We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dwayne Allen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dwayne below.

Dwayne, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

Looking back on everything now, starting a business was something I’ve wanted to do for such a long time. I would have started my business long before I did, but the reality is, timing is everything.

As an apparel designer, creatively speaking, I’ve been captivated by the idea of creating new things and brining many ideas to life. At the time, I was working in the multimedia space dealing with video production, shooting, and editing. Every day I went to work and all I could think about were my own ideas on how to create new apparel and content, creating new ideas and concepts for a brand that represents what I stand for in my life.

So in 2022, after almost ten years of cultivating, curating, and fine-tuning the direction I wanted the brand to go in, I launched TRDA Brand. The letters T-R-D-A is an acronym for TAKE RESPECT DEFY ADVERSITY. Take Respect Defy Adversity is a saying that has defined my life is a quote that I live by. In life, they saying “respect is earned”, but what happens when you don’t receive the respect you earned? What happens when you are denied still? What do you do? You dig deep and go to another level, a level where you become undeniable and people have choice but to eventually show you the respect you rightfully deserve. It’s a quote that applies to any area of life and everyone can relate it in some way.

Starting TRDA Brand any sooner would have resulted in multiple resets. I said before, timing is everything. Fashion changes so often that creating a brand means you have to adapt to changing styles and trends . Evolution is key for any successful venture in any area of design. Who I was as a designer and as a person was drastically different in 2009 when I first came up with the concept of what I wanted to do.

In all honesty, when I first started TRDA Brand, I didn’t have the knowledge, the resources, or the technology to even begin bringing my ideas to life. Of course, I would have loved to start it early but it just wouldn’t have been the right time.

Also, starting my apparel business would provide me the freedom to move into my next business venture, sports management. Fashion, sneakers, and sports have always gone hand-in-hand. As a former basketball player and coach, I woulds often run into scenarios where many athletes needed what I call “athlete support services”.

Noticing a void in the the industry, many athletes lack a support system in the process of navigating through the transition of college athletics and professional sports. College athletes now have the opportunity to profit off their Name, Image, and Likeness. So in 2023, I partnered with Penn State University college basketball star Ace Baldwin Jr. to create Mainbird Enterprises, LLC to manage his career and transition to professional basketball.

Dwayne, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Dwayne T. Allen and I am a designer and business manager born and raised in Baltimore, MD. I have always been into fashion, design, and apparel ever since I was a child. I grew up playing the game of basketball and in college I began take interest in the business of basketball and all the moving components that make up that industry.

In 2022, I started my own fashion label T-R-D-A Brand, Take Respect Defy Adversity as a means of expression and platform to create and design apparel with a message and look that reflects my life, upbringing, and taste in design. My goal and focus was to create apparel including t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and hoodies to reflect brand messaging and street/sportswear aesthetic. The biggest problems I had when starting out was the ever-changing fashion industry and building a brand community at the same time. Also social media trends were constantly changing and learning to incorporate these new mediums was hard to keep up with to run ads while trying to adapt to changing trends while keeping the same brand aesthetic was difficult to manage but ultimately was rewarding.

Just a year a few months later, I partnered with Penn State Basketball player, Ace Baldwin Jr. to found Mainbird Enterprises, LLC. Mainbird Enterprises, LLC is a holding company to house many business ventures as well as providing athlete support services. Mainbird Enterprises, LLC manages the finances, NIL opportunities, and other business ventures of transitioning athletes to professional sports.

I am most proud of the fact that I took a risk to become an entrepreneur. I took a risk not knowing if things would work out or not and I was still able to do it successfully. I was able to successfully navigate through industries I had no previous experience in.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2021, I was a multimedia specialist for a community college just as the global COVID-19 pandemic was slowly coming to an end. I remember being on the job and producing great work when I realized that the work kept increasing and the pay started to decrease. A larger role, with a diminished value, I knew that things were going to stay the same for me financially if I didn’t do something drastic. I took a risk leaving a form of stability trusting in my client and the ability to navigate this a space I had nor had previous experience in.

I knew that I needed to focus on building something for myself or I would be stuck in the same financial cycle that would ultimately be unsustainable. My work was proven, but my place of employment did not value it. I made a successful change and now I have a freedom that I have always worked hard to obtain.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

When making a decision to sell apparel online, I decided to use Shopify. Shopify has developed a platform that allows entrepreneurs to manage and navigate through the all the areas selling products via e-commerce. Shopify is user friendly and provides a convenience that allows one individual to manage the entire process from start to finish. Although, creatively you run into limitations, that is just a small sacrifice for the convenience that Shopify provides.

Contact Info:

• Website: mainbirdenterprises.com trdabrand.com
• Instagram: @trdabrand @mainbirdenterprises
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/trdabrand
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dwayneallen24/
• Twitter: @trdabrand @MainBirdLLC
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRDABrand https://www.youtube.com/@MainbirdEnterprises