs because it is such a great way to get your product out there and see who grasps onto it

BANGS shoes, Hannah Davis

BANGS shoes, getting its name from the Mandarin word help, is a shoe company who dedicates 20% of their profit toward helping entrepreneurs around the world. In 2010, recent college grad Hannah Davis had the idea to take the simple work boots worn by farmers in China where she was teaching English, and market them to the western world in the hopes that she could then invest into other entrepreneurs from the profits. Initially hitting roadblocks with contracts and manufacturing falling through, Davis would eventually hit a stroke of “luck” when she unknowingly met a retired manufacturing executive while working as a bartender. Rightfully a bit skeptical when this man asked question after question about her business plan, she would later discover who he was and partner with him to sign a deal and finally see her idea become a reality.

Now a thriving company, BANGS has helped countless entrepreneurs in countries all around the world.  “We have cultivated a company culture and community united around everyday adventure, positivity, encouragement, and a passion to do good.” Starting an ambassador program has grown this community exponentially with hundreds of students from universities partnering with BANGS in just the first two years of the program. BANGS has helped over 5,000 entrepreneurs in 74 countries. Having a 96% loan repayment, BANGS is able to reinvest the money into more and more entrepreneurs as their and other’s businesses thrive and grow.

Sunrise Mountain High TopLegacy High TopPacific Crest High Top

Nathan Mroz – The BFLO Store founder

From a small photography business owner to the founder of the largest locally themed retailer in Western New York, Nathan Mroz has become quite the successful entrepreneur and was recently awarded the “2022 Buffalo District Young Entrepreneur of the Year U.S. Small Business Administration” award. 

This 28 year-old had humble beginnings. Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Nathan made his first step towards being an entrepreneur through selling his award-winning photography in a kiosk at the Eastern Hills Mall in Western New York. In 2015 during Mroz’s senior year of college, the BFLO Store was launched in the same building where it all started – the Eastern Hills Mall. The following year he graduated from Buffalo State college with a bachelors in science. 

The BFLO Store had humble beginnings, but very quickly sprouted. After a few years, the business added another location in a larger mall in the Buffalo area, which had more traffic. In 2019, Mroz expanded his Eastern Hills location with a $2 million investment, which created the “BFLO District” and added new life to the dying mall. 

As of 2022, Mroz has 4 different locations in Buffalo, NY. These stores sell a host of different Buffalo themed items, such as apparel, home decor, gifts, and more. Despite the growing popularity, the business isn’t done growing. Mroz has more plans for the BFLO Store and will continue to invest in his business. 

 

Click here for more. 

Eterneva

In 2015, Adelle Archer lost a close friend and mentor to stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Her friend did not have any family or children, so she had her ashes given to Adelle after she passed. Wanting to do something special with her friend’s ashes, Adelle decided to have them turned into a diamond. In an interview she described why she choose this unconventional method, saying, “We started to look into our options, and I was exposed to the death-care space for the first time. It opened my eyes. I realized that it is such an old school industry, and it had not innovated for hundreds of years. I learned that we lack meaningful ways to honor remarkable people.” So, in 2017 she co-founded Eterneva with Garret Ozar. At the time, she had a connection to someone working for a diamond foundry specializing in industrial uses. She and Garret Ozar created Eterneva as a consumer brand for the foundry. The company started with a few large sales, then reached $1 million in sales in July 2019. Since then, Adelle Archer has taken Eterneva to shark tank and made a deal with Mark Cuban for $600,000. Adelle Archer was also featured in Forbes 2020 30 under 30 in consumer technology.

 

https://www.eterneva.com/about

https://www.forbes.com/profile/adelle-archer/?sh=3b61bcf91b2f

https://medium.com/allraise/the-future-of-deathtech-interview-with-adelle-archer-ceo-and-founder-of-eterneva-25b8cd9ce878#:~:text=How%20did%20you%20start%20Eterneva,help%20him%20build%20a%20brand.

Revelations Tee Co.

Revelations Tee Co. Was founded by Grove City student Eleni Kasianides during her work for a business class. She wanted to find uplifting clothing that was faith-based, but not tacky. So often in the Christian market, there are bright colors and flowers with common verses taken out of context. Revelations Tee Co. strives to be unique, the subtle branding encourages questions. The hope for the line is that wearers will desire to be intentional with their faith, and share when asked in public. The first collection is scheduled to drop on Monday the 21st, entitled “Pleasant Words.”

Above all, Revelations aspires to glorify God in the choices we make. To share our faith and go boldly into the world with love. Revelations stands for more than just the book in the Bible. It also represents the constant eureka moments we have with God and the ability we have to share those moments with others.

The circle logo encompasses several Easter eggs, for those who know to look for them.  The circle with an olive “branch” from John 15:5, and the “Book of Life” in Daniel 12:1. Even the three dots represent something bigger; the trinity. Symbolism is packed into every piece and special care is given to ensure theological accuracy.

As Christians, we are called to stand out. To live and act intentionally. Revelations hope to marry style and faith in its debut collection. The initial drop will include six original designs from Bible verses and worship songs. It will feature different styles and sizes to accommodate a variety of styles and preferences.

If you would like to check out a preview of their website, you can find all the details here.