We recently connected with Deion Collins and have shared our conversation below.

Deion, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My business, ‘I am” Loungewear, mission started with my therapy background. As a Therapist, I work with a lot of children and teens who deal with a lot of interpersonal, confidence and self-identity issues. I also struggled with these same things as a child and teen. Once I got in my early 20’s I was lost. Instead of being and embracing who I truly am I wore a mask and made myself the person every one wanted me to be or already saw me as. That is why I connect so deeply with the statement words on my tees. I hand pick and research every statement I put on my shirts. I research them for accurate and specific definitions along with proper grammatical spelling. These statements are meant to define the person who is wearing it. If you shop with me it is a reason as to why you picked that specific word. You must resonate with it in some type of way and that shirt describes who you are and what you represent. As we all know, a healthy representation matters.

Deion, 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?

Hello, My name is Deion Collins. I am a 31-year-old Therapist from Chicago, IL. I currently work as a Group Therapist for teenagers that have experienced trauma, violence, and unhealthy relationships (family, friend, romantic, etc) in their personal lives. I got into the Mental Health/Counseling field back in 2013 when I was in community college and took a lot of psychology courses as electives and it spiraled from there. Since then, I graduated with my Associates in Arts, Bachelors in Psychology, and Masters in Counseling and Clinical Mental Health. I started my business “I am” Loungewear on January 6th, 2023. My business sells statement tees and I just released wine glasses, with both shirts and wine glasses having bold statement word(s) on them. Words such as “Beautifully-Crafted”, “Chosen”, and “Intentional” are a few of the statements that grace the front of my tees. I pick certain words for a reason. As a Therapist who works with teens everyday I see them struggle with something I struggled with at their age and that is self-identity. This connects with me deeply because I spent my teens and early 20’s lost so now as 31-year-old I use my brand as a representation of who I am, who I have become, and who I plan on being. I hope this brings others to the realization of how important it is to embrace who you are and enjoy showing-off that statement tee that they are wearing, because it is a healthy and physical display of who they are.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategies for growing my clientele have been Facebook ads, Word-of-mouth, and having a social media presence.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I build my social media presence by connecting with other small businesses and genuinely build healthy rapports and friendships with the owners. I also support their businesses.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.deionleann.com
• Instagram: deionleann
• Facebook: Deion Leann
• Linkedin: Deion Collins
• Twitter: deionleann
• Youtube: deionleann2241