We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Adriana Campbell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Adriana below.
Alright, Adriana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Staring the brand itself was a risk being as how I’ve never done anything like this in my life. I remember when I found my first vendor to manufacture my clothes. It’s like you somewhat have to have blind faith in what you’re doing to even trust a stranger with your vision. My first bulk order cost me $900, and up until that point, I had never spent that amount of money at one time on anything. I had to trust another person with a vision that no one had ever seen outside of my head. I sent over the money then I had to wait almost a month for the order to be complete. That wait time was nerve racking because I didn’t know how the order would turn out. I was making hats and sweatshirts at the time and I wanted everything embroidered to increase the quality of the items. The order turned out horrible and I didn’t like the designs once they were complete, but I did learn what works and what doesn’t work. The designs looked very flat and the detail I was looking for, was not there. It looked like anyone would be able to tell that this was my first project. I wanted to give up right then, but I prayed on me getting better being as how I knew how much I wanted to start a brand.
So even though I wasn’t excited about the order, I gained knowledge on how to not design my next drop. Sometimes knowing what you don’t like is the answer to what may possibly work for you.
I was nervous at first being as how I was a college student with no knowledge about how to build a brand let alone what goes in to it. A lot of mistakes were made on the way for me to get to this point, none of which I regret.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I got in to this business just for my overall love for fashion. I grew up in New York so fashion, style, and looking fly in general was mandatory. As a kid I was obsessed with Pharell and his style. I thought it was cool that a black man was dressed like a skater because I had never saw that before within the black community. He wore a lot of pop colors and made brands like BAPE and Billionaire Boy’s Club very popular. I wanted my brand to be vibrant and to not be something just for urban culture, but for everyone. I feel like what sets me apart from others is that I don’t make the same bulk order withe the same designs twice. Every drop is made in limited supply, therefore everything is first come first serve up until it’s no longer available. I may possibly make 50 hoodies with the same design and once I sell out, I’ll be on to my next idea. I am most proud that I’ve been able to find patient vendors that can now bring my ideas to life and take me to the next level. I feel that I have a solid team behind me and I have the love and support of my family and friends that keeps me grounded. I want all my potential clients to know that my brand will continue to evolve and I just want the chance to be able to showcase my work. I do believe that my best ideas have not even been introduced yet.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is watching other people get excited about my clothes once they put them on. It’s very rewarding to see people reacting in a positive way to my brand. It lets me know that I am on the right track and the my goal has been accomplished as far as reaching my audience on a personal level. A lot of my customers will compare the way my brand looks to bigger brands which makes me feel good because I want to gain recognition at their level, or better but in my own way.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth and instagram. I have been stopped in the street while wearing my brand and in the moments I am able to gain new clients or follower for my business page all while being able to promote my brand on the spot. Being a vendor at pop up shops around the city is also a great way to get new customers because you never know who is attending those events. I also have the opportunity to meet people with bigger platforms who may want to help me launch my vision and ideas in a more lucrative direction.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @currencyxshop @kilo.dro
