We recently connected with Muhammad Jalloh and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Muhammad thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
In 2017 as an Undergraduate Graphic Design Communication Design major in Pratt Institute who also did freelance work on commission I quickly understood the impact graphic design can have on my life and the lives around me. Throughout my four years I’ve been fortunate enough to develop branding identity for small businesses and entrepreneurs which demonstrated to me that graphic design is a vehicle for changing the lives of those who utilize and interact with it. While being able to harness this ability through assisting others in their journeys I was inspired to do the same for myself in the form of streetwear clothing which had been another passion of mine since my time as a High School student at Medgar Evers College Preparatory School. I ultimately decided to design and fully establish The Broken Kids Project to address trauma that my community has experienced and still continues to experience, while remaining engaged with the streetwear culture that keeps me inspired today.
What I believe sets BKP apart is our operation as a high-quality streetwear brand that centralized on overcoming adversity, as the two have not often been synonymous in the fashion industry. We solve a problem that many other organizations solve but in this distinct method. As more attention has been garnered toward the adversity and difference of opportunities present to Brooklyn, NY communities our excitement continues to mount, this serves as a testament that more work can be done to strengthen our communities in the form of high quality and accessible design.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve been the owner of The Broken Kids Project for four years, I originally founded the brand during my time as an undergraduate student at Pratt Institute. I chose the streetwear industry not only because of my experience in learning graphic design, but as an avid consumer of streetwear as a whole. I’ve held the passion since 2013 as a High School Student at Medgar Evers College Preparatory School. Jordan sneakers were a particular favorite of mine, no raffle did not see my entry and my presence became synonymous with outdoor crowds for the newest sneaker releases. Through my passion for streetwear, my addiction as a sneaker head, and a budding graphic designer I was thrust into both streetwear and entrepreneurial cultures which taught me that graphic design not only has a massive potential to reach audiences but can serve as a vehicle for change. This inspired me to create BKP The Broken Kids Project, a streetwear brand intended to bring attention to the trauma we face with clothing as the medium of expression.
Having established the Broken Kids Project, I took the time to develop an understanding for the business landscape I’d be operating the brand in during my time as a graduate student at Metropolitan College of New York. Admittedly I have not been able to fully grasp a hold on this landscape and would be terrified if that day ever came, as the streetwear industry is constantly evolving. Operating on the intersection of fashion innovation while remaining steadfast and accessible in the mission of this brand has been a unique challenge but one that makes our target demographic feel seen through each successful article we’re able to craft. At this point in the brand journey I hold the most pride in being able to have worked and donated to charitable organizations on a city and state level for New York. Witnessing the impact of The Broken Kids Project along the avenues of collaboration and creativity will continue to allow us to break boundaries and positively impact our community through this brand.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Building an audience on social media is a constant evolutionary process. As the Broken Kids Project speaks towards authentic experiences with trauma in various communities the goal has always been to have that social media audience reflect said authenticity. Above all else I find that I’m able to expand my audience by taking risks in the content that I produce across social media channels. This can vary from attaching The Broken Kids Project to online trends that align with the brand’s mission to finding new ways to capture and retain the attention of our demographic beyond sales objectives alone. Consistency on social has been another principle to grow and maintain an audience, this has been useful in not only establishing a following but providing credibility to the brand as well. Diversifying social media platforms has been crucial in growing our audience as we have profiles on Pinterest, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, doing this has also taught us to diversify the creatives we utilize on said platforms to maximize engagement.
With each aspect of The Broken Kids Project’s social media presence being understood the main aspect of growing our social media audience can be attributed to being physically present within all aspects the brand may demand. Ultimately our content on social media would not contain the same level of authenticity without these experiences. Examples may include conducting photoshoot both at studios and outdoors, attending networking events, and participating in events like community giveaways which align with our brand’s core values. The reason this has been essential to our growth goes back to credibility, showcasing our impact and interactions outside of what we produce alone draws consumers to not only support from a monetary standpoint but to support because we have proof of the goals we aim to attain.
For those looking to develop their own online presence on social media the main piece of advice I can provide is to remain consistent. It will be impossible to maintain an audience if they have no content to interact with, if necessary develop a schedule for posting and remain active. Perfection does not exist nor will it attract an authentic following, audiences will revolve around authentic experiences even if that displays a level of imperfection. Be open to collaboration but not at the expense of your brand’s core values, high profile influencers that align with your brands core values exist and consistent effort will put you in a position to collaborate with them. Lastly, interact with your following. The business you’ve developed does not have to be a lifeless entity and visible interaction serves to further establish credibility to your brand, consumers love to be heard and one of the best ways to ensure that is by interacting with them. Social media is one of the most powerful tools that can be used to elevate a brand, but more importantly it is readily available. Identify your target demographic remain in the know when it comes to trends that may impact your business and remain consistent on all levels.
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
The manufacturing process and subsequent quality of BKP Streetwear has been a key selling point for this business, especially as a small business. We don’t currently manufacture our own products we are only responsible for product design. The Broken Kids Project utilizes various avenues for manufacturing and we’ve managed to learn a great deal throughout the process. Our first source for sourcing blank clothing and obtaining basic DTG prints was Printful.com, this website was our initial introduction into transforming digital designs into physical products. While we were limited in the variety of placements, printing types, and different garment GSM’s the website allowed us to print, this introduction was crucial and a testament to the fact that our operation as a brand was possible with limited income. From then we were able to expand and collaborate with the Crown Heights, Brooklyn based shop Elite Graphix. Through our work with Elite Graphix we were exposed to various clothing printing capabilities, including DTG, puff printing, emulsion, and embroidery for the entire body of our garments and not just designated areas which Printful would limit our designs to. Elite Graphix remains one of our primary partners for product design not only because of the guidance they’ve been able to provide from a production standpoint, but because one of the owners Omar Hardy is also the Chief Minister of The Black Lady Theatre, a Crown Heights based organization centered around granting resources and the opportunity for artistic expression in that community. In addition to Elite Graphix we have also been fortunate to partner with our production team in Donnugan City China. This team has been instrumental in allowing us to not only print at a higher scale and more affordable rate that United States based companies, but has allowed us to do so while experimenting with new product materials as a whole. Working with this manufacturing company has allowed us to grow and gain a better understanding for not only the printing process for streetwear clothing but garment construction as well. We’ve been forced to grow through the implementation of tech packs to clearly display our ideal product layouts thus allowing more room for us to properly invest on larger scale production.
The main lesson we’ve learned in the manufacturing process would be to clearly communicate product specifications. This goes back to the importance of being able to properly construct a tech pack complete with measurements and proper graphic placement to avoid confusion, with that being said there is always more room for communication. Being able to communicate concepts through mood boards with additional brand influence can be crucial in terms of providing reference points for manufacturers to properly develop clothing. Patience in the sampling process has also been another Important lesson as well. Your inventory will only be as good as the sample so it is crucial to never settle on this step-in production. Once a product sample is properly developed by a manufacturer production for the complete collection is more likely to be simplified and streamlined. As The Broken Kids Project continues to scale we will implement further learning to produce the best production results from an economic and quality standpoint, but the process we’ve undergone has been key to the brand’s success today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bkpthebrokenkidsproject.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bkpthebrokenkidsproject/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bkpthebrokenkidsproject
- Twitter: https://x.com/bkpbrokenkid
- Other: BKP The Broken Kids Project Linktree: https://linktr.ee/bkpthebrokenkidsproject
Image Credits
Justin Bartholomew – @PrimeeraVisuals