Luke Economou is a Greek/American young entrepreneur who goes to UC Santa Barbara. Luke was born in Connecticut but has lived around half of his life in Santa Monica, California, before moving to Santa Barbara this past year for school. I consider Luke to be one of my closest friends from back home as we have known each other for almost 10 years now (ever since he moved to Los Angeles) and have built a brother-like relationship. Luke has always had a passion for fashion and is one of the most innovative and entrepreneurial-minded individuals I have met. Similar to me, Luke graduated high school right after the COVID pandemic hit in 2020. He was originally planning to attend UCSB right away but instead decided to attend a local community college online. It was during this time that he started his designer/streetwear brand, Madman. Luke’s vision with Madman is to provide extremely stylish and luxury clothing that blends the culture of Los Angeles with our inner “madman.” The moto for his brand is, “What’s done in the dark, must come to light.” Luke wanted to establish a culture around his brand so that when people acquired his fashion pieces, they became part of the Madman family. Luke has been selling his product mostly through his online store, https://madmanlosangeles.com/, but has also initiated multiple pop-up stores in various locations around Los Angeles. Most notably, Luke held pop-up stores and events several times in the renowned shopping mall, The Beverly Center, at the Lost Warhol’s concept store. Madman was featured on the Beverly Center’s main attraction screen and has received overwhelmingly positive feedback on his brand’s design, message, culture, comfortability, uniqueness, and much more.
Archive for Apparel/Accessories – Page 5
Jaffry Mallari is the creator of the clothing brand Resurgence, where he creates fashion based upon his graphic designs. He started from the bottom, and rose his way up to success by scraping by with every cent he could use to make even basic designs to sell. His efforts paid off generously, and he has many consumers that love his designs.
In high school, Jaffry realized that he wanted to take his love for designing graphics to the next level, and make it his career. He started out with only $400, but was still determined to create a thriving business that he would pour everything he had into. He views clothes as a “canvas” where he can use his artistic abilities to create a design that others would enjoy. He took two unrelated ideas: fashion and art, and combined them to create Resurgence.
He struggled greatly with finding funding to create his designs, and since they were so limited in the beginning, his designs were basic and lacked originality. Another challenge he faced was discovering an audience that would be interested in his designs, but he used his love for the platform Discord to reach out to others. Now, he has a vast audience just from his Discord use.
Jaffry Mallari is an excellent example of a successful young entrepreneur, because he created a successful, and innovative brand out of close to nothing. His efforts inspire others to realize that ideas are achievable no matter the limitations, and to follow their passions.
Ryan Hickman began his entrepreneurial career at the age of three when he realized the importance of recycling and the potential for earning money. Ryan began his journey by making a trip to a local recycling center and then being rewarded a few bucks. This passion for recycling has grown and developed into a much larger project. The three year old who is now a teenager has widened his vision and now is driven to help clean up the earth one person at a time. Ryan now sells merchandise promoting the message “Making the sea trash free.” The profits of this merchandise, as well as his recycling business, go to the organization Pacific Marine Mammal Center. This organization is a rescue sanctuary for sea lions and seals. Ryan has had a meaningful impact on the efforts of cleaning up the earth. He is very passionate about educating people about how important it is for people to recycle. Ryan believes that if everyone did just a little bit to help, then we would see a large impact on the health of the earth. I think Ryan’s story is incredible and very motivating. As simple as recycling may sound, his passion has driven him to something so meaningful in this world and he has become a part of something that is bigger than himself. I think it is fascinating to see the parallels between what we talk about in class with innovation and the process of growing a business to Ryan’s specific story. I think Ryan will inspire a lot of people to make an effort in doing their 1% and turning this world into a much better and healthier place.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/RyanHickman.241761805_2205157866293027_9144110222269106971_n-d2d69da093094373b95972a207e340d5.jpg)
Johnny Cupcakes, an odd name for a bakery. A nickname from co-workers, Johnny Earl has been serving “fresh-baked” T-Shirts across multiple locations for several years now. An entrepreneur from a young age, he started 16 businesses before the age of 16. He has been featured in FORBES, NPR, BusinessWeek, INC Magazine, Wall Street Journal, WIRED, New York Times, The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times; and seen on MTV, Bloomberg TV, MAKER, Attack Of The Show, The Food Network, and WWD!
The idea came when he was creating new designs for the rock band he played for. He came up with the first Johnny Cupcakes design, featuring a skull and crossbones with a cupcake replacing the head. After wearing it in the office, everyone seemed to want one! Johnny began selling t-shirts out of his truck, and focused on customer experience instead of marketing. A known prankster, he loved the idea of “tricking” people into thinking he was running a real bakery!
“Our bakery aesthetic is so convincing, that customers are usually convinced they are walking into a bakery expecting to get a cupcake. My inner-jokester still gets a kick out of fooling hungry shoppers. Cupcake or not, customers usually leave with a t-shirt or a great story. However, one April Fool’s Day we sold real cupcakes and hid all of our t-shirts!”
As he began to assume a cult-like following, he added new and exclusive designs. some would only be available for certain hours! The T-Shirts, which make fun of pop culture and replace known figures with cupcakes, are becoming increasingly popular on social media where they garner the attention of masses.
![OFFF16] In Conversation with Johnny Cupcakes • Inkygoodness](https://inkygoodness.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/johnny-cupcakes-01.jpg)
For Johnny, customer experience is everything, he hides vanilla scented air fresheners in store locations to mimic the smell of frosting. T-Shirts are placed in vintage refrigerator cases and packaged in pastry containers when purchased. He is known as “The top Innovator in Retail” because of his personal connection to customers. He has been known to show up randomly, and post his location for people to find him. Johnny Cupcakes has hosted movie nights, bowling, roller-skating and more simply for the connection and brand loyalty. Prankster or not, Johnny knows the importance of a strong customer base and uses the connection to his advantage by dialing in to what fans want to see next.
Want to learn more? Check out this YouTube Video
Visit Johnny Cupcakes website here
View their Socials
In Ellicott City, MD, Nicole Dutra found a passion for hand dying clothes and fabrics. After years of experimentation with different methods of tie dying, she found ice dying her favorite. A couple more years later, she decided to sell her work and create a business out of it. She named her business Dutraville, and creates all of her pieces from home. She sells her work both from Instagram and Etsy, but she also does custom orders. Nicole provides excellent customer service with both quick shipping and, if you’re in the area, she will even drive it to you. She even will give you a personal tour of her studio and explain the process behind ice dying, show you all of her dyes, and even let you help her get a project started! She sells everything from tote bags to hoodies to Turkish towels, and she provides a discount if you want her to dye an article of clothing (or other cotton piece) that you already have. Her business is still growing, but it is definitely already worth her time. Nicole has had stands at many small business fairs, most commonly being outside Su Casa on Main Street in Old Ellicott City one Saturday of every month. She has even had the opportunity to partner with other small business owners and combine their products and skills! Dutraville is one of my favorite small businesses to support.
Can something as simple a jewelry make a difference in global issues like human trafficking and environmentalism?
For Nrithi Subramanian, an undergrad student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, it has. Subramanian began her business, Mantra and Co. in February of 2020 amidst the bushfires in Australia as a way to raise money to battle issues like these. Since 2020, Mantra and Co. has grown substantially.
Mantra and Co. focuses on selling trendy jewelry at an affordable cost. All jewelry is tarnish-free. The business differs from other e-commerce businesses because it “intersects social entrepreneurship and e-commerce to solve issues in the real world.” Subramanian is proud to say her company donates 100% of its proceeds to organizations such as Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support and North Texas Food Bank. Additionally, Mantra and Co. distributed care packages to small businesses around the Dallas area.
As her business grows, Subramanian hopes to continue to expand and make a bigger impact on the world.
Most people who have Tiktok or any form of social media remember “The Strawberry Dress” that took the internet by storm in 2020. It almost seems strange how such a fanciful dress became so sought after and coveted in a time where no one was going out and wearing beautiful clothes. Despite the hardships that quarantine brought, this fairly expensive dress became the best-selling item in Lirika Matoshi’s collection. Women who were software engineers, stay-at-home mothers, nurses, young teenage girls in high school all agreed that the dress was absolutely beautiful, bringing to mind the Tiktok concept “cottage-core,” more easily defined as rural bliss (which was how Vogue described it). “Most of my designs are inspired by my childhood. I feel like the things that make me feel better are the strawberries, the dress, the gowns, nature in general,” Matoshi said about the nostalgic feel the dress evoked. This dress was not practical by any means and there were very few places to which people could wear it in which the dress would make sense…but that didn’t stop the mass excitement over this gorgeous “princess” dress.
Lirika Matoshi, originally from Kosova, is only 26 years old. A self-taught designer without any formal fashion school training, she learned to make everything she has from her sister, designer Teuta Matoshi. She began with making accessories when she was only 20 and made the courageous leap of moving to New York. Since then, she has only expanded her line of accessories and clothes. In 2020, her business took off with the Strawberry Dress. Now, she outfits numerous influencers and celebrities and her label has a following of almost one million. With her significant platform and accomplishments, she has been added to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. The emergence of social media has been able to push designers and artists to become huge names among influencers who have so much sway over young consumers. As a self-taught artist myself, I’m glad to see that the possibilities truly are endless and the algorithms of social media platforms may be the answer to success. Anyone can put themselves out there. All it takes is one post, one dress for something to take off.
Vogue article: https://www.vogue.com/article/strawberry-dress-lirika-matoshi-popular
Lirika Matoshi’s Strawberry Dress: https://lirikamatoshi.com/products/strawberry-midi-dress
Lirika Matoshi’s website: https://lirikamatoshi.com/
This product was created by Kaycee Jones, a dancer who struggled with pain in her legs and feet throughout her dance career. She created a compression sock that supports vulnerable leg and foot muscles. Apolla is unique because the company founders used a nonprofit called MSC, based out of North Carolina and connected with Catawba Community College. Company owners were passionate about dancing and making sure that dancers didn’t suffer from foot and leg pain that could hamper their careers. Their product is interesting because the socks are specially crafted for dancers, but can be used in non-dance ways as well. Their socks have made life easier for hikers, runners, and more. They demonstrate entrepreneurial traits by obtaining patens for their product, utilizing a 14 day money back guarantee, and by improving their product consistently. Their most recent model is moisture wicking, antimicrobial, and have the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance. Apolla Socks are innovating as they continue to up their sales and develop as a company. They now come in 6 different sizes including no-show, crew, and midcalf, as well as others. This company inspires me in my thinking about creating a product through their use of a nonprofit. I generally connotate nonprofit with making less money, and while money isn’t everything, it is important when creating a product. Apolla, though, is doing very well with sales, has the backing from Shark Tank, has a very cool website, and is on selling platforms such as Amazon. This just goes to show that partnering with a nonprofit can be a great way to not only make a difference, but also make a profit. A principle I’ve picked up from this product is the recruiting of partners in a business situation. Kaycee came up with the product, but she enlisted the help of her business-oriented friend as well as a dancer, who together made the company what it is today.
Who would have thought that taking fancy notes could lead to a successful business venture?
For Lilly Ann Cepull, this became a reality with the development of her business All Things Lilly Ann back in 2018.
Lilly realized at a young age that she was fascinated by fonts and lettering. By the time she reached high school, she realized that other people were noticing her knack for hand-lettering. Girls in her classes noticed her fancy notes and began asking her for a doodle or a hand-lettered quote to hang in their rooms. Eventually, Lilly discovered she could make a business out of this and soon enough, she was hand-lettering chalkboards for weddings, teaching classes on lettering, painting clothing, and much more.
In 2018, Lilly took a leap of faith and decided to pursue her dream of having her own business. She began printing her art on stickers and prints–focusing on a theme of positivity throughout all of her art. The shop began to grow, and Lilly expanded by selling sweatshirts, tee shirts, socks, journals, to-do lists, and more.
All Things Lilly Ann continues to grow. Her Instagram (@instagram.com/allthingslillyann) now has over 121,000 followers. She runs the business out of North Carolina with her high-school sweetheart, Devin, who runs the business full-time with Lilly. Lilly states on her website, “Our day to day work varies so much (which is part of why we love being entrepreneurs)…”
- What is exemplary or unique about these young entrepreneurs? Moziah Bridges founded Mo’s Bows in 2011 (along with the help of his grandma) when he was just 9 years old. Pretty unique for a kid to start a business!
- What drives them? On the Mo’s Bows website, he is quoted saying, “I needed an accessory to help me look sharp, but I couldn’t find anything that suited my style or personality. So, with the help of my granny, I started fashioning my own bow ties.” Clearly, his desired need of fashionable bow ties drove him in creating his business.
- What makes their idea or business model interesting? What started as a ‘baby business’ of him designing bow ties in his grandma’s kitchen has now blossomed into an internationally-recognized business. Bow ties are just the beginning, as the business also sells distinctive pocket squares and neckties. He started with a single passion and continued to develop his business, finding where he wasn’t hitting the market and expanding.
- What entrepreneurial traits do they demonstrate? On the Mo’s Bows website, they say that to be successful you must, “Believe in yourself; Take the Opportunity to give back, Work hard/study hard; and have Support from friends and family.” Not only does he embody these traits, he also embodies determination and passion.
- How are they innovating? By using a family-based company that builds colorful, handmade-ties, Mo’ Bows built themselves on values that are hard to turn down by consumers.
- How do they specifically inspire you and help you in your own thinking about entrepreneurship and innovation? Moziah’s bravery, commitment, and passion are inspiring. To be able to create a business at 9 years old that would be featured on The Steve Harvey Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, 20/20, CBS This Morning, the Disney Channel, and Shark Tank is remarkable.
- What principles have you learned? I have learned that when you are passionate about something and put your mind to it, anything is possible. In terms of principles, Moziah is a great example of finding a need and creating a niche market around it. It is also a great example of two of the MODES, anticipation and articulation.