Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shawn George. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Shawn, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I originally created II:OI in 2010 but fashion design has been my passion since childhood. I’ve always loved well designed shoes and thrifting unique, original pieces from local thrift stores. After graduating high school in 2007, I wanted to find a way to develop my design skills so I decided to attend the Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham in 2010. The Art Institute was amazing, it taught me so much about design and it completely elevated my knowledge and creativity. After attending the Art Institute, I moved from Durham, NC to Washington, DC in 2011 to pursue my dream of becoming a fashion designer. While living in DC I made plenty of friends who some have become like family but I also ended up getting distracted by various things while living there and losing sight of my dreams. But….while in DC I created my first shoe design, the II:OI Omega. I still had family and friends back in NC too so I eventually moved back for a few months which is when I started a very unsuccessful kickstarter campaign. This campaign didn’t result in a traction for my brand but it did give me content to better depict my ideas so I then posted my kickstarter campaign video on YouTube on 2016. After those few months in NC I moved back to DC which is where I further developed the design. About a year later, a friend offered me the opportunity to move to CA in 2017 and I agreed, which then began my secondary relocation on this journey to my fashion design dreams. Once I got to LA I immediately had to get a job and began working to be able to support myself which then became years of being in the constant revolving door of working to pay bills but during this time I knew I needed something to further advance my brand and that something was a prototype. A shoe prototype would give someone an actual 3 dimensional visual of my design which will then give my brand credibility. So I went online to find someone to create my prototype and I found a shoe manufacturer from Belgium on Instagram who perfectly fit my design aesthetic so I reached out to see if he could make my prototype and he agreed. But, I also knew that a prototype would be expensive and I never really had much disposable income. The price for the prototype was $2000 so I knew I would have to take desperate measures to come up with the money. So, I decided to forfeit my monthly rent and sleep in my car for a couple months to save the money to pay for the prototype. After about 2 months of sleeping in the car I had saved enough money to pay for the initial partial payment of $1000 for the prototype which was half of the total and I sent over the money with nervous excitement but anxious to see the results. For the first few months he was making consistent progress, constantly sending me new images weekly, his work was great and the design was coming together nicely so I was ecstatic. Our communication was always timely and consistent, initially, then, they got really inconsistent all together, then, eventually, they stopped. I was devastated. Like, what happened? Everything was going so well? Months and months went by, still, no reply. I was in denial for a while, like, how could someone do something like this? Maybe something happened to him? But, eventually, I had to come to the realization that he had just taken my money and didn’t finish the prototype. I was crushed. But what could I do? He’s all the way in France. Everything I had been through to save that money, all the sacrifices I made, worthless. It’s was all for nothing. So that situation made me very cautious and risk adverse for a while and I just slipped back into just working a job but the fashion design flame never fizzled out so I just redirected that energy into clothing design instead. Designing clothes was something that I didn’t have to outsource so I could have full control over everything so I dove head first into the II:OI clothing collection. Over the next few years I created various unique pieces to properly represent the II:OI brand and made a few random connections along the way also. During the 2020 pandemic I began going to Melrose Blv to sell my T-shirts at my II:OI plastered picnic table and one day, Michael Blackson comes walking down the block and approached my booth. He was a really nice and encouraging guy and told me that I reminded him of himself when he was on his come up, which meant a lot coming from someone like him. I politely asked him for a picture and offered him a shirt which he obliged both. So, we took the picture, I gave him a shirt and we parted ways. Feeling motivated, I went home thinking nothing other than how he was a down to earth, genuine person and how synchronicitous it was that I was at the perfect place and time to meet him. A couple days later, I wake up, log into Instagram, begin to scroll, then I randomly see Mr. Blackson wearing my logo branded shirt I gave him days before on Melrose posted on his page. I was so excited and appreciative. You usually have to pay for exposure like that and here I am getting it for free and I didn’t even ask him to do it, I was elated. I immediately reposted it on my page then reached out to him to thank him for this well appreciated gesture. I received a lot of engagement to my instagram page from that post which actually only slightly change anything pertaining to the growth of my page but it greatly motivated me to continue following my dreams knowing now that at least someone who’s known in the world is aware of my work. So, a little while after that I began the search to find a shoe manufacturer again. This time, I reached out to a manufacturer from China I met through indeed. And this time, he was exceptional, within 6 months I had a perfectly manufactured prototype ready for display. And now, a couple years later, I have a robust, eclectic portfolio of work and I’m fully prepared for the next opportunity on this beautiful journey. Regardless of how long things may take, never give up on your dreams, you never know when or what is coming next and it’s always right on time.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Shawn George and I’m the creator of II:OI, fashion brand based in LA. I was born in North Carolina and was raised by my grandmother and mother. Fashion has been my passion since childhood and I have been on the pursuit of my fashion designer dreams since about 2010. II:OI represents time which is the most valuable thing in life, The Time is Now. II:OI offers high fashion street wear inspired by individuality.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
When I didn’t have the finances to fund the production of my shoe prototype I decided to sleep in my car for 2 months to save money on rent to invest in my dreams.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
After having my money stolen by the first manufacturer in France, I could’ve easily just given up and completely lost sight of my dreams. But I didn’t. I kept going. And now, I’m so close I can feel it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: 11.01brand
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/IBZGQ9mbD88?si=PzaaDMy_dzRZc0M6